Claire van den Broek from Huxley and Hiro Booksellers in Wilmington, Delaware has won the sixth Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists. The scholarship is awarded by the Friends of Carla Gray Committee and the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation.

van den Broek, who is focused on community revitalization, will get a yearlong scholarship for professional development. She will receive travel and hotel expenses for the Winter Institute 2025 and the 2025 regional fall tradeshow, as well as a $1,000 stipend for a community outreach project.

“We are deeply grateful to have received the Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists,” van den Broek said. “The support of the Binc Foundation will enable us to run certificate programs for at-risk youth in our community, empowering future civic leaders to speak out against censorship and become advocates for free speech together with our non-profit partner Delaware Futures. Bookstores have the power to be so much more than just retail stores; they are community organizers who lift and unite the people around them. This is why they continue to thrive even in the face of so much online competition. We want people to know that every purchase at a local bookstore supports the community as a whole.”

The scholarship was developed to help booksellers with less than 10 years of experience to grow in the community with publishers, authors, and other booksellers. It is also meant to help find new readers and ensure that readers have access to books that can enrich their lives.

“Bookstores are the heart of a thriving community, and supporting booksellers and encouraging their engagement in their community is critical to the future of bookselling and the larger book industry,” Binc Executive Director Pam French said. “Thank you to the Friends of Carla Gray for their continued advocacy of this endowed scholarship, and to Claire. We look forward to learning more about your project and watching its impact thanks to this annual scholarship that honors Carla’s legacy.”