Winners of the KBU Awards 2024 for Best Non-Fiction announced

The organizers of the KBU Awards, which are presented to authors of non-fiction and business literature, have announced the winners for 2024.

“Over time, the award has changed significantly,” award founder Dmytro Lappo told Chytomo. “While the reason for establishing the KBU Awards was 50 books per year, last year we read, analyzed, and selected 350 books. The publishing industry has not just been shaped as a book-selling business. It has started promoting meaningful content in powerful historical books.” 

The winners were divided into five categories:

The Identity category:

• “The Ukrainian language. A journey from Bad Ems to Strasbourg” by Orysa Demska (Vivat publisher).

The History category:

• “The Navigator of Ukrainian History ‘Rus’” by a team of authors, including Yaroslav Hrytsak (Portal publisher). 

The Russian-Ukrainian War category:

• “Russian War Against Ukraine. How to Finally Break the Four-Hundred-Year Vicious Circle” by Valentyn Badrak and Volodymyr Horbulin (Bright Books publisher). 

The Business category:

• “How Not to Screw Up a Project” by Oleksii Prosnitsky (Nash Format publisher). 

The Personality category:

• “Not Muses, but Muscles. 50 Exercises in Creative Writing” by Maria Tytarenko (Laboratoria publishing). 

“I made a decision to join the jury because of the nomination, though I didn’t expect that most of the books would focus on wartime journalism writing rather than combat fiction,” noted the jury member in the Russian-Ukrainian War category, Ukrainian librarian and lecturer Tetyana Pylypets. “Despite everything, the working process was comfortable; we had enough time and favorable conditions.” 

Special awards went to:

• KBU Awards — Koleso Zhyttia Publishing House — for publishing “Man at the Crossroads,” a series of lectures by Ihor Kozlovskyi — for contribution to shaping Ukrainian identity;
• KBU Awards — Dukh i Litera Publishing House — for “Dignity is Truthfulness” by Kozlovskyi — for contribution to shaping Ukrainian identity;
• Family Business Network Ukraine Award — “Startups of Good”, a collective of authors, The Old Lion Publishing House — for promoting the ideas of entrepreneurship and family business;
• KBU Awards — Ilona Zamotsna, Vikhola Publishing House — for contribution to the development of Ukrainian non-fiction;
• Kniga.biz.ua — Yulia Orlova, Vivat Publishing House — for fruitful cooperation with Ukrainian authors in 2024;
• KBU Awards — Nataliya Zaverukha, Fabula Publishing House — for excellence in presenting business processes in a book;
• KBU Awards and Work.ua — the team preparing new editions by Ihor Kozlovskyi — for contribution to shaping Ukrainian identity.

“We didn’t expect to receive this award, since it focuses on specific authors and books. However, being honored for encouraging Ukrainians to write inspires us to work with more dedication and to continue seeking out new voices,” said co-founder of Vikhola publishing house Ilona Zamotsna.

The jury included those listed below (and others):

• Writer Tamara Horiha Zernia;
• Executive Director at the Aspen Institute Kyiv, Yulia Tychkivska;
• Co-founder of the company “Nova Poshta,” Volodymyr Poperesniuk;
• Head of the Ukrainian office of Google, Tetiana Lukyniuk;
• Financier, Deputy Executive Director for Ukraine at the IMF, Vladyslav Rashkovan;
• Philosopher, Ukrainian Orthodox priest, Heorhii Kovalenko;
• CEO of FBN Ukraine, Larysa Mudrak.

Established in 2021, the KBU Awards recognizes Ukrainian authors for the best non-fiction books, particularly literature on business development and personal growth. The award’s organizing committee includes three co-founders — Dmytro Lappo, owner of the online business literature store kniga.biz.ua; Oleksandra Koval, head of the Ukrainian Book Institute; and restaurant entrepreneur Maksym Khramov — and the award’s secretary, Nataliya Kucher.

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Main image: Kyiv Book Weekend Facebook page

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn