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Grand Prix at Bratislava biennial 2025 goes to illustrator Sadeghian
‘The Roc Girl,’ illustrated by Sadeghian and retold by Ahmad Akbarpour, was submitted as Iran’s sole nominee and fought off international competition to carry off the festival’s top prize. This marks the third time an Iranian artist has been granted the Grand Prix of BIB, IRNA reported.
The book was put forward by Iran’s Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon) after a domestic selection process involving the Children’s Book Council of Iran and the Iranian Illustrators Society.
Ten Iranian illustrators were initially shortlisted; ultimately, Sadeghian was chosen to represent the country.
Sadeghian is no stranger to global acclaim. In 2021, she won first prize in the Golden Pen contest at the 50th International Biennial of Illustration in Belgrade.
The following year, she was tapped to design the cover of the Belgrade biennial catalogue as the previous cycle’s laureate. In 2022, she picked up the grand jury award at China’s Ananas Illustration Festival, and that same year she was named a winner at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy.
The BIB biennial itself dates back to 1967, held every two years in Bratislava under the UNESCO and IBBY umbrella. The festival presents awards including the Grand Prix, Golden Apples, and Bronze Plaques.
Over the course of BIB 2025 — running from October 3, 2025 to January11, 2026 — artists from Switzerland, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea received Golden Apples, while illustrators from Chile, Switzerland, Brazil, China and Slovakia won Bronze Plaques.
Previously, two Iranians—Alireza Goldouzian in 2005 and Hassan Moosavi in 2019—had received the Grand Prix. This latest victory thus revives Iran’s standing on the BIB grand stage.
This year, Iranian-based children’s literature scholar Sahar Tarhandeh also served as a juror for BIB 2025.