International book design award for Dr Yan Wang Preston
An innovative book from Dr Yan Wang Preston, senior lecturer in photography, has been recognized by one of the world’s most prestigious book design awards.
With Love. From an Invader – Rhododendrons, Empire, China and Me has been selected by the Best Dutch Book Designs 2025, Europe’s oldest book design awards. Dr Preston’s book will go on display at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam later in 2026, before going on a world tour.
The book features 183 photographs of an oval-shaped rhododendron bush on the moors near Burnley, in Lancashire, taken over a year from March 2020, as well as essays and poetry, plus wildlife and flora photography.
It draws parallels between migration, national identity and ecology with the UK’s most-widespread Rhododendron, Rhododendron ponticum, often classified as a non-native invasive species and a major threat to native UK plants.
The book features an innovative design that provides an immersive and intimate reading experiences with an easy-to-navigate system separating the diverse contents into five seasons.
Dr Preston, who has taught at Huddersfield since 2018, discovered that her book had won the award while travelling to the V&A in London for a showing of a film linked to the book.
“I sent out a silent but powerful cheer in the train carriage. Dutch book designs are the best in the world and we’re now the best among the best,” she says.
Dr Yan Wang Preston
Senior lecturer, Photography
“My heart was filled with joy with the news. The award recognises the achievement of our interdisciplinary research that is carefully designed into an embodied book form. But more importantly, the award will greatly increase the reach of our research while helping to produce more impact.”
“I had not expected this when setting off for the first project walk on the 17th March 2020. Since then, a whole range of people have collaborated with me on the project. They include our Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Monty Adkins, the two editors, Dr Alan Elliott and Emma Nicolson at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the whole team at the publisher, Eriskay Connection.
“There was also great support from our School of Arts and Humanities. In all, let’s cheer for all of us! A book is always the result of teamwork. This award acknowledges all of our work.”
In 2023, Dr Preston received the RPS Award for Environmental Responsibility from the Royal Photography Society. Her first major project as a photographic artist was Mother River, an epic-scale series of shots of the Yangtze River taken at 100km intervals of the river’s 6,211km length.