This year has been jam-packed with breakthroughs and achievements for Filipino books and their talented authors. What better way to honor these feats than with awards that empower the local literary landscape?
At the inaugural Akdang Pinoy Choice Awards, readers, writers, and storytellers nationwide can support the local books that stood out to them and had a positive impact on their lives throughout the year. Emerging Filipino authors from all walks of life are also getting their well-deserved recognition in their respective categories.
Photos: Ricky Lee, Mark Nicdao, Yvette Tan
Since 2024, Akdang Pinoy has hosted a range of projects centered on storytelling, creative writing, and publishing. Each initiative, including the Choice Awards, has helped fulfill the platform’s lifelong goal of championing Filipino voices, identities, and experiences across all generations.
Kat Leonorio and Sai Perez, the founders of Akdang Pinoy, have also collaborated with prominent local authors at major literary conventions, thanks to the community they’ve built both online and onsite. Throughout the year, they’ve published interviews with critically acclaimed writers, including Kenneth Yu, Noel Aquino, and Marga Ortigas, as part of Akdang Pinoy’s Filipino Authors in Focus series. The platform also hosts a prompt-based reading marathon every August in honor of Buwan ng Wika.
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Akdang Pinoy has had a stellar year so far, dedicated to uplifting narratives, perspectives, and conversations shaping modern Filipino literature. The Choice Awards are Kat and Sai’s way of celebrating the community’s milestones and gearing up for an even more fruitful year with their supporters.
A diverse lineup of homegrown stories awaits us at the first-ever Akdang Pinoy Choice Awards. Here’s what you should know about the program and its voting process:
How the Choice Awards Work
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Akdang Pinoy has always been a community-oriented platform. That’s why this year’s Choice Awards are purely reader-driven. Every nominee, finalist, and winner will be determined by the public’s votes, without any help from committees or appointed judges.
Filipinos can nominate and vote for their favorite titles in 14 categories:
- Contemporary fiction,
- Romance,
- Fantasy,
- Science fiction,
- Mystery/thriller,
- Horror,
- Historical fiction,
- Poetry collection,
- Young adult (YA),
- Middle grade,
- Anthology/short story collection,
- Nonfiction,
- Debut book, and
- Readers’ favorite cover.
The awards feature Filipino books published traditionally and independently this year. Older stories that remain prominent today, also known as “backlist titles,” are eligible for nomination. Each book goes through five rounds:
- December 1 to 7, 2025: public nominations,
- December 9, 2025: announcement of 10 to 15 nominees per category,
- December 10 to 16, 2025: the first round of voting,
- December 18, 2025: Revealing the top five finalists per category, and
- December 19 to 26, 2025: the second round of voting.
Winners of each category will be announced on December 28, 2025.
Familiar Faces in Every Category
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Even if you didn’t pick up a lot of Filipino books this year, you’ll still recognize some of the Choice Awards’ shortlisted authors thanks to their game-changing contributions to literature and pop culture.
Gwy Saludes’s “The Rain in España,” which became a hit TV adaptation in 2024, is a Contemporary Fiction nominee. Her book is the first of six installments in her widely recognized University Series on Wattpad and Viva One.
Independently published authors Kyra Ysabel, Joline Lim, Anj Miranda, and Beatrice Pobre are also nominated in the Romance, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, and Debut Book categories.
Meanwhile, 13-year-old Yanna Alcazaren is holding her own in the Middle Grade category with her fantasy novel, Thornsong: The Lantern Bearer.
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National Artist Ricky Lee is joining his fellow esteemed authors, including F.H. Batacan, Patricia Evangelista, Yvette Tan, and the late Lualhati Bautista, as nominees for multiple awards.
Even Atom Araullo is an Akdang Pinoy Choice Award nominee for his debut book, A View From the Ground.
These brilliant nominees aren’t making it easy for readers to vote. Everyone is worthy of the public’s support and recognition, and the competition has just gotten tighter. Still, Akdang Pinoy is making sure that you can root for all your favorite books and authors throughout both voting periods.
How to Vote for Your Favorite Local Books and Authors
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Everyone is welcome to cast their votes for the 2025 Akdang Pinoy Choice Awards. This link leads you to the online portal, where one email counts as one vote.
You can check out Akdang Pinoy on Facebook and Instagram for the full list of nominees per category. Round one of voting just ended, and we can’t wait to find out who the competition’s finalists are.
The power is in your hands—which Filipino books and authors have your votes for this year?
ALSO READ: How a 10-Year-Old Davaoeña Turned Her Fascination with Mythology Into a Published Book
Which of these nominated Filipino books have you read this year? Let us know in the comments below!
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