Award of the V.O. Stomps Prize to small publishing firms

Presentation of the V.O.Stomps Prize on May 18, 2023 at 8 p.m. as part of the Mainz mini press trade fair to the publisher rotopol from Kassel. Promotional prize goes to the Berlin book artist and publisher Cornelius Brändle for his publishing house "edition wasser im turm". For the first time, an honorary award will also be presented. It goes to Axel Dielmann for his publishing house of the same name in Frankfurt am Main.

The jury, chaired by Marianne Grosse, head of the cultural department, represented by Dr. Ulf Sölter unanimously chose the rotopol publishing house for the main prize. He was selected from 64 proposals.

The jury of the V.O. Stomps Prize 2023 surprises this year. Up until now, it has been customary to award the main prize to an older publisher and to award the sponsorship prize to a young publishing initiative. This year, the publishing house rotopol, which was founded in 2007 and has already received numerous awards, under the director and founder Rita Fürstenau, received the V.O. Stomps Grand Prize.

She also runs the " graphic telling" as a network for authors with a shop gallery for contemporary illustration and comic art. The publisher publishes idiosyncratic stories, surprises with strong graphic implementations and thus also appeals to a young readership. Each publication is understood as a creative microcosm and readers owe it to books by well-known and award-winning illustrators such as Matthew Forsythe, but it also offers young, still unknown graphic designers a first podium. In terms of book design, the books set accents in their presentation. She prefers to print on uncoated and recycled paper, which can be purchased for a reasonable price, in the name of the prize giver.

To honor the work of small publishers, the state capital of Mainz has been awarding the V.O. Stomps price. In addition, since 2009 there has been a V.O. Stomps Advancement Award. This is endowed with 1,500 euros and is awarded to Cornelius Brändle from Berlin. 

Cornelius Brändle founded his "edition wasser im turm" in 1998. Brändle is a book artist, graphic artist, screen printer and, in addition to books and graphic portfolios, also publishes an illustrated periodical called the Frog King. 17 different editions have now been published. The typography used and the authors and artists involved constantly change and interpret one of themost famous fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm over and over again. With drawings and collages, in two- and three-color screen printing, paper that is pleasant to the touch, a handy square format of 23 cm and a low price of 24 euros for an original graphic magazine, this would be entirely in the spirit of V.O. Stomps.

This year the jury of the V.O. Stomps Prize for the first time an honorary award. It goes to Axel Dielmann for the publisher of the same name in Frankfurt am Main. Victor Otto Stomps was not only a publisher but also an author. It is thanks to Axel Dielmann that he tracked down the entire scattered literary work of Victor Otto Stomps and republished it in a convincing four-volume edition. The collected prose, all novels, poems and dramas as well as his essays and portraits in a cassette whose book covers were specially designed for this purpose by Stomp's companions Horst Antes, Bernhard Jäger, Johannes Vennekamp and Ali Schindehütte. The prize consists of a letterpress certificate printed in the Gutenberg Museum's printing shop.