COMPETITIONS
DB UK Bookbinding Competition
The Designer Bookbinders UK Bookbinding Competition was established in 1955 “to encourage students, craftsmen and apprentices of bookbinding to produce originally designed and well bound books and to give them the opportunity to exhibit their technical and artistic skills” but we really want to encourage anyone who loves making books to enter. The only criteria to entry are that you are resident in the UK when the book was bound and that you are not a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders.
All entrants must bind the Set Book and may also enter up to three Open Choice books. The form of the book can be quite loose – design bindings, cloth bindings, paper bindings, artists’ books and book objects are all admissible. We recognise that, with so many bookbinding courses closing, it is harder to study bookbinding at a more advanced level and so we have expanded the prizes to include paper, non-leather, artistic innovation, student and newcomer, as well as prizes for the more traditional fine binding techniques. It is of paramount importance, though, that we still recognise and reward the highest standards of craftsmanship alongside good design, handling of materials and sympathetic interpretation of the text.
We do our utmost to keep the entry fee as low as possible to encourage all. Not only is this an exciting opportunity to exhibit in a central London venue, but there is also the possibility to get valuable feedback from Designer Bookbinders Fellows, the chance to win many glittering prizes, including the coveted Mansfield medal, and a step onto or along a fulfilling career path in bookbinding. Many fine bookbinders have been discovered as a result of winning prizes at the Competition and have gone on to apply for Licentiateship and Fellowship within the society.
The competition is sponsored by The Folio Society and we are exceptionally grateful to them and all the prize sponsors for their continuing support.
For enquiries about the 2027 competition please contact thebookbindingcompetition@
*PLEASE NOTE*
Entry to the Competition is for UK-Resident Bookbinders only. Set book sheets may be available for overseas mailing at a later date if there are spare copies.
(Image credit: Illustrations © Sarah Coomer 2025 from The Folio Society edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)
2027
We are pleased to announce the launch of the dbUK Bookbinding Competition for 2027.
The dbUK Bookbinding Competition was originally established in 1955 ‘to encourage students, craftsmen and apprentices of bookbinding to produce originally designed and well bound books and to give them the opportunity to exhibit their technical and artistic skills.’
We are encouraging bookbinders, book artists and anyone with an interest in designing and making books to take part. The only criteria to entry are that you are resident in the UK when the book was bound and that you are not a Fellow of Designer Bookbinders.
We are very grateful to The Folio Society, and all the prize sponsors, for their continued support. Without them this competition simply could not happen.
Thank you.
Eri Funazaki, Kaori Maki and Ethel Mercedes
The dbUK Bookbinding Competition Committee
THE SET BOOK
The set book for 2027 is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with illustrations by Sarah Croomer. Introduced by Simon Callow. Published by The Folio Society.
- 128 pages
- 1 full-colour frontispiece depicting the Three Ghosts of Christmas
- Hand-drawn wreath on the title page
- 5 full-colour double-page spreads at the beginning of each chapter
- 2 additional illustrations per chapter
Nearly two centuries ago, on a cold and snowy December night, Charles Dickens stood before a crowd of two thousand in Birmingham Town Hall and read aloud his Christmas Carol. The performance was an overwhelming success. In the years since, A Christmas Carol has become synonymous with the festive season – an enduring classic and the most iconic Christmas story of all time.
Artist Sarah Coomer’s colourful scenes and charming vignettes are sprinkled throughout the pages.
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the quintessential festive tale, at once a ghost story, a moral fable and a celebration of the redemptive power of kindness. On a frosty Christmas Eve, cold-hearted Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three ghosts who guide him through shadows of his past, glimpses of a joy-filled present he has long ignored and a chilling vision of what will come if he fails to change his ways. Through satire and sentiment, Dickens depicts the harsh realities of Victorian London and the possibilities of human redemption.
Credit: Illustrations © Sarah Coomer 2025 from The Folio Society edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Available exclusively at The Folio Society.
To enter the competition, you must first purchase a copy of the 2027 set book by clicking on the link below. The book will be sent to you in printed and folded sections ready to bind. All entrants must bind the set book but you may use a traditional book structure or adopt a more experimental approach.
The cost of the set book is £25 for members and £40 for non-members to include postage, packing and entrance fee. You may also enter up to three Open Choice
entries at £20 each.
The hand-in deadline is early October 2027.
Provisional Timeline
Open for registration and sheets sent out: From now
Entry forms emailed: 2 weeks prior to hand-in date
Hand-in deadline: Early October 2027
Prize-giving/exhibition: November 2027
Please note these dates are currently for guidance only and may be subject to change.
DBUK 2025 Prizewinners
The prizewinning books in the 2025 DBUK Bookbinding Competition were announced on the evening of Thursday 13th November at Maggs. Bros Ltd in London. We are really pleased to now be displaying them on our website, and you can view all the winning books by clicking on the link below.
The Mansfield Medal for Best Book in the Competition
Matt Stockl
Beowulf by Kevin Crossley-Holland
The Folio Society Set Book 1st Prize
Kate Rochester
Set book: Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
We are also excited to announce a new limited edition concertina-style booklet that has been designed and produced by members of Designer Bookbinders to celebrate the DBUK Bookbinding Competition 70th Platinum Anniversary. This limited edition concertina-style booklet was created with intricate blocking, folding, and gluing which required both precision and speed from all involved. The team were: Kaori Maki, Ruta Prusinskaite, Richard Beadsmoore, Flora Ginn, Peter Haigh and Eri Funazaki.
The details:
– This item is limited to 200 copies, with 70 hand-numbered by Fellow Flora Ginn
– The booklet showcases 31 past Mansfield (or equivalent) medal-winning books
– There is an exclusive interview with master bookbinder Jim Brockman, plus more!
Launch & Availability:
– The booklet was first revealed at the DBUK Competition Private View on Thursday 13th November 2025 (first come, first served!)
– The booklet is also now available to purchase online here for £12 (excluding P&P)
Don’t miss your chance to own this piece of bookbinding history!
