The exhibition The Most Beautiful Czech Books of the Year 2023 (MBCBY) presents the most interesting book design from last year. The collection of titles – the winning books in a total of seven main categories, including the shortlist; and the books that received one of five special prizes – was selected this spring from more than three hundred entries by an expert jury appointed by the Minister of Culture. The jury included representatives of graphic designers, artists, typographers, bibliophiles, publishers, printers and art historians.
The exhibition is designed as a contact exhibition – visitors can pick up the books on display and browse through them. The graphic representation of the exhibition and the catalogue is the work of graphic artists Štěpán Malovec and Martin Odehnal. The Memorial of National Literature has published a catalogue for the competition and the exhibition, which can be viewed directly at the exhibition and will also be available for purchase in the National Museum shop.
The competition for the most beautiful books with an emphasis on illustration, graphic design and bookbinding has been held annually for 59 years and is organised by the Museum of Czech Literature together with the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. Books entered in the MBCBY competition must be published by Czech publishers and printed in a printing house in the Czech Republic.
