A young man with a hat and a juggling woman Three children with books in their hands

Children have the right to great stories

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is given annually to a person or organisation for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature. With a prize of five million Swedish kronor, it is the largest award of its kind. Above all else, it highlights the importance of reading, today and for future generations.

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Fast facts about the award

Award Ceremony 2021

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Mourlevat to Sweden

The 2021 laureate Jean-Claude Mourlevat visits Sweden and has a full slate of events lined up in Gothenburg, Vimmerby and Stockholm. Meet him in several onstage conversations.

See the program

Girl reading a book on a blanket in the grass

Summer reading

Know any small, hungry bookworms? Here are four great summer reads that children and grownups can enjoy together.

Check out our tips!

New on the jury

We are pleased to welcome writer and librarian Balsam Karam and professor Katarina Eriksson Barajas to our jury. Their terms will begin on July 1.

Flowing fabrics and glimmers of gold when fiction becomes circus

In early June, upper secondary school students within circus and design performed at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern with a performance inspired by Shaun Tan's graphic novel "The Arrival".

Sharing the world’s best stories—together

"The pandemic continues to be a damper, not only on our activities but also on the cultural sector around the world. Looking back, however, this spring has still been an eventful one."

Read the column by Director Suzi Ersahin

Everything great that ever happened in this world happened first in somebody’s imagination. Children create miracles when they read.

- From Astrid Lindgren's speech at the reception of the H C Andersen Award in April 1958

BCBF: Meet Jean-Claude Mourlevat

Get closer to this year's laureate Jean-Claude Mourlevat! Hear him on June 15, during the Bologna Children's Book Fair, in a conversation with our jury chair Boel Westin.

A prize for the prize!

We are proud to share that our visual identity has won first place in Swedish Resumé Design Award. Earlier this spring, we launched the identity which was undertaken in collaboration with the branding agency Happy F&B.

Meet Baek Heena and Bart Moeyaert

On May 19, two of our laureates took part in Litteralund, a digital conference packed with inspirational talks within the field of children's literature. Our jury member Mårten Sandén also gave an introduction to this year's laureate.

See the program

Young people show a passion for writing

Our writing contest Young Writers for Young Readers elicited more than 250 submissions from across Sweden, all written by young people between the ages of 10 and 18. The contest is organized in cooperation with Tensta Konsthall, aiming to inspire children to spend more time writing and putting their emotions into words.

Meet the winners of Young Writers for Young Readers