2020 Porchlight Business Book Awards call for entries is now open

Porchlight Book Company invites submissions for the company’s 14th annual Business Book Awards, which recognize the best books in the business genre and all the people in the industry who help bring them to life.

2020 has been a year like no other in our lifetimes. A public health crisis, an economic collapse, and an uprising for social change all surpassing anything we’ve witnessed in generations—all occurring at once. It can seem impossible to process it all, or to plan for the future. Structural weaknesses and inequalities have been laid bare, and the need to rebuild has become acutely apparent and immediately necessary. How to proceed?

As the world seemed to speed up over these past few years, we have responded by promoting a slower information diet, and great books about important subjects, to make sense of it all. In times like these, figuring out how we can respond as individuals and organizations is best done by gaining a deeper understanding of the underlying issues and forces at work in our society, by reading books about these subjects.  

Our business book awards have always gone beyond the ever-expanding business genre to include the books we feel will best help businesses grow—not just financially, but with regards to how they care for their people and the planet, with regards to how they can serve their customers and society. That conversation is more intense, important, and urgent this year than ever before. 

As in the past, this year’s categories encompass a broad range of nonfiction books, which will be judged on the originality and applicability of their ideas and quality of the writing.

Any business book published in the U.S. within the year 2020 is eligible within the following categories:

Leadership & Strategy
Seeing the big picture, making decisions, and inspiring the organization. 

Management & Workplace Culture
Motivating people, guiding processes, and managing projects.

Marketing & Sales
Building audience, creating customers, and driving loyalty.

Innovation & Creativity
Thinking creatively, designing solutions, and fostering entrepreneurship.

Personal Development & Human Behavior
Growing as people, understanding others, and building a career.

Current Events & Public Affairs
Expanding awareness, exploring the world, and building better businesses and communities.

Narrative & Biography
Learning from the stories of individuals, companies, and industries.

Big Ideas & New Perspectives
Imagining the future and exploring possibilities

Submissions to the awards are free.  

More information, the entry form, and the full history of the awards can be found here.

Key announcement dates for the Porchlight Business Book Awards for 2020 are:

• October 2: Call for entries closes
• November 19: Longlist announcement
• December 16: Shortlist announcement
• January 14, 2021: Business Book of the Year announcement