The fourteenth annual Palestine Book Awards, organised by the Middle East Monitor (MEMO), took place yesterday in London in a moving and powerful display of literary celebration. Now firmly established as a key cultural event, the evening brought together writers, scholars, publishers, artists and activists committed to preserving Palestinian history, amplifying its narrative, and exposing the structures that seek to erase it.
This year marked a record-breaking edition of the awards, with over 80 books submitted across categories. The winners of the 2025 Palestine Book Awards were announced during the ceremony, with honours going to:
The celebrations began a day earlier, on Thursday evening, with a pre-launch event featuring all the shortlisted authors. Held at the P21 Gallery in London, the evening drew a full house to engage with the shortlisted authors for the 2025 awards.
Friday’s ceremony, held in central London, was hosted by British-Palestinian activist and spoken word poet Leanne Mohamad. Opening the event, she reflected on the enormity of the moment: “The world is never the same after Gaza,” she said, before leading a prayer in memory of Dr Refaat Alareer and all Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocide. “They invent many ways to erase us,” she added, “and we find many ways to live.”
