This year marks the fifth anniversary of the PW Star Watch program, celebrating talented up-and-coming members of the U.S. and Canadian publishing communities and bringing recognition to them on a global stage. Started in 2015 as a partnership between Publishers Weekly and Frankfurter Buchmesse, the goal of PW Star Watch is to highlight and honor publishing professionals in the early stages of their careers who are improving and innovating the industry.
“Publishers Weekly and Frankfurter Buchmesse have both been heartened by how publishers have come together to join us in celebrating talented individuals throughout the industry,” said Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly. “We have commended the achievement of 200 honorees over the last five years, and we are looking forward to toasting a new group this year.”
“With the PW Star Watch program, now in its fifth year, Publishers Weekly and Frankfurter Buchmesse have been putting the spotlight on the younger generation of publishing professionals from North America, celebrating up-and-coming talents and enabling them to attend the world’s largest book fair in Frankfurt. We are looking forward to the 2019 class of honorees,” says Matthäus Cygan, Director, Business Development Trade International, at Frankfurter Buchmesse.
This year’s panel of judges, comprised of members of Publishers Weekly, Frankfurter Buchmesse and noted industry leaders, will again identify 40 “stars” of North American publishing. Nominees can be from any area of the industry—publicity to production, bookselling to new technology—anyone who is making an impact on the publishing industry and not yet in an executive role. 
The panel will then select five top honorees and, at the PW Star Watch event in September, one Superstar will be named and awarded a sponsored trip to the Frankfurter Buchmesse (October 16-20, 2019) this fall, when he or she will have a career-enriching experience in international publishing through speaking opportunities and networking events with publishing professionals from around the world and their peers in Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Young Talents program. 
The 40 stars will be featured in an editorial section in an early September issue of Publishers Weekly and celebrated at events in New York in September and during the book fair in October.
To nominate yourself or a colleague, please visit the Publishers Weeklywebsite, PublishersWeekly.com/starwatch19.
About Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly is the international news platform of the book publishing industry. Founded in 1872 and published weekly since then, the magazine boasts 1.23 million social media followers; publishes 10 e-newsletters, BookLife (a monthly supplement), two blogs, a mobile edition, digital editions, apps and podcasts; and features a thriving website that reaches 14 million unique visitors annually.
About Frankfurter Buchmesse
Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with over 7,500 exhibitors from 109 countries, around 285,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and some 10,000 accredited journalists and bloggers in attendance. It is the most important international marketplace for content – from novels and children’s books to academic databases and stories for films, games and virtual reality experiences. Publishing professionals from around the world meet here with partners from the technology sector and from related creative and cultural industries, sparking new partnerships and business models. A strong conference program ensures that Frankfurter Buchmesse is a major source of inspiration for content experts from around the world. Since 1976, the book fair has featured an annual Guest of Honor country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. Frankfurter Buchmesse organizes the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association).
Contacts for the media:
Erin Cox, Publicist, Frankfurter Buchmesse, tel. +1-347-581-0211, erinlcox@gmail.com
Ines Bachor, PR Manager, Frankfurter Buchmesse, tel. +49 69 2102-189, Bachor@book-fair.com
Christi Cassidy, Publicist, Publishers Weekly, tel. +1-917-217-4269, ccassidy@publishersweekly.com
Press Release
By Christi Cassidy, Publicist, Publishers Weekly
