Open•Set 2028 Call for Submissions

OPEN • SET 2028 is an international juried exhibition and competition featuring fine design bindings from bookbinders around the world.

Participants may enter the Open Category, the Set Category, or both. Only one submission per binder per category will be accepted.

Registration opens: September 21, 2026
Registration closes: July 1, 2027
Submission deadline: August 1, 2027
Jury review: August–September 2027

Opening Exhibition: February 2028, Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC

About the 2028 Set Book

Sermons in Stones

The 2028 Set Book, Sermons in Stones, brings together excerpts from William Shakespeare’s works that explore enduring questions about civic power, responsibility, justice, ambition, mercy, and our shared humanity. The selections examine both the possibilities and dangers of authority and consider how power shapes individuals, communities, and institutions.

Staff at the Folger Shakespeare Library selected and organized the Shakespeare texts, which were edited in accordance with the Folger editions. The selections offer bookbinders a range of themes and ideas to explore through their own design and interpretation. Through fine design binding, participants are invited to interpret Shakespeare in a personal, contemporary way, creating a visual and material response to questions that remain relevant today. Sermons in Stones was published by the American Academy of Bookbinding, a program of the Ah Haa School for the Arts in Telluride, Colorado. This limited edition of 100 copies was produced specifically for the OPEN • SET 2028 International Bookbinding Competition & Exhibition.

Registrants will receive uncut press sheets that must be folded and gathered before being trimmed to a final size of 20 x 14 cm. The sheets were letterpress-printed by Norman Clayton at Classic Letterpress in Ojai, California, on Rives heavyweight paper. The pages were designed by Susan Entsminger and Chip Schilling. Copyright © 2026 American Academy of Bookbinding.

General Guidelines

All submissions must be created specifically for OPEN • SET 2028.
Works that have previously been exhibited, posted online, or otherwise publicly viewed will be disqualified.
The binding design should represent the artist’s unique interpretation of the book and response to its content.
All submissions must be bound in codex format.
Participants may enter one book in each category.
The binder must disclose any work on the book performed by another person.
To maintain anonymity during jurying, entrants should not post images or information showing the progress of their bindings before the jury process is complete.
Bindings may not be signed or otherwise marked in a way that identifies the binder.
Every submission must be housed in a sturdy, custom-fitted clamshell box.

Entry Fees

Fees include the Set Book when applicable, an OPEN • SET 2028 catalog, and return shipping of the submitted binding.

Open Category
$150 (United States)
$175 (International)

Set Category
$195 (United States)
$245 (International)

Fees are due at the time of registration.

Eligibility

All fine-binding, codex-format entries that meet the competition requirements are eligible for jury review.

Measure between 6 × 8 cm and 22 × 30 cm.
Be accompanied by a completed Online Submission Form.
Be housed in a custom-fitted clamshell box.
Display only the entrant’s assigned identification number on the spine of the box.
Be unsigned and contain no identifying marks.
Blank books will not be accepted.
Bindings that are too fragile or do not meet the competition requirements may be disqualified.

Registration

Complete the OPEN • SET 2028 online Registration Form.
Pay the appropriate registration fee online or by check.
You will receive a confirmation email and a randomly assigned identification number.
If you register for the Set Category, your copy of Sermons in Stones will be mailed to you.
Registered participants will receive OPEN • SET 2028 competition communications by email.

Before packing and shipping your binding, complete the Online Submission Form. After submitting the form, you will receive an email containing the information you entered. Print a copy and include it inside your clamshell box with your binding.

Questions may be directed to:

openset@ahhaa.org

Blind Jury Review

OPEN • SET uses a blind jury process. Jurors will not know the identity of the binders whose work they are reviewing.

Books will be identified only by the randomly assigned identification number appearing on the spine of the submission box. If the binder’s identity is apparent in any way, the submission will not qualify for jury review. Open Category identification numbers begin with an “O.” Set Category identification numbers begin with an “S.” If you enter both categories, you will receive a separate identification number for each submission. Your identification number should appear only on the spine of your clamshell box. Do not place your name or other identifying information on the book or box.

The three OPEN • SET 2028 jurors will be announced in Fall 2026. Jury review decisions will be finalized in September.

The jury will select:

Prize-winning bindings
Up to 100 bindings to be included in the traveling OPEN • SET 2028 exhibition and catalog

The jury reserves the right to exclude work that is technically or artistically unsuitable or does not meet the requirements of the competition. All jury decisions are final.

OPEN • SET 2028 Exhibition

Bindings selected for the exhibition must remain with OPEN • SET for the duration of the 2028 exhibition schedule. The exhibition will travel within the United States.

The Grand Opening will take place at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, in February 2028. The selected bindings and prize winners will be announced at this event. Additional exhibition information and dates will be announced as they become available.

Making Your Binding Available for Sale

OPEN • SET has facilitated the sale of submitted bindings to private collectors and institutions. If you would like your binding to be available for purchase, indicate a sale price on the Online Submission Form.

Catalog

OPEN • SET will produce a full-color catalog featuring entries meeting the jury criteria for the competition. Every registered participant will receive a copy of the catalog, regardless of whether their binding is selected for the traveling exhibition.

Photography & Publicity

OPEN • SET will professionally photograph submissions and may use these images for publicity related to the competition and exhibition, both now and in the future.

As part of the Online Submission Form, binders must provide:

Binder information and a short biography
Bibliographic information and a description of the book
A statement describing the binding design

Participants will be asked to grant permission for OPEN • SET to use this information and related photographs.

Protective Enclosure Requirements

Every submission must be housed in a sturdy, custom-fitted clamshell box. The exterior spine of the box should display only your assigned identification number. Do not include your name. If you are entering both categories, each book must have its own clamshell box and identification number.

Inside the clamshell box, include only:

Your unsigned binding
Printed copy of your completed Online Submission Form

Packing Your Submission

Pack the clamshell box securely inside a shipping carton using ample protective material, paying particular attention to protecting the corners. OPEN • SET will send an email confirming arrival and condition.

Shipping & Insurance

Participants are responsible for shipping and insuring their submissions while in transit to the American Academy of Bookbinding.

When determining the declared value of your binding, consider the approximate cost of reproducing the work rather than its retail or sale price. Maximum declared value: $2,000 per submission.

OPEN • SET will photograph and report any damage discovered when a submission is received and will be responsible for the binding while it is in the care of OPEN • SET 2028.

All submissions must arrive by August 1, 2027

Submissions received after August 1, 2027, will not be considered for jury review.

Mail submissions to:

OPEN • SET Competition
c/o American Academy of Bookbinding
117 N. Willow Street
PO Box 1590
Telluride, Colorado 81435
USA

970-728-8649

International participants who need assistance with customs declarations or mailing requirements contact openset@ahhaa.org

Open•Set PRIZES & AWARDS

Open Category Prizes
First Place Prize $3,500
Second Place Prize $2,400
Third Place Prize $1,200

Set Category Prizes
First Place Prize $3,500
Second Place Prize $2,400
Third Place Prize $1,200

Highly Commendable Awards
Given to those bindings that display skillful treatment of an aspect of binding in both the Open Category & the Set Category.

Binding Purchase Awards

Interesting Use of Leather Award
Sponsored by J. Hewit & Sons. Given by David Lanning.

The University of Denver International Prize
Sponsored by the University of Denver, this award recognizes the taste and scrutiny of the OPEN • SET Jury by purchasing one of the prize-winning bindings designated as most excellent in all aspects of the art of binding and from a submission from outside of the United States; the book will remain in the Special Collections and Archives at the University of Denver.

The University of Denver Bibliophile Prize
Sponsored by the University of Denver, this award is chosen by a bibliophile named by the University of Denver from among all of the exhibition submissions; the book will remain in the Special Collections and Archives at the University of Denver.