The International Board on Books for Young People is proud to announce the
Shortlist for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award
Writing: Ahmad Akbarpour from Iran, María José Ferrada from Chile, Timothée de Fombelle from France, Lee Geum-yi from the Republic of Korea, Pam Muñoz Ryanfrom the United States, and Michael Rosen from the United Kingdom.
Illustration: Beatrice Alemagna from Italy, Linda Bondestam from Finland, Cai Gaofrom China, Gundega Muzikante from Latvia, Walid Taher from Egypt, and María Wernicke from Argentina.
The ten members of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury are Brenda Dales (United States), Nadia El Kholy (Egypt), Giorgia Grilli (Italy), Diana Kovach (Argentina), Shailaja Menon (India), Mare Müürsepp (Estonia), Margaret Anne Suggs (Ireland), Fengxia Tan (China), Holly Tonks (United Kingdom), and Morgane Vasta (France). The Jury was led by Jury President Shereen Kreidieh. Carolina Ballester acted as Jury Secretary.
The criteria used to assess the nominations included the distinctive literary and artistic qualities of writing and illustrating, the capacity to engage the reader with confidence in the child’s abilities to process complexities, the authentic representation of cultural aspects, as well as the freshness and innovation through the body of work; the ability to see the child’s point of view and to stretch their curiosity. All the nominees were assessed on their lifetime achievement to date and the continuing relevance of their works to children and young people.
After the meeting, Jury President Shereen Kreidieh said, “I would like to commend the jury for their professionalism and thoughtful engagement throughout the process—it was truly an honour to work with them. The discussions were in-depth and constructive, with each jury member presenting their perspectives in a highly positive and collegial spirit. These extensive deliberations ultimately resulted in a shortlist of six authors and six illustrators from different parts of the world. The final selection is both representative and diverse, showcasing outstanding literary and artistic quality and a rich range of global voices”.
The two winners will be announced at the Annual IBBY Press Conference on Monday, 13 April 2026 at the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair. The medals and diplomas will be presented to the winners at the 40th IBBY World Congress in Ottawa, Canada (6 to 9 August 2026).
About the Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Award, established in 1956, is the world’s most prestigious international children’s book award. Among the author winners are Heinz Janisch (Austria), Marie-Aude Murail (France), Cao Wenxuan (China), Astrid Lindgren (Sweden), Michio Mado (Japan), and Tove Jansson (Finland). Among the illustrator winners are Sydney Smith (Canada), Suzy Lee (Republic of Korea), Roger Mello (Brazil), Farshid Mesghali (Iran), Květa Pacovská (Czech Republic), and Maurice Sendak (USA).
Every two years, the IBBY Executive Committee elects the international jury of experts from nominations submitted by the IBBY Sections.
The members of the Jury assess the complete body of the candidates’ work. All the candidates nominated for the Award have made outstanding contributions to children’s literature in their countries and are selected by the IBBY Sections; a complete list of the 78 candidates to the 2026 Awards can be seen here.
The International Board on Books for Young People is comprised of 84 sections and works to bring children and books together. It is the oldest and most highly regarded organization in the world working globally for children and books. The Hans Christian Andersen Award is sponsored by Nami Island Arts & Education Inc.
For further information: www.ibby.org and www.ibbycongress2026.org
Contact:
Carolina Ballester, Executive Director at IBBY
carolina.ballester@ibby.org
