Jon Klassen wins ALMA
Illustrator and author Jon Klassen was named the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner, a prize described in coverage as the world’s largest award for children’s literature (file770.com). The announcement highlights Klassen’s international recognition in children’s publishing as of mid‑April coverage (file770.com).
Jon Klassen, the Canadian author-illustrator behind the “Hat” books, won the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award on April 14. (alma.se) The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is run by Sweden and carries 5 million Swedish kronor, or about $530,000, for work in children’s and young adult literature. (cision.com) The award was announced live from Stockholm and broadcast at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, where Klassen was selected from 263 nominees from 74 countries. (publishersweekly.com) The prize is one of the biggest markers of international standing in children’s publishing because it honors a body of work, not a single title. Sweden created it in 2002 after Astrid Lindgren’s death to promote every child’s right to stories. (publishingperspectives.com) Klassen’s books are known for spare text, dry humor, and endings that ask readers to fill in what is left unsaid. The award jury said his stories “open new perspectives on our place in the universe.” (alma.se) That style made Klassen a rare crossover figure in picture books, with major trade success and major award recognition on both sides of the Atlantic. He won the 2013 Caldecott Medal and the 2014 Kate Greenaway Medal for “This Is Not My Hat.” (wikipedia.org) His best-known books include “I Want My Hat Back,” “This Is Not My Hat,” and “We Found a Hat,” along with collaborations such as “Sam & Dave Dig a Hole” with Mac Barnett and “The Dark” by Lemony Snicket. (simonandschuster.com) Klassen was born in 1981 in Canada and was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2018 for his contributions to children’s literature. The ALMA jury’s citation places that career in a larger international frame, from missing hats and falling rocks to “uncertainty and hopefulness” in childhood. (penguinrandomhouse.com; alma.se)
