Awards

IBBY UK is a nominating body for many of the major international awards for writing and illustration for children and young people. Three major awards are run by IBBY: the Hans Christian Andersen Awards, the IBBY Asahi Reading Promotion Award and the IBBY-iRead Award as well as the biennial IBBY Honour List and other book collections. Additionally, IBBY UK is invited to nominate for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award; the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) and the CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals amongst others.

Nominations are made by the UK Committee after consultation with IBBY UK members.

IBBY Awards

Hans Christian Andersen Awards

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children’s books. Nominations for the Andersen Award are made by the national sections of IBBY. The award recipients are selected by a distinguished international jury of children’s literature specialists.
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Asahi Reading Promotion Award

The IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award is given biennially to two groups or institutions whose outstanding activities are judged to be making a lasting contribution to reading promotion programmes for children and young people. The nominations are submitted by the national sections of IBBY and may include projects from any part of the world.
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IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award

The IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award has been established by the Shenzhen iRead Foundation and IBBY to encourage a real commitment to the cause of reading promotion in the hope of spreading this dedication to others around the globe.

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IBBY Honour List

The IBBY Honour List is a biennial selection of outstanding recently published books, honouring writers, illustrators and translators from IBBY member countries. The titles are selected by the National Sections which can nominate one book for each of the three categories (writing, illustration and translation). Seven sets of the books circulate around the world at exhibitions during conferences and book fairs, including the Bologna Book Fair. You can read more about the IBBY Honour List and other IBBY book collections here.

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Awards nominated for by IBBY UK

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award rewards children’s and young adult literature in the broadest sense. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and promoters of reading are eligible. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is presented in March every year to one or several laureates. The award total is 5 million SEK (over £430,000). Nominees from all over the world are eligible.
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The Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB)

The Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) is one of the oldest international honours for children’s book illustrators. First granted in 1967 to Yasuo Segawa (Japan), it is one of the most prestigious international children’s book awards, along with the Hans Christian Andersen Awards.
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CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals

The CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals are the UK’s oldest and most prestigious children’s book awards. Often described by authors and illustrators as ‘the one they want to win’ – they are the gold standard in children’s literature.
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BOP Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher of the Year

Each year IBBY UK nominates for the BOP Bologna Prize for Best Children’s Publisher of the Year, which is announced at the Bologna Book Fair. Nominations are as follows with a maximum of seven publishing houses: two publishing houses from the geographical area where the nominating body is based ,and one for each other geographical area. Geographical areas: Africa, Asia, Europe, North-America, Central & South-America, Oceania.

In 2016 the Europe prize was won by Andersen Press, the first British winner.

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Children’s Laureate, UK

The role of Children’s Laureate, UK is awarded once every two years to an eminent writer or illustrator of children’s books to celebrate outstanding achievement in their field. The Children’s Laureate is managed by BookTrust. IBBY UK is one of the organisations involved in the nomination process and consults with the membership in this process.

Lauren Child is the Laureate for 2017–2019.

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BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award

The BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award is given to a children’s writer or illustrator whose body of work, in the opinion of the panel of judges, merits recognition for a lifetime’s achievement in children’s literature. It is a separate recognition to the Children’s Laureate in that it is purely celebratory and is not attached to any wider purpose of promoting children’s literature. BookTrust intends it to be awarded to a person who is not likely to become Children’s Laureate in the future. IBBY UK is one of the nominating bodies for this award.

The winners of the 2018 Award were John Burningham and Helen Oxenbury.

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