Press Release

The International eBook Award Foundation Discontinues Frankfurt eBook Award and Suspends Activities

April 17, 2002

NEW YORK, NY, -- The International eBook Award Foundation (IeBAF), creator of the Frankfurt eBook Award, announced today that due to the current business environment, it would discontinue the annual award and suspend all activities relating to the Foundation. Therefore, effective April 30, 2002, the Board will resign.

Alberto Vitale, Chairman of the International eBook Award Foundation, said, "It has become increasingly difficult to raise the necessary funding to continue the worldwide work of the International eBook Award Foundation. We are very gratified to know that the contributions of the IeBAF over the past two years had a powerful and positive role in developing the awareness and importance of eBook publishing in the United States and around the world. As 'missionaries' highlighting the rich potential of eBooks, the Foundation had a strong impact on bringing together the best examples of this creative form and spurring the industry's early growth. We remain confident that, over time, the eBook will emerge as an enormously successful medium for publishers and authors, and a commendable source for readers.

"I would like to remember our late President and Executive Director, Roxanna Frost, and acknowledge the dedication and leadership of our Director, Serena Zilka-Wastman, and Judging Director, Peter Mollman. Without Roxanna's expansive vision, immense knowledge, and unflagging spirit, and Serena and Peter's tireless efforts, the International eBook Award Foundation could not have achieved the success it did. I would also like to acknowledge all the other Directors who so generously gave their time to the Foundation. They were true pioneers in the most promising field of eBooks.

"At the same time, we are pleased to announce that the inaugural Children's eBook Award, which the IeBAF had created in partnership with the Bologna Children's Book Fair, was presented in Bologna on April 10, 2002," continued Vitale. The Children's eBook Award highlighted outstanding accomplishments in eBooks for younger readers and brought deserved attention to those who explore eBooks as educational tools, with music and images enhancing the digital text. The 2002 Children's eBook Award was presented to My First Internet Manual published by Edizioni Piemme, Italy. Children's eBook Citations of Excellence were awarded to The Bible and the Life of Jesus published by Dami International, Italy, and to Les Histoires Epouvantables de Maitre Frisson published by Editions 00h00, France.

The Award was overseen by the jurors of the Bologna New Media Prize, an international group of experts specializing in children's literature and interactive media.

We would like to thank with much appreciation all those who supported the establishment and the activities of the International eBook Award Foundation and the Frankfurt eBook Award.