Editor’s note: This press release is sponsored by Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards and was handled by BrandRap, the sales and marketing arm of Rappler. No member of the news and editorial team participated in the publishing of this piece.

The Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards (FRCA), an online popular choice awards previously conducted from 2012-2015, is returning this year after a seven-year hiatus. Established by independent volunteers and conceived to address the lack of a book awards given by Filipino readers, the FRCA has now been adopted by the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP). 

The FRCA has three phases: nominations, public voting, and judging. Nominations are open and accepted from both publishers and individuals. Both traditionally published and self-published titles are accepted. Voting is conducted via an online form, and the top three finalists enter into the judging period. 

Nominations will soon open for FRCA 2022. Publishers’ nominations will start on July 29, 2022 and close on August 5, 2022. The public nominations will then run from August 10 to 24, 2022. Public voting shall be conducted in September 2022, followed by the judging period and an awarding ceremony in November. 

To address the long hiatus, two batches of awards will be handed out for FRCA 2022: the first batch is for titles published in 2015-2018, and the second batch for titles published in 2019-2021. 

In its initial run, the FRCA was conducted alongside the Filipino ReaderCon, a reader convention organized by the same volunteers. The objectives were and still are to develop awareness and appreciation of Philippine literature, recognize the reader’s role in creating the meaning and experience of a literary work, and give the readers a voice in the Philippine book industry. From 2012 to 2015, the awards grew from 7 to 13 categories and from 7000+ to 101,000 valid votes. 

Aside from the usual categories of Fiction (in English and Filipino), Graphic Novels, and Nonfiction, FRCA also has categories for Romance (in English and Filipino), Humor, and Young Adult, among others. Some of the previous winners are It’s a Mens World by Bebang Siy (2012, Essay Anthology), Trese 5: Midnight Tribunal by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo (2013, Comics/Graphic Novels), Lovestruck: Sexy Edition by Ronald Molmisa (2014, Inspirational/Religious), and Heartless by jonaxx (2015, Romance in Filipino).

For FRCA 2022, two new categories were added: History and Translated Work. 

FRCA went on hiatus after the volunteers were unable to sustain the effort. But starting this year, the award will be homed with the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP), the premier publishing industry organization in the country that addresses the many problems confronting the local book industry – including readership – making it the most logical organization to continue the much-beloved award. 

Adopting the FRCA means that BDAP will be including it in its regular programming and holding the award every other year, alternately with BDAP’s Gintong Aklat Awards. “I’m happy that BDAP has adopted the FRCA, and it seems that the former volunteer organizers are pleased as well, as it finally assures continuity of this reader-focused award,” said Honey de Peralta, current BDAP Trustee and Filipino ReaderCon co-founder. She is also currently BDAP’s Readership Committee lead. 

Guidelines, categories, and criteria can be found in the new FRCA webpage on the Book Development Association of the Philippines’ (BDAP) site, www.bdap.ph/frca2022. Publishers, authors, readers, and other interested parties may also follow the FRCA on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also follow the hashtags #FRCA2022 and #filipinoreaderschoiceawards.

For any questions or concerns about any aspect of FRCA 2022, interested parties may get in touch at filipinoreaderschoice@gmail.com. – Rappler.com