Hans Christian Andersen winners
Publishers Weekly reports that on April 13 the Hans Christian Andersen Awards named Michael Rosen and Cai Gao as this year’s winners at the opening of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. (publishersweekly.com) The announcement came during the 62nd annual fair, which continues to surface industry themes and prize recognition. (publishersweekly.com)
Michael Rosen of the United Kingdom and Cai Gao of China won the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Awards on April 13 in Bologna. (ibby.org) The International Board on Books for Young People gives the prize every two years, with one award for writing and one for illustration. The 2026 winners were announced at the opening press conference of the 62nd Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy. (ibby.org; publishersweekly.com) The award is often described as the top international honor in children’s literature because it recognizes a living creator’s full body of work, not a single book. The writing prize has been given since 1956, and the illustration prize since 1966. (ibby.org) This year’s field started with 78 candidates from 44 countries, and the jury later cut that list to six authors and six illustrators. Michael Rosen was shortlisted alongside Ahmad Akbarpour, Timothée de Fombelle, María José Ferrada, Lee Geum-yi, and Pam Muñoz Ryan. (ibby.org; ibby.org) The illustrators’ shortlist included Cai Gao, Beatrice Alemagna, Linda Bondestam, Gundega Muzikante, Walid Taher, and María Wernicke. IBBY said the shortlist was announced in January 2026 after jury review of the nominations. (ibby.org; internationalpublishers.org) The jury said Rosen’s books show that children’s literature can be “playful and profound at the same time,” citing the range and international reach of his work. Rosen is one of Britain’s best-known children’s writers and poets, with a career that has also included broadcasting and school advocacy. (booksforkeeps.co.uk; thebookseller.com) For Cai Gao, the jury pointed to “outstanding artistic quality” and a visual style that moves between tradition and modernity. Chinese state media said she is the first Chinese illustrator to win the Hans Christian Andersen Award. (booksforkeeps.co.uk; bjreview.com) The medals and diplomas are not handed over in Bologna. IBBY says the formal presentation takes place during its biennial congress, which turns the April announcement into the start of a longer awards cycle for the children’s book world. (ibby.org) For Bologna, the announcement gave the fair one of its first major headlines. For Rosen and Cai, it added the children’s publishing world’s best-known career prize to bodies of work the jury said had already made a lasting mark. (publishersweekly.com; ibby.org)
