Penguin book cover award

I have been looking through the finalists' entries for the Penguin book cover award, which were displayed on the Guardian website. Students were invited to submit a book cover for Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep. The standard is very high. I think I like entries 1, 2, 4 and 8 the best, but I would have a hard task picking a favourite. If there was a public vote, though, I would probably vote for 9 because the student uploads videos on YouTube and, by coincidence, I had watched her video in which she said how thrilled she was that her cover had been shortlisted. It is maybe the most original cover.

Those are great. It would be very hard to choose. I liked 6-10 the best, I think. I loved the retro look they achieved. I also liked 5, and there weren't any that I disliked. I think if I was going to choose one, it would be 6.

I'll vote for 6 as well, although it forgot: "Now a Major Motion Picture". I saw someone carrying a copy of Anna Karenina in an airport recently. The cover blared: "Now a Major Motion Picture starring Keira Knightly."

Visually I liked 6 and 4 the best. I haven't read the book though.

LOL at the Anna Karenina cover. I've noticed how they try to sell classics like Wuthering Heights by giving them a bodice ripper style cover - Tall, dark, handsome man clasping to his bosom a girl in period costume showing a lot of her own bosom.

Number 7 by Hayley Warnham won (linky). There was also a prize for the best children's book cover (link). I don't like these quite so much, but I suppose my favourite would be the one by Kirsty Alexander.