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The Bulletin

Weekly dispatches from the Book Jacket Bracket: winner spotlights, reflections, and the occasional stray thought.

Cover of Discontent by Beatriz Serrano, translated by Mara Faye Lethem

Week 25: Discontent Gets Promoted

Discontent worked over the competition with its perfect depiction of corporate despair. Next up: Bodies, bones, and books take shape.

Cover of Little F by Michelle Tea

Week 24: Little F Sets Sail

Little F set sail with a hidden message, a childlike dream of the journey ahead, and no censors the wiser. Next up: Off-Kilter—Four covers tilting the frame and the mind just off from center.

Cover of National Animal by Derek Webster

Week 23: National Animal Reigns Supreme

National Animal shimmered in foil and claimed the win. Now: Feminist Fest, where four bold covers from one press share the stage.

Cover of milktooth by Jaime Burnet

Week 22: milktooth Takes the Crown

milktooth crowned the carton and bit into victory. Now: Animals Again, where creatures of every kind take the stage for a zoological encore.

Cover of Notes on Nothing by Anonymous

Week 21: Notes on Nothing Wins Something

Notes on Nothing vanished into victory with its paradoxical presence. Now: four covers where solitary objects anchor the design.

Cover of Theophanies by Sarah Ghazal Ali

Week 20: Theophanies Revels in Glory

Theophanies ascended above the rest in a round of the sacred and surreal. Now: four stark designs where the title alone carries the cover.

Cover of Cold Toast by Kathryn Aldridge-Morris

Week 19: Cold Toast Burns Bright

Cold Toast dazzled with retro kitsch and silver boots. Now: hallucinatory figures and sacred visions in Thou Shalt Read.

Cover of The Sea Gives Up the Dead by Molly Olguín

Week 18: The Sea Does Not Give Up the Win

The Sea Gives Up the Dead rose with hypnotic waves and flowing type. Now: four covers in blazing Technicolor. Bring yr shades.

Cover of Guatemalan Rhapsody by Jared Lemus

Week 17: Guatemalan Rhapsody Strikes the Right Note

Guatemalan Rhapsody stood out with bold color and playful rhythm. Now: four sea-swept contenders.

Cover of Disintegration Made Plain and Easy by Kiik Araki-Kawaguchi

Week 16: Disintegration Wins Plain and Easy

Disintegration Made Plain and Easy flew over the competition with cartoon revenge and a wink at the abyss. Meet four covers woven from modern folklore.

Cover of Blob by Maggie Su

Week 15: Blob Absorbs the Win

With surreal charm and sticky tenderness, Blob by Maggie Su took the crown in a week of standout debuts. Now meet four new covers crawling with transformation.

Cover of New Paltz, New Paltz by Mike Powell

Week 14: New Paltz Prevails

With cartoon melancholy, New Paltz, New Paltz clinched a week of flat, bold beauty. Now meet four fearless debuts curated with help from Debutiful.

Cover of DIY by Dr. Eric Sprankle

Week 13: DIY Comes First

With wit and indecent charm, DIY won a climactic week of textually active covers. This week’s contenders look like final exams in design minimalism. But don’t be fooled. They’re still moody. Grade them yourself.

Cover of The Longest Way to Eat a Melon by Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross

Week 12: Melon Takes It All

With a cat, a snail, and a perfect palette, The Longest Way to Eat a Melon out-charmed the competition. Up next: flesh fonts, hot pink, and linguistic lust.

Cover of Magic Can't Save Us by Josh Denslow

Week 11: Magic Does the Trick

Magic Can't Save Us edged out the competition with its offbeat capsule design. Up next: neon stags, fainting women, ghostly pinks, and a very curious melon.

Cover of Somebody Should Do Something by Michael Brownstein, Alex Madva, and Daniel Kelly

Week 10: Somebody Wins

In a battle of bold typography and thematic density, Somebody Should Do Something rose above the crowd in an echoing victory. This week: pills, pills, pills (and marriage therapy with unicorn meat).

Cover of Sympathy for Wild Girls by Demree McGhee

Week 9: Sympathy Surges

Week 9 wasn't close—Sympathy for Wild Girls took the lead early and never looked back. Up next: repetition, spirals, and echoing design.

Cover of Baby Bruise by Danielle Chelosky

Week 8: Baby Bruise Wins a Photo Finish

Week 8 came down to the wire. We look ahead to a new lineup of (sometimes literally) mind-melting covers.

Cover of She's a Lamb! by Meredith Hambrock

Week 7: She's a Winner

Pop art claimed center stage in Week 7. Four new contenders come from the analog age, each speaking through simplicity and time.

Cover of Audition for the Fox by Martin Cahill

Week 6: Outfoxed by the Fox

A trickster god takes the crown. Week 7 bares its teeth with four covers full of mouths, fangs, and unsettling sweetness.

Cover of Boxcutters by John Chrostek

Week 5: Boxcutters Breaks Away

One collage sneaks past the competition. Week 6 gallivants into the ring with four animal-themed contenders, each hoping for Best in Show.

Cover of Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis

Week 4: Old School Wins

A heartfelt cover rooted in family history takes the crown. Collage season begins with four artful new challengers in Week 5.

Cover of The Coin by Yasmin Zaher

Week 3: The Coin Lands

A Birkin bag scheme. A stateless narrator. The Coin clinks into immortality as four new covers rise. Onward to Week 4.

Cover of Little Bosses Everywhere

Week 2: Dream Scheme

Clipboard. Contract. Vacation to Tahiti. One little boss ascends while others are left pushing plastic. A very pink win. Week 3 awaits.

Week 1 Winner Cover

Week 1: The Stag Ascends

Our very first champion emerges—a cover that captured the crowd. Read on for the vote breakdown, commentary, and the story behind the win.