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Berlin (dpa) - A total of 118 independent and owner-managed bookstores have been awarded the German Bookstore Prize 2020 for their particularly committed program.
426 bookstores had applied for the prize money totaling 850,000 euros.
In the “Best Bookstores” category with the highest prize money, according to information from Sunday in Berlin, there were 25,000 euros each for three bookstores.
An independent jury chaired by the Bonn publisher Stefan Weidle selected the bookstore "letter "in Neustadt (Holstein), the children's and youth bookstore" Der kleine Laden "in Bonn and" Wist - Der Literaturladen "in Potsdam.
"Especially in this Corona year 2020, which has hit the places of longing and refuge of everyday life particularly hard with its theaters, cinemas and concert halls, the book is even more of a cultural experience and food for the soul at the same time than usual," said Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters to the award.
"The booksellers are the main agents of this happiness."
The CDU politician praised competent advice and inspiration from bookstores.
"They are also advocates of unknown authors, ambassadors for independent publishers and promoters of reading culture."
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The German Bookstore Prize, awarded for the sixth time by the federal government, honors small, owner-managed bookstores with a sophisticated and varied range of literature, a cultural event program or special reading and literature promotion for children and young people, whose sales in the past three years have been less than one million Euro lay.
Bookstore award