HOW IT ALL STARTED
In 2012…
an independent group of reading advocates and book bloggers launched the Filipino Readers’ Choice Awards (FRCA), the first online, popular choice book award of its kind in the Philippines and since. The goal was to develop awareness and appreciation of Philippine literature, recognize the reader’s role in creating the meaning and experience of a literary work, and give the readers a voice in the Philippine book industry.
The FRCA ran from 2012 to 2015, at which point it grew from 7 to 13 categories, and from more than 7,000 to over 101,000 valid votes in 2015. After 2015, however, the award went on hiatus after the volunteers were unable to sustain the effort.
In 2022, the FRCA has found its new home with the Book Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP). As the premier publishing industry organization in the country that addresses the many problems confronting the local book industry–including readership–BDAP is the most logical organization to continue the much-beloved award. Adopting the FRCA means that BDAP will be including it in its regular programming, holding the award every other year, alternately with BDAP’s Gintong Aklat Awards.