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Non-regulatory press release

Storytel Awards growing strongly – here are the Nordic winners!

Storytel Awards is the Nordic region’s largest audiobook award, and the local competitions are now closed in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. Around 130,000 Nordic audiobook listeners voted for their favourites – more than double compared to last year – and the winners are… 

In addition to a record-high number of public votes for Storytel Awards in all four countries where the gala is arranged locally, this year's big news is that a winner, for the first time in the history of the prize, managed to win an award in two countries. Swedish crime author Emelie Schepp received two awards: one in Sweden and one in Iceland. Emelie Schepp won the prize for best crime novel in both countries, but with different books: Nio Liv (Nine Lives) in Sweden and Prio ett (Illvirki) (Top Priority (Evil)) in Iceland. Both audiobooks are part of the series about Jana Berzelius. 

In the autumn, Storytel Awards will also be held in the Netherlands, and the ambition is for the awards to be launched in more countries as the audiobook phenomenon grows. 

“It feels great to be able to shine a spotlight on the creative minds behind some of the strong stories that influence, change, and entertain us every day,” says Jonas Tellander, founder and CEO of Storytel.
“This is a way for Storytel to celebrate them, and I am incredibly pleased that so many readers throughout the Nordic region have shared who their favourites are by actually going in and actively vote for them.” 

Here are the winners by category:

Finland (announced on March 25)

Novel 
Title: Suon villi laulu (Where the Crawdads Sing)
Author: Delia Owens 
Narrator: Sanna Majuri 

Crime
Title: Kun kuningas kuolee (When the King Dies)
Author: Elina Backman
Narrator: Sanna Majuri

Non Fiction & Biographies
Title: Mercedes Bentso – Totuus ja tunnustus (Truth and Confession)
Author & narrator: Linda-Maria Roine 

Children & Young Adults 
Title: Heinähattu ja Vilttitossu loman tarpeessa (Hayflower and Quiltshoe Need a Vacation) 
Author: Sinikka Nopola & Tiina Nopola
Narrator: Vuokko Hovatta 

Iceland (announced on March 26)

Novel
Title: Sextíu kíló af sólskini (Sixty kilos of Sunshine)
Author & narrator: Hallgrím Helgason

Crime 
Title: Illvirki (Top Priority (Evil))
Author: Emelie Schepp
Narrator: Kristján Franklín Magnús

Children
Title: Eyðieyjan (The Desert Island)
Author: Hildur Loftsdóttir
Narrator: Álfrún Helga Örnólfsdóttir

Non Fiction
Title: Óstýriláta mamma mín (My Steadfast Mother)
Author & narrator: Sæunni Kjartansdóttur

Denmark (announced on April 14)

Novel
Title: Aftentid og morgengry (The Evening and the Morning)
Author: Ken Follett
Narrator: Esben Hansen

Crime
Title: Den Tavse Enke (The Silent Widow)
Author: Sara Blædel 
Narrator: Githa Lehrmann

Biographies & documentaries
Title: Heksebørnenes mor (The Mother of the Witch Children)
Author: Anja Lóven & Julie Moestrup
Narrator: Anne Sofie Espersen

Children
Title: Den Mandige Elg #1: Elg får venner' (The Manly Moose#1: Moose Get Friends)
Author: K.L. Berger 
Narrator: Daniel Brandt

Young Adult
Title: Sprækken til Luscuro #2: Elementsygen (The Crack to Luscuro #2: Elementsygen)
Author: Julie Midtgaard 
Narrator: Susanne Bonde

Romance
Title: Herfra til dig (From Here to You)
Author: Albert Lindemalm 
Narrator: Jon Lange

Sweden (announced on April 29)

Novel
Title: Sen for jag hem (Then I Went Home)
Author: Karin Smirnoff
Narrator: Lo Kauppi

Crime 
Title: Nio liv (Nine Lives)
Author: Emelie Schepp
Narrator: Gunilla Leining

Children 
Title: Gittan och fårskallarna (Gittan and the Sheep’s Skulls)
Author: Pija Lindenbaum 
Narrator: Sissela Kyle

Young Adult
Title: Alicia Månstjärna och den femte pelaren (Alicia Månstjärna and the Fifth Pillar)
Author: Nils-Petter Löf 
Narrator: Katarina Ewerlöf

Non Fiction
Title: Jag kan ha fel (I could be wrong)
Author: Caroline Bankler, Navid Modiri & Björn Natthiko Lindeblad
Narrator: Björn Natthiko Lindeblad

The prize consists of a monetary award as well as a diploma and a statue shaped as a sound wave, made by the design agency SuperTuesday.

For more information, please contact:
Tiina Nevala, Global PR Manager, Storytel
Cell: +46 70 241 83 01
Email: tiina.nevala@storytel.com

About Storytel
Storytel is one of the world’s largest subscribed audiobook and e-book streaming services and offers listening and reading of more than 500 000 titles on a global scale. Our vision is to make the world a more empathetic and creative place with great stories to be shared and enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and anytime. Storytel’s streaming business is conducted under the brands Storytel and Mofibo. Storytel’s publishing business area is carried out through the audiobook publisher StorySide and acclaimed Nordic publishing houses such as Norstedts, People’s and Gummerus. Storytel operates in over 20 markets around the globe and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.