7th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program

The 7th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, organized by the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society (TBYM), was held at the Grand Cevahir Hotel from March 8-10, 2022. The program aims to bring together publishers from around the world in Istanbul, support copyright exchange and cultural interaction, encourage publishers from different countries to do business in Turkey, and open new markets. This year, it received 1,104 applications from 105 countries, resulting in 555 eligible publishers: 332 foreign and 223 local, from 72 countries. The program brought together publishers from across the globe from Asia to Latin America, from Northern Europe to Africa making Istanbul the center of publishing for three days.


 
The opening ceremony, which began on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, was attended by International Publishers Association (IPA) President Bodour Al Qasimi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Director General of Libraries and Publications Ali Odabaş, Chairman of the İlim Yayma Foundation Board of Trustees Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Director of the Istanbul Directorate of Culture and Tourism Coşkun Yılmaz, Hungarian Ambassador to Ankara Viktor Matis, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the ITO İsrafil Kuralay, Chairman of the Federation of Publishers' Professional Associations Münir Üstün, Chairman of the Press and Publishing Association Mustafa Karagüllüoğlu, DEKMEB President Mustafa Altundal, Deputy Chairman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Fakhriddin Parpiev, Chairman of the Information and Mass Communication Agency of Uzbekistan (AOKA) Avazkhon Valıkhanov, heads of publisher associations from various countries, and other notable figures from the printing and publishing community.


 
Mehmet Burhan Genç, Chairman of the Turkish Press and Publishers Copyright & Licensing Society, delivered the opening speech and noted that the number of participants in the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, organized since 2016, reached a record level this year. Genç discussed the benefits brought to the program by initiatives such as Fighting Against Pirate Books, the Istanbul Copyright Awards, and Focus Country programs developed by TBYM. He expressed gratitude to all organizations that contributed to the program's organization and announced that the 8th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program would commence on March 7, 2023.


 
In her speech, Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), emphasized the significance of the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship, which has grown over the past seven years, highlighting the remarkable increase in participants. She stated that the IPA wholeheartedly supports and appreciates the program, recognizing it as a vital platform for enhancing cooperation between Turkish and foreign publishers. Al Qasimi conveyed that the International Publishers Association would continue to support all publishing-related organizations, especially the Fellowship, in navigating challenges such as the pandemic and the ongoing paper crisis.


 
Ambassador Viktor Matis of Hungary expressed his pleasure at being the focus country of the 7th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, noting the significant growth of the Turkish publishing sector. He announced that interest in Turkish literature is rising in Hungary and that a joint Turkey-Hungary cultural year would take place in 2024.



As part of the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, the seminar titled “Friendship of Words: Hungary in Culture and Literature” focused on Hungarian literature and featured speakers Turkologist Edit Tasnadi, Dr. Balogh Balázs, General Manager of the Humanities Research Center, and Krisztina Toth. Tasnadi, a translator of works between Turkish and Hungarian, opened the panel by discussing Turkish-Hungarian literary relations.


 
At the end of the panel, Necmeddin Bilal Erdoğan, Chairman of the İlim Yayma Foundation Board of Trustees presented the Focus Country plaque to Hungarian Ambassador Viktor Matis. Following the opening program, the ribbon was cut under the leadership of IPA President Bodour Al Qasimi, and a group photo was taken. Immediately afterward, publishers began their professional meetings, which continued in a hybrid format, allowing for both face-to-face and online interactions.


 
The program on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, commenced at 09:30 with a video conference titled “Publishing in the Pandemic” by Frankfurt Book Fair Director Juergen Boos. He emphasized the importance of publishers supporting one another during the pandemic for the industry's development and survival. The day continued with a Hungarian music concert, which featured performances in both Turkish and Hungarian. Following the concert, a ceremony was held to hand over the Focus Country designation to Uzbekistan for the 8th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program.


 
The Istanbul Copyright Award ceremony, organized as part of the Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program, took place on the evening of March 9. This year, 86 foreign publishers from 42 countries applied with 2,232 books translated into Turkish and published. The award winners were announced at the ceremony held at the Atatürk Cultural Center on March 9, 2022. After the Istanbul Copyright Awards Selection Committee evaluated the applications, the top three publishing houses received monetary awards: 100,000 TL for first place, 60,000 TL for second place, and 40,000 TL for third place. Additionally, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) Special Award was presented with a check for 40,000 TL, and the Federation of Publishers' Associations (YAFED) Special Award was given with a check for 20,000 TL, with 70% of that amount designated for copyright exchange. The first prize went to Adnan Ismaili from Logos-A Publishing House in North Macedonia. The second prize was awarded to Bessam Chebaro from Arab Scientific Publishers in Lebanon, and the third prize was won by Olga Chychynska from Alemak Publishing in Ukraine.


 
Support for the 7th Istanbul Publishing Fellowship Program came from various organizations, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Libraries and Publications, Istanbul Governorship, Press and Publishing Association, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, YAYFED, DEKMEB, TUGEV, Turkish Airlines, Albayrak Group, Turkuvaz Group, and Zeytinburnu Municipality.