The 2026 Warsaw International Book Fair, scheduled for May 28–31, is going to be held at a new venue: the PGE Narodowy Stadium, with Sharjah, an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, as the Guest of Honour. The Guest of Honour programme is organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).

The agreement was signed on 13 November 2025 during the International Book Fair in Sharjah. His Highness Ahmed bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Board, and Khoula Al Mujaini, Director of Activities & Marketing Department, participated in the ceremony on behalf of the Sharjah Book Authority. The Warsaw International Book Fair was represented by its Director, Jacek Oryl.

The upcoming Fair offers a unique opportunity to learn about Sharjah’s cultural heritage and its contemporary literary and publishing scene.

“Sharjah’s presence as Guest of Honour in Warsaw marks an exciting new chapter in our cultural journey, extending the bridges we have built across Europe to Central and Eastern Europe for the first time. Under the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, our Emirate has long believed in culture as a force for connection and understanding. Poland’s own history reflects a centuries-old relationship with Arab and Muslim civilisations. Through this participation, we are honoured to bring to Warsaw the depth and diversity of Emirati and Arab literature, art, cuisine, and creativity, celebrating the shared human values that unite our cultures”, said Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).

We are happy to announce that the applications for Warsaw International Book Fair 2026 are now open! Time to start preparing for your visit to Poland!

The upcoming Warsaw International Book Fair will take place on 28–31 May 2026. We have exciting news for you: next year, the Fair will be held at PGE Narodowy Stadium!

Highlights of the Warsaw International Book Fair:

• The best place to network with the Polish publishing industry
• Affordable rates for exhibitors, comfortable space for literary agents and a perfect place for B2B meetings
• Rich industry program during the Fair’s first two days
• Prime location in the heart of Warsaw
• Broad selection of domestic and international exhibitors
• Outstanding creators: writers, translators, and illustrators
• 2025 edition: The Republic of Korea as the Guest of Honour, 620 exhibitors from 20 countries, 1 000 authors, translators, illustrators, publishing industry actors and culture icons, 1 200 events, 90 B2B seminars, 300 journalists and 1 200 bloggers, 130,000 visitors and excellent direct sales figures
• Choice of diverse attractions for avid readers and industry professionals
• Unique and proven formula for an event that was first organized in Warsaw in May 1959, appreciated by participants from Poland and abroad
• Experienced and successful organiser.
• Join us to see more books by Polish authors and meet with publishers and agents in a new and exciting location!

The Warsaw International Book Fair is organised by the History and Culture Foundation and Projekt KSIĄŻKA Ltd.

We look forward to receiving your applications for participation at the Warsaw International Book Fair (28–31 May 2026).

Event terms and conditions and registration forms are available in our system:

More than 600 exhibitors and creators from Poland, the Republic of Korea, and 18 other countries participated in the largest literary fair event of the year.

More than 1,000 authors, translators, illustrators, and others involved in the industry and cultural world met with the public, including authors from the Republic of Korea, which was the Fair’s Guest of Honour.

More than 200 meetings were held on five stages and in seven halls, in addition to nearly 1,000 meetings at publishers’ booths – in total, more than 1,200 events took place over the course of four days.

We estimate that this year, despite the rainy weather, attendance at the Fair exceeded 130,000!

We would like to thank the publishers, authors of books, translations and illustrations, emcees, volunteers, and all visitors who took part in the international literary feast in the heart of Warsaw!

We congratulate the representatives of the Republic of Korea for their excellent appearance at the Fair, which won the hearts of lovers of Korean culture and literature in Poland and was met with lively interest and excellent reception by the general public of the Fair.

We would like to thank the honorary patrons of the Warsaw International Book Fair, especially the Marshal of the Senate Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, the Mayor of the City of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski and the team of the City Hall Culture Office for their invaluable support and kindness of the City of Warsaw.

We would like to thank the partners of the Fair: Association of Authors ZAiKS, Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights, Palace of Culture and Science, and Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw.

We thank the media patrons, among whom are: Polskie Radio, Onet, tvp.info, tvp3, Histmag.org, and rynek-ksiazki.pl.

We thank the organizers of the accompanying events, which were: Warsaw of Comics, Intergenerational Children’s Literature Festival – Fathers and Children, and Reportage Day with the Ryszard Kapuściński Award.

We invite you to the International Book Fair in Warsaw on May 28-31, 2026 – we will see you at PGE Narodowy!

Photo: Marcin Selerski

For literature that moves. For a presence that inspires.

Congratulations on an outstanding appearance at the Fair and thank you for the four-day Korean Literature Festival, which delighted us with the mastery of literary voices and the talent of translators who bring Korean literature to the Polish audience. We were honoured to host literary stars – authors whose works are in great demand around the world, and meetings with them were a real treat!

At the same time, we appreciate the diversity of the program, which – in addition to author meetings and autograph sessions – included lectures and discussions with distinguished literary scholars, translators and historians, artistic events, and tastings of Korean cuisine. The Guest of Honour’s diverse program made this event even more interesting and gave us a deeper understanding of Korean literature and culture.

We would like to thank the organizers of the event – the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Poland and the Korean Cultural Center in Poland, extending our gratitude to Mr. Dankweon Lee, director of the CKK and Ms. Suhye An, manager of literary programs of the CKK, for their trust, professionalism, openness, and cordiality!

We are grateful for the participation of the Korean publishing market delegation and the invaluable involvement of representatives of South Korea’s major state and cultural institutions: Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA), Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI Korea) and Korean Manhwa Promotion Agency (약칭: KOMACON). We hope that the visit to the Warsaw International Book Fair will result in new joint projects in the near future.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all domestic publishers. It is thanks to their passion, initiative, and effort that readers have the opportunity to discover the richness of contemporary Korean literature.

Thank you to all the creators and participants of the Korean Literature Festival at the fair for the unique atmosphere of this literary celebration. It was a time filled with excitement, dialogue and great interest in Korean culture and literature. We are glad you were with us – and we very much hope to see you at the Warsaw International Book Fair next year!

Photo: Marcin Selerski

At the opening ceremony of the Warsaw International Book Fair 2025 the prestigious award of the book community, the ICARUS Publishing and Bookselling Season Award, was presented. It was awarded to Father Adam Boniecki “for the wisdom and courage of written and spoken words, for sensitivity that knows no exclusion,” as stated in the justification.

During the traditional Exhibitors’ Evening, which was the culmination of the first day of the Fair, four more Icarus Award winners were honoured.

In the “publishing houses” category, the D2D.pl company from Krakow was honoured for its “long-standing editorial and training activities aimed at book designers and publishers.”

The second ICARUS in this category went to the publishing house “Literatura” from Lodz and its founder and editor-in-chief Wieslawa W. Jedrzejczykowa “for three decades of faithfulness to the word that teaches, moves and remains, for authors who open the imagination of young readers to emotion, truth and mystery.”

The ICARUS Award for the Promotion of Books and Readership named after Tadeusz Górny was given to Jerzy Kisielewski “for many years of promoting readership and literature on the airwaves of Polish Television, Polish Radio, Radio for You and at author meetings throughout Poland.”

Another ICARUS went to the editors of the Weekly Review (Tygodnik Przegląd) for “the constant presence of literature in the pages of the magazine, for the place where authors meet readers, for discussions, reviews, interviews and book excerpts.”

ICARUS Award is presented by Warsaw International Book Fair and the Polish Society of Book Publishers; funded by the Society of Authors ZAIKS.

On the first day of the Warsaw International Book Fair, the Republic of Korea – the fair’s guest of honour – hosted a meeting with the authors of the book “Korea. A New History of the South and the North”, which is a modern compendium of knowledge about Korea – both North and South. As the authors – Ramon Pacheco Pardo and Victor D. Cha – noted, previous studies have lost some relevance. This need for a fresher perspective has given rise to a book that describes Korea from the late 19th century to the present day. The country, which was divided between the great powers (Russia, China, Japan and the US), which experienced war and parts of which fell into the clutches of the communist regime, suffered many traumatic experiences. Victor Cha brought this picture closer, describing the shocking differences of life in North and South Korea. The authors also presented the most current events from both countries – North Korea’s support for Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as the upcoming presidential election in South Korea.

On the first day of the Warsaw International Book Fair, a meeting was held with Prof. Giulio Tremonti, Italian politician and lawyer, former Minister of Finance and Minister of Economy.

The author of the book “Guerra o pace” thoroughly analysed new political phenomena in Europe, detailing events that, in his opinion, changed the course of history. He counted among them China’s entry into the international market and the emergence of the Internet. He paid particular attention to the process of globalization, which, in his opinion, although necessary, is proceeding too quickly, causing numerous political and social problems. He also compared European and U.S. policies, their interactions and outlook on trade. He also spoke about the threat posed by Russia under Vladimir Putin and the war in Ukraine.

Meetings with Italian authors at the Warsaw International Book Fair have been organised by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Warsaw, in collaboration with ITA – Italian Trade Agency.

The Association of Literary Translators and the Forum of Editors and Proofreaders initiated a meeting on cooperation on the line between translator and editor. Participants had a chance to get to know behind the scenes of editorial and translation work – on the example of the novel “Stoner” by John Williams. At the meeting with the participation of Justyna Zebrowska, editor, and Maciej Stroinski, translator, the role played by the editor of the text (so far unjustly marginalized) was emphasized, as well as numerous translation strategies were pointed out, especially concerning works translated into a given language more than once and numerous related perplexities, which were covered in a humorous and accessible manner.

On May 15 at 12 pm, the Warsaw International Book Fair 2025 was officially opened in the Auditorium of the Museum of Modern Art.

The official opening was attended by, among others: Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Speaker of the Polish Senate; Hanna Wróblewska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage; Marta Cienkowska, Deputy Minister of Culture; Andrzej Szeptycki, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education; Shik Kim, Chargé d`Affaires of the Republic of Korea in Poland; Øystein Bø, Ambassador of Norway; Artur Jóźwik, Director of the Cultural Office of the City of Warsaw, as well as many representatives of the diplomatic corps, trade organizations, Polish and foreign cultural institutions, the media and people representing the book sector.

The guests were welcomed by Jacek Oryl, director of the Warsaw International Book Fair, who stressed that this largest fair event, as far as the publishing industry in Poland is concerned, is attended by 620 exhibitors from Poland and 19 other countries: Republic of Korea – the guest of honour, as well as from Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Philippines, France, Spain, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Pakistan, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Italy, Free Belarus represented by independent authors and publishers, and United Arab Emirates. More than a thousand authors, experts, historians, translators, illustrators and people representing the publishing industry and the cultural community will meet with the public. The fair takes place on three stages and in seven halls, including the recently opened Museum of Modern Art.

– I am very proud that the Polish fair, the Warsaw Book Fair, is one of the most important in Europe. The scale of this fair is huge, and I’m glad that thousands of readers come to it every year. In today’s difficult and dangerous times, without a book it is difficult to understand and learn about history, it is difficult to find one’s place in reality, and even more difficult to dream of a good future. The guiding slogan of the fair – “Worlds connected by words” – shows how literature allows us to cross borders, language barriers. We can read Korean books, French books in Poland, not knowing these languages, and feel as the authors of these works wanted, in the areas of culture, civilization of the idea.

Without books, the world will not change, and I am glad that there are still those for whom it is the most important and interesting source of learning about and understanding the world. I am glad that so many authors reach for the pen and want to share their imagination, their thoughts with us, said Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska. And she added: – There is another unique thing. Again we have the Minister of Culture at the fair. I hope it will always be like this.

Minister Hanna Wróblewska stressed that she was very happy to be present at the opening of the fair. – I would like to thank all those who make the meeting with books possible at all. So, standing on this stage, I would like to thank creators, writers, poets, editors, printmakers, librarians, literary journalists and bloggers, employees of institutions, associations and foundations that promote books and reading. This is the involvement of very, very many people. I thank you all very much.

Minister Shik Kim – Chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Korea in Poland, conveyed that a variety of events await fair participants to introduce contemporary Korean art and culture, in which books have a unique significance. The rich culture and history of Korean literature have developed a distinctive and attractive Korean style of storytelling. – We are confident that at this year’s Warsaw International Book Fair, books will serve as an important cultural bridge between people from Poland and Korea.

During the opening ceremony, Magdalena Duszyńska-Walczak, long-time president of the Nowa Era publishing house, was honoured with the title of Friend of the Book. This is the highest honour awarded by the Council of the Polish Book Chamber.

Minister of Culture Hanna Wróblewska recognized the community of graphic designers and book designers by presenting medals Meritorious to Culture Gloria Artis.

During the opening ceremony of the WIBF, the prestigious award of the book community, the Icarus Publishing and Bookselling Season Award, was presented. It was awarded to Father Adam Boniecki “for the wisdom and courage of written and spoken words, for sensitivity that knows no exclusion,” as stated in the justification”.

Afterwards, a delegation headed by Senate Speaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, Minister of Culture and National Heritage Hanna Wroblewska and Chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Korea in Poland Minister Shik Kim officially opened the Korean stand. The exhibition in the Marmurowa Hall of the Palace of Culture and Science is dedicated to how literature can connect countries, crossing not only geographical, but also linguistic and cultural boundaries.

At the end of the first day of the fair, during the Exhibitor’s Evening, its participants had the opportunity to watch a unique performance. New Pansori: “O krasnoludkach i sierotce Marysi” is a traditional Korean mini opera based on the Polish fairy tale by Maria Konopnicka.

On May 15-18, the 2025 Warsaw International Book Fair is open to visitors at the Palace of Culture and Science, the Museum of Modern Art, and the nearby Parade Sq. This is the biggest literary event of the year in Poland, hosting more than 600 exhibitors and many outstanding creators from Poland and 19 countries, including the Republic of Korea, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Czechia, France, Free Belarus (represented by independent Belarusian authors and publishers), Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. A community of a thousand authors, translators, illustrators and other representatives of the publishing industry and the world of culture will attend. Events will be held on three stages and in seven halls, introducing the Museum of Modern Art as one of the venues. Readers can look forward to meeting their favourite authors at publishers’ stands. 

There is free admission for all visitors; selected events will be streamed on social media. Warsaw International Book Fair is organised by the History and Culture Foundation and Projekt Książka.

Bridging Worlds Through Words
The rich and varied programme of the Republic of Korea, the Guest of Honour, inspired by the motto “Bridging Worlds Through Words”, offers is a unique opportunity to explore contemporary Korean literature, culture and art, and discover how much we have in common. More

Bella Italia: Italian literature close-up and personal
To visit the Italian pavilion, featuring books in Italian and selected publications in Polish translation, look for stand No. 105 at the Palace of Culture and Science. The Italian programme has been developed by the Italian Embassy in Warsaw, the Italian Cultural Institute in Warsaw, and the Italian Trade Agency (ITA). More

Celebrating May 17 with Norway!
The Norwegian Constitution Day will be celebrated during the Fair. On this occasion, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Warsaw in cooperation with NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad) have prepared many literary attractions for children, young adults and families. Constitution Day celebrations on May 17 (Saturday) will be inspired by literary culture of this unique country, with fascinating stories and linguistic fun facts. Bjørn Rørvik, Per Dybvik and Monika Steinholm will be there to meet the fans. There will also be visual art classes and art and theatre workshops. Visitors will learn why May 17 is so important for Norwegians, especially for children. The youngest visitors will be introduced to Norway, they will listen to stories about this joyful ocassion, see colourful children’s parades, learn a few Norwegian words and find out what the King of Norway does on this special day. Make sure to join us on May 17 (Saturday), between 10 am and 6 pm, in pavilion “S” (outdoors, in front of Kinoteka Cinema).

The Ukrainian Literary Salon and the WORDPOWER Festival
As in previous years, visitors can look forward to an impressive Ukrainian programme at the Warsaw International Book Fair. The Ukrainian Literary Salon (stand No. 136 in the Marmurowa Hall at the Palace of Culture and Science) will host 28 publishers and a large group of authors, culture managers and journalists – some of them well-known in Poland, others making a debut.

Free Belarus Salon of Independent Belarusian Publishers
Independent Belarusian publishers united under the banner of “Free Belarus” will also be present at the Fair. Thirteen publishing houses will participate in Free Belarus Salon of Independent Belarusian Publishers (stand No. 140 in the Marmurowa Hall at the Palace of Culture and Science). There will be meetings with Aliaksandr Karnaukh and Ewa Wieżnawiec, presentations of new titles, and book signing sessions.

The book market, or the events for industry professionals
Our industry guests can choose from more than twenty meetings, debates and workshops tailor-made for book publishers, translators, illustrators, booksellers, librarians and teachers. A wide range of important issues will be covered, including the UK model of the book market and whether it would be a good idea to copy it in Poland; the role of artificial intelligence in the publishing industry and in literary translation; children’s books, but without stereotypes; the agenda and plans of the Literary Field Task Force operating under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in Poland; the translator-editor cooperation; the theme of accessibility in publishing; a panel on the role of a publisher as the author’s agent; a discussion panel on the interdisciplinary dimension of reading promotion; the first Polish-German fellowship programme for publishers, organised by Frankfurt and Warsaw International Book Fairs; a panel on author-publisher relations; the position of bookshops in the local community; artificial intelligence and the revolution in the world of books; how AI is changing the book market; freedom of speech and beyond – a conversation with Belarusian publishers operating in Poland.

The following institutions are the Partners of the industry programme: Polish Chamber of Books, Polish Society of Book Publishers, Association of Polish Librarians, Association of Polish Booksellers, Association of Literary Translators, Polish Section of IBBY, the Night of Libraries, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, NielsenIQ BookData.

The Warsaw International Book Fair is a leading publishing industry event in Poland.

Venue: Palace of Culture and Science, the Parade Square and the Museum of Modern Arts

Opening hours:

• 15 May 2025: between 10 am and 6 pm
• 16 May 2025: between 10 am and 7 pm
• 17 May 2025: between 10 am and 7 pm
• 18 May 2025: between 10 am and 5 pm