The 2025 ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing was assigned to the European APACE project

APACE, the project co-funded by the European Union and coordinated by Fondazione LIA – Libri Italiani Accessibili, a non-profit organization founded by the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) and the Italian Union of the Blind, has won the ABC International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing in the projects category. The award, promoted by the Accessible Book Consortium and led by the World Intellectual Property Organization, was presented yesterday in São Paulo, Brazil, at the World Blindness Summit. It is the world's highest recognition for accessibility in publishing.
The project involves the German Publishers and Booksellers Association, the Bulgarian Book Association, the Dutch company Stichting Dedicon, and the Finnish and Lithuanian libraries for the blind, Accessibility Library Celia and Lithuanian Audiosensory Library, whose commitment has been fundamental to the success of the initiative.

The jury particularly praised "APACE's collaborative model and its critical role in preparing the publishing sector for the European Accessibility Act. Through training, resources, and international cooperation, the project has provided publishers and libraries with the tools they need to integrate accessibility into their daily practices."

Elisa Molinari, Project Manager at Fondazione LIA and APACE coordinator, accepted the award on behalf of the initiative: "Accessibility is successful when we work together. APACE has created a strong European network that helps publishers and libraries serving people with visual impairments to tackle accessibility challenges with confidence and determination. This award celebrates our shared commitment to ensuring that every reader has equal access to books."

"The APACE project," explains Cristina Mussinelli, Secretary General of LIA, "was born out of the international network of expertise developed around LIA, which for more than ten years has been supporting publishers in the creation of accessible digital publications and collaborating with the entire supply chain to make the experience of choosing, purchasing, and reading accessible."

"This award confirms AIE's commitment to accessibility issues," commented AIE President Innocenzo Cipolletta. Giving everyone the opportunity to access a wide and up-to-date catalog of texts is, even before it becomes a legal obligation with the entry into force of the European Accessibility Act, a strategic commitment for those who, like us, believe in the centrality of books and the value of inclusion for the development and growth of democratic communities."