The publishers, exiled in Poland and Germay, respectively, were recognised for their commitment to publishing despite threats, harassment and ultimately having to flee Belarus.
Kristenn Einarsson, Chair of the IPA’s Freedom to Publish Committee said: Each year we have strong shortlists and over the years we have covered every region. The freedom to publish is challenged everywhere. We received a worrying number of nominations this year. Their stories are sometimes unknown outside of their countries or regions, but their bravery is no less great. That our laureates must continue publishing in exile as a consequence of their commitment to the freedom to publish deserves our respect and recognition.
Nadia Kandrusevich was unable to attend the ceremony but shared the following statement: Thank you for the great honor of receiving the Prix Voltaire. This recognition affirms not only the importance of publishing and translating books for children but the belief in the quiet power of words to shape minds, to open hearts, and to build bridges across languages, cultures, and generations. The belief that even the smallest readers deserve stories that speak truth, nurture imagination, and offer a mirror—or a window—into the world. This award belongs to all the translators, publishers, and writers who keep working despite all circumstances. To all the children who read or listen to bedtime stories and to all the parents who believe in the power of a good book.
Accepting the 2025 IPA Prix Voltaire at the ceremony, Dmitri Strotsev delivered his speech in Belarusian. He said: In March 2022, I left for the West with one small suitcase. I was fleeing political persecution, but I was also preparing for a new mission — to use thirty years of publishing experience to create a free Belarusian publishing house in exile.
Today, about thirty Belarusian publishing houses have re-emerged or restored their work in exile, and we are all closely connected. We have a publishing community.
I would like to thank the International Publishers Association for the Voltaire Prize. This is important support for the Belarusian democratic resistance, this is an open invitation to Belarusian independent publishers to join the global publishing family.
Gvantsa Jobava, President of the IPA said: This year’s WEXFO theme, the year of resistance, speaks to me so clearly. And in this story of resistance, we all are also characters. 2025 IPA Prix Voltaire laureates are central characters. At great personal risk, they are inspiring hope, demanding reflection, carrying culture. It is an honour to celebrate them.
Full speeches and photos of the laureates and the ceremony are available here.
The IPA Prix Voltaire and Belarusian publishers
Kandrusevich and Strotsev are the second and third IPA Prix Voltaire laureates from Belarus. Ihar Lohvinau received the prize in 2014. Independent Belarusian publishers, anonymized due to risks for multiple houses, were shortlisted in 2021 and Andrej Januskevich was shortlisted in 2024. Januskevich received the Association of American Publishers (AAP) International Freedom to Publish prize the same year.
Publishing and censorship in Belarus
The Belarusian government requires publishing houses to obtain a license to publish, but houses are often restricted from registering or their licenses are not granted.
In 2020, Belarus’ government intensified its campaign of censoring publishers that promoted Belarusian identity, language, or history, or published texts in Belarusian.
About the 2025 IPA Prix Voltaire
Prix Voltaire nominees are publishers – individuals, groups or organizations – who have typically published controversial works amid pressure, threats, intimidation or harassment, be it from governments, other authorities or private interests. Alternatively, they may be publishers with a distinguished record of upholding the values of freedom to publish and freedom of expression. For the purposes of the IPA Prix Voltaire, the definition of ‘publisher’ is an individual, collective or organization that provides others with the means to share their ideas in written form, including via digital platforms.
The IPA Prix Voltaire, which comes with a CHF 10,000 prize, is made possible by generous contributions from sponsors, all of which are publishing houses and organizations that share the values that the IPA Prix Voltaire recognizes. Five new sponsors have been secured for 2025 with Egypt’s Dar El Shorouk and Al Dar Al Masriah Al Lubnaniah, and Korea’s Changbi Publishing, Nowon Mungo and Sahoipyoungnon Publishing joining longstanding sponsors Albert Bonniers Förloag (Sweden) and C.H. Beck (Germany).
2025 IPA Prix Voltaire co-laureate, Nadia Kandrusevich founded Koska, a children’s book publisher, in Belarus in 2018 to provide literature in Belarusian that promotes free thinking and escape from oppression. In a market dominated by Russian-language publishing and strict regulation, the aftermath of the 2020 Presidential election saw Koska have publications seized and offices threatened with closure. Since 2022 Kandrusevich has continued her work in exile, still reaching Belarusian children back at home.
Fellow laureate, Dmitri Strotsev is an award-winning Belarusian poet, publisher, and activist. After Vinograd, his publishing house, lost its license he continued as an underground publisher, resisting state censorship. Arrested in October 2020 he subsequently faced threats and restrictions on his work. Forced into exile, he relocated to Berlin and founded Hochroth Minsk as a platform for Belarusian and exiled writers to publish their works freely.
The 2025 IPA Prix Voltaire shortlist was announced at the Festival du Livre de Paris on 11 April 2025:
- Mohamad Hadi, Dar Al Rafidain, Lebanon
- Amar Ingrachen, Frantz Fanon, Algeria
- Nadia Kandrusevich, Koska, Belarus (exiled in Sweden)
- Michel Moushabeck, Interlink Publishing, USA
- Dmitri Strotsev, Hochroth Minsk, Belarus (exiled in Germany)
- Georgy Urushadze, Freedom Letters, Russia (exiled in UK)
Mohamad Hadi, Dar Al Rafidain, Lebanon
Mohamad Hadi founded Dar Al Rafidain in Beirut in 2004 as well as the “Al-Rafidain First Book Award”, providing young authors with the opportunity to publish their debut works. Amid the ongoing armed conflict, Mr Hadi and his team continue to work in a high-risk environment, shipping books and participating in book fairs. In October 2024, the main office of Dar Al-Rafidain was bombed and completely destroyed.
Amar Ingrachen, Frantz Fanon, Algeria
Amar Ingrachen is a journalist, writer and co-founder of Frantz Fanon Publishing House in Algeria. In 2023, Frantz Fanon published Jewish Algeria, a book exploring the country’s Jewish history. Amid growing pressure on Algerian publishers since the 2019 Hirak protest, Mr Ingrachen was placed under judicial control in November 2024 and Frantz Fanon was ultimately closed for 6 months by Algerian authorities in January 2025.
Nadia Kandrusevich, Koska, Belarus (exiled in Sweden)
Nadia Kandrusevich founded Koska, a children’s book publisher, in Belarus in 2018 to provide literature in Belarusian that promotes free thinking and escape from oppression. In a market dominated by Russian-language publishing and strict regulation, the aftermath of the 2020 Presidential election saw Koska have publications seized and offices threatened with closure. Since 2022 Kandrusevich has continued her work in exile, still reaching Belarusian children back at home.
Michel Moushabeck, Interlink Publishing, USA
Michel S. Moushabeck is a writer, editor, translator, publisher, and musician of Palestinian descent. The founder of Interlink Publishing, he has devoted his life to publishing and amplifying marginalized and underrepresented voices with the aim of furthering the cultural understanding of their lived experiences. Each year Interlink Publishing publishes one humanitarian book and donates profits to a worthy cause.
Dmitri Strotsev, Hochroth Minsk, Belarus (exiled in Germany)
Dmitri Strotsev is an award-winning Belarusian poet, publisher, and activist. After Vinograd, his publishing house, lost its license he continued as an underground publisher, resisting state censorship. Arrested in October 2020 he subsequently faced threats and restrictions on his work. Forced into exile, he relocated to Berlin and founded Hochroth Minsk as a platform for Belarusian and exiled writers to publish their works freely.
Georgy Urushadze, Freedom Letters, Russia (exiled in UK)
Georgy Urushadze is a publisher, producer, and journalist. Founder of the house Palmira in 2002, Urushadze has gone from being an important figure in the Russian literary scene to being declared a ‘foreign agent’. In early 2023, Urushadze founded Freedom Letters. Despite website blocks and book bans, Freedom Letters uses various channels to circumvent censorship and deliver books to Russia physically and digitally.
The current sponsors of the IPA Prix Voltaire are, in alphabetical order:
- 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)
The IPA thanks all of its Prix Voltaire sponsors for their support.