THE ATENEO de Manila University Press was named Publisher of the Year at the 40th National Book Awards for the fifth consecutive year.

Sixteen titles from the press were announced as finalists for the 40th National Book Awards, an annual prize that honors “the most prestigious book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines.”

Among the winners from the Ateneo de Manila University Press were:
• Best Novel in Filipino: “Aswanglaut” by Allan N. Derain
• Best Book of Literary Criticism/Cultural Studies in English: “Campaigns of Knowledge: U.S. Pedagogies of Colonialism and Occupation in the Philippines and Japan” by Malini Johar Schueller
• Best Book on Media Studies: “Hindi Nangyari Dahil Wala sa Social Media: Interogasyon ng Kulturang New Media sa Pilipinas” by Rolando B. Tolentino, Vladimeir B. Gonzales and Laurence Marvin S. Castillo
• Philippine Literary Arts Council Prize for Best Book of Poetry in English: “College Boy” by Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta
• Alfonso T. Ongpin Prize for Best Book on Art: “Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960 (Volume 1 The Center: Intramuros, Binondo, San Nicolas, Tondo)” by Fernando Zialcita and Erik Akpedonu, with Victor S. Venida
• Elfren S. Cruz Prize for Best Book in the Social Sciences: “The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed” by Robin Broad and John Cavanagh
• Best Book in Philosophy: “Repentance and Rebirth at the End of Life as We Know It” by Agustin Martin G. Rodriguez
• Best Book Design: “Endangered Splendor: Manila’s Architectural Heritage, 1571-1960 (Volume 1 The Center: Intramuros, Binondo, San Nicolas, Tondo)” (cover design, book design, layout, and artistic direction by Ali Figueroa and Erik Akpedonu).

The director of the Ateneo University Press, Maria Karina Bolasco, was also conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Known for her dedication to supporting established and emerging writers, Bolasco has earned multiple Publisher of the Year awards, both for her work at Anvil Publishing and at the Ateneo University Press.

Neni Sta Romana-Cruz, a well-known figure in the publishing industry, described Bolasco as a “consummate publisher.”

“We are grateful to Karina for blazing new trails in publishing so that books by Filipino authors and illustrators and book designers in various genres and popular topics became well known and recognized and enjoyed by readers here and abroad. Thank you, Karina, for all you have done to promote Philippine books and readership,” she said.