The International Board on Books for Young People announced the 2026 winners of three prestigious book awards on April 13, the opening day of the 62nd annual Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
The recipients of this year’s Hans Christian Andersen Award—the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children’s books—are Michael Rosen (the United Kingdom) and illustrator Cai Gao (China).
Bestowed every other year by IBBY, the award recognizes lifelong achievement and is given to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature. The prize is sponsored by Nami Island, Inc., host of the Nami Island Children’s Book Festival in Korea.
The winners were chosen from a list of 78 nominees from 44 countries and narrowed to a shortlist by a jury led by Shereen Kreidieh (Lebanon), founder and manager of Dar Asala publishing. In addition to Kreidieh, jurors included Evelyn Arizpe (Mexico/U.K.), Brenda Dales (U.S.), Sabine Fuchs (Austria), Diana Laura Kovach (Argentina), Bettina Kümmerling-Meibauer (Germany), Jaana Pesonen (Finland), Tan Fengxia (China), Pavle Učakar (Slovenia), and Morgane Vasta (France), with IBBY executive director Carolina Ballester serving as an ex officio jury member.
As a poet, author, educator, literacy advocate, and former U.K. Children’s Laureate (2007–2009), Rosen has championed children’s literature both in the U.K. and around the world for more than 50 years. His first poetry collection, Mind Your Own Business, illustrated by Quentin Blake, was published in 1974 by Scholastic. Among the more than 200 books to his credit are the multiple award-winning We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury Candlewick, 1989; and Michael Rosen’s Sad Book, illustrated by Quentin Blake (Candlewick, 2005).
From 1989 to 1997, he hosted the BBC’s Treasure Islands, a radio program about children’s books, and he now regularly hosts Word of Mouth, a BBC radio program that explores language. He has a robust presence on YouTube, with nearly 900,000 subscribed to his channel that celebrates children’s poems and stories. Rosen is currently professor of children’s literature at Goldsmith University in London.
Describing Rosen’s impact on children’s literature, Kimberly Reynolds—professor of children’s literature at Newcastle University and past president of the International Research Society of Children’s Literature—said in a statement that “to witness his unique way of engaging with a live young audience, making them laugh and laugh again is like watching an entirely benevolent version of the Pied Piper once again casting his spell.”
Gao is considered a pioneer of children’s picture books in China. A former teacher and editor, she has helped to promote the work of Chinese illustrators and authors both in China and overseas for decades. In 1994, Gao received the BIB (Biennial of Bratislava) Golden Apple Award for her book Baoer (The Fox Spirit in the Abandoned Garden), making her the first Chinese artist to win the prestigious international award. Her acclaimed picture books include The Land of the Peach Blossom (Hunan Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House, 2001) and How I Came to Be Me (Hunan Juvenile & Children’s Publishing House, 2021). Gao’s influence on younger generations of Chinese illustrators and artists has earned her the nickname “Picture Book Grandma.”
In a statement about Gao’s contribution to children’s book illustration, Martin Salisbury, professor of illustration at the Centre for Children’s Book Studies at Cambridge School of Art, wrote, “The integrity and stature of Cai Gao’s work over the last four decades places her among the giants of the picture book world.”
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards will be presented at the next IBBY Congress, to be held August 6–9 in Ottawa, Canada.
In addition to the Hans Christian Andersen Awards, two other awards were presented by Elisabetta Lippolis and Jamie O’Hanon, co-chairs of the 2026 IBBY Reading Promotion Jury. The 2026 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award went to LINKS Philippines, a nonprofit that works to help disadvantaged children attain literacy across the Philippines. The group’s programs include book donation, after-school activities, library building and enhancement, youth empowerment, and education and leadership training. LINKS Philippines was selected from nine nominees from countries including Argentina, Canada, Colombia, France, Iran, Portugal, Slovenia, and Uzbekistan. The award is sponsored by the Asahi Shimbun Media Group in Japan.
The IBBY-iRead Outstanding Reading Promoter Award winners were Kirsten Boie of Germany and Namita Jacob of India. The award goes to those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to reading promotion.
Boie is one of the best-known children’s authors in the German-speaking world. In addition to her writing, she has established foundations and partnerships to promote public policy related to reading and has worked internationally to share successful strategies for promoting literacy.
Jacob is a leading expert in disability inclusion. She has championed the literacy needs of children who are blind, deaf, or both for more than 30 years. She created the Accessible Reading Materials Library in India and has developed an international network of educators dedicated to sharing resources and for inclusion in literacy. The two award winners were chosen from a list of 11 nominees. The award is sponsored by the Shenzhen i-Read Foundation.
