Bologna children’s prizes named

Six publishers from Senegal, Japan, France, Argentina, Canada, and New Zealand won the 2026 Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year on April 13 in Bologna. (publishersweekly.com) The winners were Saaraba Éditions for Africa, Bronze Publishing for Asia, Éditions La Doux for Europe, Lecturita Ediciones for Caribbean, Central and South America, Tundra Books for North America, and Messy Press for Oceania. The awards were presented at Palazzo Re Enzo during the opening of the 63rd Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which runs April 13 to 16. (publishingperspectives.com) The Bologna prize is organized by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Italian Publishers Association, and the International Publishers Association. It was created in 2013, the fair’s 50th anniversary year, and this year marked the award’s 14th edition. (bolognachildrensbookfair.com) The award is unusual because publishers vote for other publishers. This year, exhibitors voted from February 10 to March 16 after a shortlist was assembled by publishers, publishers’ associations, and reading-promotion institutions around the world. (bolognachildrensbookfair.com) Fair director Elena Pasoli said a record 1,160 publishers from 100 countries were considered for the 2026 prizes. That scale turns the award into a snapshot of which children’s houses other industry professionals think stood out over the past year. (publishersweekly.com) Several of the winners reflect different models of children’s publishing. Saaraba Éditions was founded in Dakar in 2022 and is part of the French group Editis, while Bronze Publishing is a Tokyo house focused on picture books, illustrated titles, and visual culture. (publishingperspectives.com) Éditions La Doux, based in Paris, publishes children’s books, comics, novels, and poetry, and the fair said it was recognized for “immersive, creative and accessible” reading experiences. Tundra Books, the North America winner, is Canada’s oldest English-language children’s publisher and publishes board books, picture books, graphic novels, nonfiction, and fiction for ages 8 to 12. (publishersweekly.com) (publishingperspectives.com) Tundra’s win also extended a Canadian streak in the North America category. Quill and Quire reported that Canadian publishers have won that regional prize 10 times since the Bologna award began in 2013. (quillandquire.com) The Bologna fair describes the prize as a way to spotlight editorial innovation while encouraging exchange across markets and languages. In Bologna this week, that exchange is happening in a fair that positions itself as the children’s publishing industry’s leading global rights marketplace. (bolognachildrensbookfair.com 1) (bolognachildrensbookfair.com 2)