Jack and the Beanstalk wins a Typhlo and Tactus prize

A tactile book designed and made by Susannah Phillips of Bath has won the Cultural Heritage prize in the 2007 European Typhlo and Tactus tactile book competition. Hundreds of copies of her book, Jack and the Beanstalk, will now be produced at a sheltered workshop in Dijon, for sale at an EU-subsidised price in ten European countries.

A panel of judges representing Germany, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Lithuania and Estonia and consisting of equal numbers of sighted and visually-impaired people, met in Dijon on 8th and 9th November 2007 to judge the 68 entries. The UK judges were Claire Wilson from RNIB and Moira Garscadden from Education Leeds VI Service. The chair of the judges was Mme Claudette Kraemer from France, whose book ‘Crokato’ won the first Tactus competition in 2000.

First prize in the open category went to Cuore di Pietra (Heart of Stone) by Mauro L.Evangelista of Italy and a special award went to an Estonian book by Liis Raudsepp.

Susannah Phillips has worked as a textile designer since completing a degree in Printed Textiles at Glasgow School of Art in 1991.

'Jack and The Beanstalk is the first book I have designed and I loved making it.' said Susannah Phillips. 'As a textile designer, vivid colour and texture have always been key elements in my work, aspects which are particularly relevant to tactile books.'

Another UK entry, The Lost Purr..rr, by Linda Davey from Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, reached the final shortlist of nine books.

Susannah Phillips won a trophy and a cheque for 600 euros.

The next Typhlo and Tactus competition is planned for 2009. For more details contact Marion Ripley at info@clearvisionproject.org.