A new bibliophile prize for young people
A passion of all ages, the pleasure of antiquarian objects gives rise to great collections, sometimes as early as adolescence, and antiquarian books and autographs are no exception to this rule.
In order to hightlight young bibliophiles, the Syndicat de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (SLAM), the only French association to represent the profession and promote the field of collectible books to all publics, has decided to create a Young Bibliophile Prize.
Open to all collectors aged 30 or less, the prize covers all areas of bibliophily: books, manuscripts and autographs, regardless of their market value or subject.
The collections are judged by a jury of five booksellers and bibliophiles, chaired by Alexandre Piffault.
The prize is a cheque for €1,000, valid for one year at all SLAM member booksellers.
The winner may also, if he or she so wishes, take part in the jury for the following year's prize.
The prize is a cheque for €1,000, valid for one year at all SLAM member booksellers.
The winner may also, if he or she so wishes, take part in the jury for the following year's prize.
24 applications were received for this first edition of the prize, many of them very rich, from collectors aged between 16 and 30, with an average age of 25 and a half.
The prize was awarded for the first time on June 15, 2024, at the Salon International du Livre rare & des Arts graphiques, held at the Carreau du Temple.
The winner was Pierre Florac, for his collection on the Poetic production of the Parisian Romantic movement (1820 - 1840). Part of this collection was exhibited during the show.
The winner was Pierre Florac, for his collection on the Poetic production of the Parisian Romantic movement (1820 - 1840). Part of this collection was exhibited during the show.
Pierre Florac and Alexandre Piffault
To enter the 2025 prize:
Send a PDF file by e-mail before May 15th, 2025 to prixjeunebibliophile@gmail.com with:
- full name, age, postal address, telephone number and e-mail address
- free presentation based on the following questions: How were you made aware of bibliophily? At what age and how did you acquire your first book? What types of works do you collect? What is the common thread running through your collection? Which books in your collection do you find most interesting, and why? Where would you like your collection to go in the future? What books do you hope to acquire in the future?
- annotated bibliographic list of 15 books from your collection
Candidates who competed for the 2024 prize will not be able to submit an application for 2025.
