Szilvia Sandberg Receives International Recognition Through the INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD®

Sandberg's "Blinding White," a tale of scientific breakthroughs and systemic corruption, earns prestigious Distinguished Favorite at the INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD

MANNHEIM, BADEN-WüRTTEMBERG, GERMANY, January 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The 2026 Independent Press Award recognized "Blinding White" by Szilvia Sandberg in the category of Thriller as a distinguished favorite.

The competition is judged by experts from different aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, designers, booksellers, librarians and professional copywriters. Winners and distinguished favorites are based on overall excellence.

"Blinding White" by Szilvia Sandberg
"When all seems to be lost is it still worth risking our lives for the truth?"

In this story a respected Australian detective, Richard Wright, finds his life turned upside down when a renowned Middle Eastern doctor on the verge of winning the Nobel Prize throws himself over a cliff in the Swiss mountains. Richard is hired by one of the world's most successful businessmen to find out why the doctor died. He soon realises his mission is related to the upcoming announcement of one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs of the decade.

Meanwhile, the most influential forces in international politics and business are engaged in fierce competition to obtain the rare raw materials which drive our world's greatest scientific breakthroughs. These forces do not shy away from corruption, fraud and cruelty. Their one interest is to destroy all those who stand in the way of a deal that would earn these forces untold billions.

As Richard unravels threads that run from Geneva, through the Middle East, to South America, he must also confront issues in his own life. To save the greatest legacy of a genius researcher, Richard must learn to trust others again to succeed in this knife-edge investigation.

Corporate corruption, stock market manipulation and deep secrets from the past are intertwined, and Richard needs all the help he can get to solve the mystery to ensure not only the survival of a company but also the dawn of a new era in medicine.

What is the cost of development? Can exploitation be justified as being for the greater good? And when all seems to be lost, is it still worth risking life and limb to find out the truth?

In 2026, the INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD saw a large participation from well established authors and publishers across the globe, including those residing in Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States. Authors such as Szilvia Sandberg, Brad Feld, Judith Briles, Tony Jeton Selimi, Michael Pronko, Jack Fritscher, PhD, Nate Regier, PhD, Lawrence Kane & Kris Wilder, Greg Broadmore and Miriam Udel were among the winners list chosen from thousands of entries.

Publishing houses included Forbes Books, Friesen Press, Historium Press, Johns Hopkins University Press, Mad Cave Studios, Northwestern University Press, Princeton University Press, She Writes Press, The History Press, and University of California Press.

"The 2026 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD recipients reflect the incredible momentum within the independent sector," stated Gabrielle Olczak, INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD President and Award Sponsor. "Independent voices are no longer just an alternative; they are leading the way in literary innovation. By highlighting these winners, we are celebrating a global community that refuses to be sidelined and continues to set new benchmarks for excellence."

For more information please visit independentpressaward.com; and to see this year's list of IPA Winners and Distinguished Favorites, please visit: https://www.independentpressaward.com/2026-favorites

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR IN HER OWN WORDS
I am of Hungarian origin, passionate world traveler, researcher, author and compliance expert with experience at the United Nations and international corporations in several countries. My journey has taken me to the most amazing places on Earth, from Europe through India to New Zealand.

As a conference speaker, I have shared my insights about business ethics and human rights at numerous international forums such as banking conferences, compliance techforums or Brighttalks. This passion took me to amazing opportunities such as working on research projects with Harvard Business School.

With a commitment to making a difference, I made the leap to a wider audience with my debut fictional work, the novel, "Blinding White,” where I would like to address the most topical issues of our time such as technology, human rights and economic development.


ABOUT THE AWARD
The Independent Press Award (IPA) is a prestigious annual book awards program specifically designed to honor excellence in the independent publishing community. It is open to self-published authors, small presses, and university presses worldwide. The Independent Press Award is announced every spring and is open to independent authors and publishers.

The fall book competition, NYC Big Book Award, https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/ permits all authors and publishers, including the big five publishers, to submit their books for competition.

Join us at the Awards Dinner & Ceremony on April 25th to celebrate the recipients of both programs as they receive their awards on stage. The ceremony is part of the BookCAMP event, a publishing industry conference held in the New York metro area, April 24-26, 2026, https://www.independentpressaward.com/ipabookcamp.

Gabby Olczak
Independent Press Award
+1 973-969-1899
gabby@independentpressaward.com
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