ABA Enlarges National Book Collecting Prize for Young Collectors
The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association has expanded its national student book collecting competition, making it open to all young book collectors aged between 18-30.
The winner will receive £500 and have their collection exhibited at Firsts London Book fair at the Saatchi Gallery, as well as enjoying a free Friends of the ABA membership for a year, and a year's online subscription to The Book Collector.
Additional cash prizes may be awarded to runners-up at the judges’ discretion.
The 2025 ABA National Book Collecting Prize welcomes applications from any young UK-based collectors aged between 18 and 30. The collection must consist of at least 10 books, ephemera, manuscripts or photographs, linked by a clear theme, and assembled and solely owned by the applicant. Size and monetary value are not factors of the judging process.
The competition is open to anyone resident in the UK, aged between 18 and 30 on December 31, 2025. Applicants do not need to be enrolled in a degree programme, though student entries are welcome. Closing date for entries is October 1. More entry details at the ABA site here.
Previous winners include Howard Kordansky (2024, The Jewish Experience in the First World War), Emma Treleaven (2023, a collection highlighting the talents of generations of domestic women), and Hannah Swan (2022, Swizzle and Serve: Party Planning Books and Ephemera, 1950-1970).
