From the Philippines to Czechia: Guest of Honour Handover Ceremony 2025 at Frankfurter Buchmesse
Frankfurt, 19 October 2025 – The Philippines’ Guest of Honour presentation at Frankfurter Buchmesse 2025 has drawn to a close with resounding success. Under the motto “The imagination peoples the air”, the Philippines, showcased in the Guest of Honour Pavilion and on other stages of the fair the extraordinary richness of its literature, with more than 100 authors, illustrators, creatives and diverse voices from across the archipelago.
From contemporary fiction and poetry to indigenous narratives, bold new translations, and journalistic voices unafraid to speak truth to power, the programme illuminated the creativity, courage, and resilience of Philippine storytellers. With a dynamic Guest of Honour Pavilion, a strong professional programme, and an enthusiastic reception from both readers and the publishing industry, the Philippines demonstrated how literature can carry voices across oceans and borders — and how imagination continues to inspire, connect, and transform.
“With our presence at the Frankfurt Book Fair, we affirmed that Philippine literature has a unique and vital place in the world. Our writers, translators, and artists brought to life the spirit of our nation — its histories, struggles, and hopes — and shared it with a global audience.
This Guest of Honour year also opened new and sustainable pathways for our creative industries to enter the European market, ensuring that our stories continue to resonate across cultures and continents. Sustainability — of stories, of culture, and of industry — remains at the heart of our vision, and we are proud to have planted seeds that will keep growing long after this fair. With gratitude and joy, we now hand over to Czechia and extend our warmest congratulations on their turn as Guest of Honour”, Senator Loren Legarda from the Philippines, visionary of the Philippine Guest of Honour project, states.
Handover from the Philippines to Czechia: ‘A Country on the Coast’
Under the motto “A Country on the Coast” Czechia will take centre stage as Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Guest of Honour 2026. With this motto, inspired by a phrase from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, the country will present itself, marking the start of an entire year of Czech culture with its Guest of Honour presentation in Frankfurt in 2026.
Tomáš Kubíček, Director of the Czech Guest of Honour programme, is looking forward to the coming year: “Czech literature is remarkably diverse. I am convinced that today’s Czech authors have much to offer the international literary world — from their characteristic irony and self-irony to their talent for powerful storytelling and their ability to explore inspiring themes.”
The Moravian Library in Brno, through its Czech Literary Centre, is responsible for organising the Czech Guest of Honour programme. The Czech Guest of Honour project is funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
The Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026 will take place from 7 to 11 October 2026.
Press material about the Guest of Honour presentations 2025 and 2026:
https://philippinesfrankfurt2025.com/(opens in a new window)
https://literaturtest.de/newsletter/pm/Tschechien_Ehrengast_der_FBM_26_Presskit.pdf(opens in a new window)
Press contact Guest of Honour Philippines:
ARTEFAKT Kulturkonzepte
Alexander Flöth, Elisabeth Friedrich, Damaris Schmitz, Celia Solf
Philippines@artefakt-berlin.de(opens in a new window)
Press contact Guest of Honour Czechia:
Literaturtest
Annika Grützner, Nathalie Weber, Mathias Voigt
tschechien@literaturtest.de(opens in a new window)
Press contact Guest of Honour Czechia:
Press and Corporate Communication, Frankfurter Buchmesse, press@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
Dr Torsten Casimir, Vice President | Communications & Content, casmir@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
Ines Bachor, PR Manager, Phone: +49 69 2102 189, bachor@buchmesse.de(opens in a new window)
About Frankfurter Buchmesse:
Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair and the most important international marketplace for content – from novels and children’s books to academic databases and stories for films, games and virtual reality experiences. Publishing professionals from around the world meet here with partners from the technology sector and from related creative and cultural industries, sparking new partnerships and business models. Since 1976, the book fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association). buchmesse.de/en(opens in a new window)