IBBY UK has announced the nomination of Michael Rosen, author category, and Emily Gravett, illustrator category, for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2026.

In the portfolio supporting Michael’s submission, Professor Kimberley Reynolds writes, ‘Michael Rosen has been entertaining, educating, promoting and expanding writing for children in the UK in original, radical ways for half a century. To witness his unique way of engaging with a live young audience, making them laugh and laugh again, is like watching an entirely benevolent version of the Pied Piper once again casting his spell.’

Dr Soumi Dey, in an essay supporting Emily’s submission, writes, ‘Emily Gravett burst into the illustration scene in 2005 in the most impressive of ways – her debut Wolves won the CILIP Kate Greenaway Award. Since then, her exceptional talent for illustration as well as storytelling incorporating themes with cross-generational appeal has seen her create an oeuvre of work consisting of many titles hailed as instant modern classics. Gravett’s works offer playful, creative and, often, subversive juxtapositions of the visual and the verbal.’

Pam Dix, the Chair of IBBY UK says, ‘We are very excited to be nominating two such highly respected and significant contributors from the UK children’s literature world and look forward to working with them during the nomination process. My colleagues in the IBBY team have prepared very strong submissions for these excellent candidates.’

The IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Awards are the highest international recognition given to creators of children’s books whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children’s literature. The Author Award has been given since 1956 and the Illustrator Award since 1966. The recipients of the awards are selected by a distinguished international jury of literature experts.

Discover the full list of all the 78 nominees from 44 countries and the 2026 jury members.

The shortlists for the 2026 awards will be announced early in the new year and the winners at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in April 2026. The awards will be presented to the winners at the 40^th IBBY World Congress in Ottawa, Canada from 6-9 August 2026.

Previous UK winners of the author award are Eleanor Farjeon (1956), Aidan Chambers (2002) and David Almond (2010) and of the illustrator award are Anthony Browne (2000) and Quentin Blake (2002). You can read an obituary of Aidan Chambers, who died recently, on our IBBY UK website. The 2024 winners were Heinz Janisch from Austria (author award) and Sydney Smith from Canada (illustrator award).