Iranian illustrators, authors shortlisted for Swedish festival
Five Iranian authors and illustrators, along with a reading-promotion initiative, have been nominated for the 2027 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, an international prize honoring contributions to children’s and young adult literature, IRNA reported on Saturday.
Abbas Jahangirian (author) and Amir Shabanipoor (illustrator) were nominated by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults.
Children’s Book Council, the Iranian Association of Writers for Children and Young Adults, and the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature nominated other candidates; Atoosa Salehi (author), Hoda Haddadi (illustrator), and Alireza Goldouzian (illustrator).
Jahangirian has more than five decades of experience in fiction writing, playwriting, research and education.
Shabanipoor was recognized for his distinctive visual style, creative use of color and composition, and ability to tell stories through illustrations.
Alireza Goldouzian is known for his illustration in children’s books. He has won several international awards including the BolognaRagazzi Award in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021.
Hoda Haddadi, illustrator, began publishing stories in an Iranian young adult magazine in the 1980s and later illustrated books by many prominent Iranian writers for children and young adults.
Atoosa Salehi is an award winning, well-known Iranian author. Salehi has written and translated over 90 books and won numerous awards, such as Book of the Year.
The ‘Read with Me’ project was nominated in the reading-promotion category. ‘Read with Me’ is a project designed and implemented by the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature, to promote reading for/with disadvantaged children who are generally at risk.
The 2027 award list includes 277 candidates from 80 countries and regions, 85 of them first-time nominees. Established by the Swedish government in 2002 in memory of ‘Pippi Longstocking’ creator Astrid Lindgren, the award carries a prize of five million Swedish kronor.
A 12-member jury selects the winner, who will be announced on April 6, 2027, during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in northern Italy.