Almond at the double, as authors line up for Astrid Lindgren

19.03.10 | Philip Jones in The Bookseller

Children's writer David Almond has been nominated for two prestigious awards having made the shortlist for the Hans Christian Andersen prize, and also the £460,000 Astrid Lindgren award, the richest children's prize in the world. Almond is up against four writers for the Hans Christian Andersen prize, but in competition with more than 50 nominees for the Astrid Lindgren, including Quentin Blake and Jacqueline Wilson.

Almond is one of five authors and five illustrators to have have been selected from 55 candidates submitted for the International Board on Books for Young People 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award. Almond is joined by authors Ahmad Reza Ahmadi from Iran, Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros from Brazil, Lennart Hellsing from Sweden, and Louis Jensen from Denmark.
The five shortlisted illustrators are Jutta Bauer from Germany, Carll Cneut from Belgium, Etienne Delessert from Switzerland, Svjetlan Junakovic from Croatia, and Roger Mello from Brazil.

The award is given biennially by IBBY to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature. The winners will be announced on 23rd March at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

One day later Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be made, with Almond one of a number of "authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and promoters of reading" selected. Among others, Almond is joined by Michael Morpurgo, Axel Scheffler, Shirley Hughes, Jaqueline Wilson, Diana Wynne Jones, and IBBY.