The winners of the 2022 VIndies were announced at the fun and often touching virtual ceremony held Wednesday evening. The VIndies, created by SIBA and NAIBA to celebrate "the best in bookstore video," honors the spirit and voice of indie bookstores, and highlights exactly why indie booksellers are the heart and soul of their communities.

About fifty people attended the event, genially hosted by Penguin Random House rep Michael Triebwasser, to cheer for their favorite stores. With the exception of the "Animated" category which only received one nomination, two winners were selected for each VIndie category -- one each from SIBA and NAIBA territories.

2022 VIndies Winners:

ANIMATED
"Book Club Bar" -- from Book Club Bar in New York, NY (NAIBA)

AROUND THE STORE
"We Have Named the Whale!" - White Whale Bookstore in Pittsburgh, PA (NAIBA)
"Welcome In!" - Ernest & Hadley Booksellers in Tuscaloosa, AL (SIBA)

COMEDY/MUSICAL
"Well-Read Bronx Woman" -- Bronx Bound Books in Bronx, NY (NAIBA)
"The Book" -- Scuppernong Books in Greensboro, NC (SIBA)

COMMUNITY WORK
"Books Recs for Other Small Businesses on Capitol Hill" -- East City Bookshop in Washington, DC (NAIBA)
"The words are felt always in the walls here" - Rohi's Readery, West Palm Beach, FL (SIBA)

DRAMA
"Audio IS Reading" -- City Books in Pittsburgh, PA (NAIBA)
"Shire, the Magic of Reading" -- Underground Books in Carrollton, GA (SIBA)

STAFF PICKS & BOOK RECS
"Hidden Treats" -- BookTowne in Manasquan, NJ (NAIBA)
"Rediscovering Slept-on Authors" -- RVA Book Bar in Richmond, VA (SIBA)

TRENDING SOUNDS
"You'll Be Back" -- Park Books and LitColLab in Severna Park, MD (NAIBA)
"All I Wanna Do Is Read a Book Today" -- Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC (SIBA)

Of the 120+ videos nominated for this year's VIndies, 36 were chosen as finalists, and the winners selected by a panel of members of the book industry. As each category was awarded, booksellers from the winning stores came up to the virtual stage to talk about the inspiration for their videos, and why they felt video was an important tool for their stores. In fact, "Inspiration" became the theme of the event, as fellow booksellers in the audience shared ideas and takeaways for their own stores.

Winners and Finalist videos can be viewed at New Voices New Rooms, the partnership website of SIBA and NAIBA:https://newvoicesnewrooms.org/vindie-finalists/

Video of the ceremony will be made available this week at the same link.