Jon Klassen wins ALMA

Jon Klassen has won the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, a Swedish prize worth 5 million kronor for children’s and young adult literature. (alma.se) (cision.com) The award was announced on April 14 in Stockholm and carried live at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy. Klassen was selected from 263 nominees from 74 countries. (publishersweekly.com) (publishingperspectives.com) The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is run by the Swedish Arts Council and was created by the Swedish government in 2002 after Lindgren’s death. It honors writers, illustrators, storytellers, and reading-promotion organizations. (alma.se) (publishersweekly.com) This year’s jury said Klassen’s books use “subtle and evocative storytelling in words and pictures” and make the reader “a co-creator.” The citation pointed to titles with missing hats, falling rocks, and a skull that “begins living a life of its own.” (alma.se) (cision.com) Klassen, who was born in Winnipeg in 1981, is best known for the Hat trilogy: *I Want My Hat Back*, *This Is Not My Hat*, and *We Found a Hat*. He has also illustrated books by Mac Barnett and Lemony Snicket. (candlewick.com) (simonandschuster.com) *This Is Not My Hat* won the 2013 Caldecott Medal in the United States and the 2014 Kate Greenaway Medal in Britain. Trade coverage of the new award noted that it was the first book to win both prizes. (ala.org) (publishingperspectives.com) The Lindgren prize often goes to a full body of work rather than a single book. Previous laureates include Maurice Sendak, Philip Pullman, Shaun Tan, and Jacqueline Woodson. (kirkusreviews.com) (alma.se) Klassen’s win puts one of picture books’ most spare and deadpan stylists at the center of this year’s global children’s-book calendar. The award ceremony is scheduled for June 1, 2026, in Stockholm. (publishersweekly.com) (alma.se)