The IPA Prix Voltaire is an annual prize of CHF 10,000 for publishers who put themselves at risk to promote and defend the freedom to publish. It is named after the French philosopher and writer François-Marie Arouet (penname Voltaire), who lived for many years in Geneva and its environs while promoting tolerance and free expression before the terms were in general use.
Nominations for the 2026 IPA Prix Voltaire are open until 22 February 2025 (call for nominations online form/ word document download to email to prix-voltaire@internationalpublishers.org). The laureates will be announced at the 35th International Publishers Congress on 6 July 2026 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The IPA Prix Voltaire is possible thanks to generous contributions from the following sponsors:
- Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah (Egypt)
- Albert Bonniers Förlag (Sweden)
- Changbi Publishing (Korea)
- C.H.Beck (Germany)
- Dar El Shorouk (Egypt)
- Nowon Mungo (Korea)
- Sahoipyoungnon Publishing (Korea)
To find out how you or your organization can support the IPA Prix Voltaire (brochure available in English and French) please contact prix-voltaire@internationalpublishers.org
Prix Voltaire Special Award
Periodically, the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee may confer the Prix Voltaire Special Award, a posthumous honour for individuals who have died recently for exercising their freedom of expression. The aim of the award is to give visibility to the laureate’s exceptional engagement for freedom of expression and expose how they were silenced.
Any IPA member may alert the FtPC to cases which they feel are worthy of a Special Award. FtPC members may nominate candidates for the Special Award. See criteria here.