Wednesday, April 06, 2016

IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Awards announced at Bologna Children’s Book Fair – winners to visit New Zealand

The Storylines Children’s Literature Trust of New Zealand is delighted to confirm it will to be hosting the winners of the prestigious IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Awards, announced on 4 April at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, at the biennial IBBY Congress in Auckland in August.

This is the first time that New Zealand will host the major international congress on children’s literature, to be held at Auckland’s Aotea Centre from 18-21 August. 

Cao Wenxuan from China, winner of the IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing, and Susanne Rotraut Berner from Germany, winner of the IBBY Hans Christian Anderson Award for Illustration, will accept their awards at the IBBY Congress Gala Dinner on Saturday 20 August in Auckland.


Right: Libby Limbrick, Storylines Trust chair and New Zealand IBBY Congress co-director, with Cao Wenxuan, at the Awards ceremony in Bologna.

Storylines is the New Zealand national section of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) and is one of over 70 IBBY member countries.

Delegates from these countries will gather in Auckland to explore the challenges of literature and literacy education in a rapidly changing world.

Patricia Aldana, chair of the jury for the Hans Christian Andersen Award of IBBY announced the winners on 4 April 2016.


The Hans Christian Andersen Award is considered the equivalent of the children's literature Nobel prize. It is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. Every second year IBBY presents the Andersen Awards to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children's literature. The Author's Award has been given since 1956 and the Illustrator's Award since 1966. The Award consists of a gold medal and a diploma, presented during the biennial IBBY Congress.  New Zealand’s own celebrated author, the late Margaret Mahy, won the award in 2006.

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