Applications open for UX Award 2025

Open Athens has launched its 2025 UX Award and is inviting publishers and library service vendors to apply by 22 November 2024. Award organiser Jane Charlton will announce the winner at the online Access Lab event on 24 February 2025. 

The UX Award showcases publishers and library service vendors that put users at the heart of their service design, with the aim of providing easy access to content and services. The award aims to inspire publishers and other library service vendors to invest in user experience and deliver simple journeys to their content and services. 

Previous award winners

Cambridge University Press won this year’s UX Award for its Research Directions open access journal series, which evidenced its commitment to accessibility, a user-centric approach and cross-team collaboration. Judges commended their use of personae in product development and inclusion of user behaviour data and feedback at each stage.

Rubem Barbosa-Hughes, head of user experience at Cambridge University Press outlined the benefits: “Taking part in the UX Award has been an enriching experience for us at Cambridge University Press. It not only provided an opportunity to benchmark our work against industry standards but also to receive constructive feedback from professionals in the field. Winning this award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teams and it reaffirms the value of prioritising accessibility and user-centered design in our products. This recognition not only celebrates our achievements but also motivates us to continue innovating in ways that truly serve our global audience.”

Previous winners include Sage Publishing, De Gruyter, nkoda and Emerald Publishing.

About the 2025 UX Award

Now in its sixth year, any publisher large or small, library systems vendor, research and analytics tool, or other library products and services can apply. Award organiser Jane Charlton explained: “Library users access a wide range of data, content and analysis services for their research and studies. We welcome applications from any publisher or library service vendor to share their UX innovations and inspire others through this award process.

Open Athens outlines the fact that ibrarians and library users highly value simple and easy access to online products and services: "It makes perfect sense to keep your users and customers happy as they’ll return again and again. Inflation and price increases have had a negative impact on library budgets. This has led librarians to pay close attention to usage and value for money when making decisions about content subscriptions. Vendors that deliver a great user experience help to drive increased usage, and this is one of the key metrics librarians use to decide where to spend budget.

"Delivering a superior user experience also helps position your product or service above your competitors. Publishers and library service vendors that put their users first and center will get great reviews. Users are also more likely to use your product than a competitor that has not made the same investment in product UX."

How to apply

Find out more about the UX Award criteria and send your application form by Friday 22 November 2024. Complete the short expression of interest form on our website and you will be sent the application form. Next year’s winner will be announced online at Access Lab on Monday 24 February 2025.