The 35th International Publishers Congress in Kuala Lumpur once again featured two major awards in publishing excellence and innovation.

By Andrew Richard Albanese, Editor-in-Chief

At a gala dinner to close out the 35th International Publishers Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the International Publishers Association (IPA) announced that Brazilian publisher Alfredo Weiszflog has received the 2026 IPA Champion Award, while two AI companies well-known in publishing circles—Shimmr and Ailaysa—were recognized with the IPA’s Innovation in Publishing Award.

The IPA Champion Award celebrates an individual who has “gone above and beyond the norm to help the IPA achieve its goals on behalf of the publishing industry,” which certainly fits for Weiszflog, who IPA called “a linchpin in the Brazilian and international publishing market” over a remarkable five-decade career.

Weiszflog’s publishing journey began in 1967 at Companhia Melhoramentos, on the marketing team, but progressed through almost all the company’s departments. In a release, IPA reps note that under Weiszflog’s leadership, the publisher “modernized” and became home to many of Brazil’s most renowned authors. In addition, Weiszflog presided over the Brazilian Book Chamber (CBL) from 1985 to 1989, and organized Brazil’s first participation as Guest of Honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1994.

“You cannot imagine the joy with which I received the news of my nomination as champion of IPA. It was the fulfilment of a long-standing promise I made to myself,” Weiszflog said in a video statement, shared at the awards ceremony. “Today, I am very grateful for this recognition in my lifetime. I wish the current board and all the members of the IPA a long life, health, and success.”

Innovators

The IPA Innovation in Publishing Award recognizes “groups or individuals whose work implements innovative publishing practices that can be replicated by others and benefit the industry.”

Upon receiving the IPA Innovation in Publishing Award, Nadim Sadek, CEO of Shimmr, which created the world’s first “Advertising as a Service” (AaaS) platform—an autonomous, subscription-based AI system designed for affordable, “continuous” book marketing—said the IPA’s recognition was “deeply appreciated” by the Shimmr team.

“Publishing is sometimes characterized as conservative and risk averse. Our experience has been the opposite: widespread curiosity, engagement, constructive criticism, and courageous adoption,” Sadek said. “We are indebted to our investors and advisors, but mostly to the Publishers who had the open minds to experiment with, refine, and then adopt at scale our AI-driven, decision-intelligence marketing. At a time when new technologies are so often met with suspicion, we have been welcomed with grace and optimism. It is a great pleasure to work in publishing, and a great honor to be recognized for what we bring to it.”

In acknowledging Ailaysa’s award, Ailaysa’s founder and CEO Senthil Nathan also expressed his gratitude.

“This award means everything to a company built by people who have spent their lives among translators, authors, and publishers,” Nathan said. “Ailaysa exists so that any book, written in any language, by any author, from anywhere, can finally reach any reader, anywhere in the world, in any language they choose to read in. Sharing this recognition with customers and with the publishers who encouraged us and challenged us every step of the way, is the proudest moment of our journey so far.”

Ailaysa is a “multilingual AI company” that offers dedicated solutions for publishers, and the creator of Chai Reader, an reading and book-discovery platform.

The IPA organizes the International Publishers Congress every two years, with this year’s meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, set to run from July 5-9.