Announcement 2026
Will it be an author, illustrator, storyteller or reading promoter? For the 2026 award, 263 candidates from 74 countries and regions have been nominated. The new laureate will be announced on April 14 in a live program from Stockholm and at the Bologna Children's Book Fair.
A video link will be published here closer to the announcement.
Stockholm
April 14, at 13:00 CET, Kulturhuset Stadsteatern (media and by invitation only)
Announcement of the 2026 laureate. A presentation of the laureate will follow by the jury. The event will be hosted by Philomène Grandin.
Bologna Childrens Book Fair
April 14, at 12:50 CET, Illustrators Café
Welcome speech by Karin Höglund, Ambassador of Sweden to Italy, before the live broadcast of the announcement in Stockholm. A presentation of the laureate will follow by a member of the jury.
Media inquiries
For press accreditation for the announcement in Stockholm or Bologna, please contact Communications Officer André Vifot Haas. Images and films will be available in our international newsroom shortly after the announcement.
If you wish to display the video player on your website, please contact the Communications Officer for an embed code.
The jury's process
The jury's chairperson, Boel Westin, calls the laureate directly after the decision-making meeting – and for someone, an unexpected phone call awaits. In the picture, she is sitting at Astrid Lindgren's desk on Dalagatan in Stockholm and has just reached the 2020 laurate, Baek Heena.
Photo: Susanne Kronholm
The jury's twelve members have the difficult but enjoyable task of selecting a laurate each year. The decision is preceded by months, sometimes even years, of careful evaluation, during which they read and discuss the submitted materials. The jury meets regularly and maintains continuous contact with each other and the secretariat.
Photo: Susanne Kronholm
The jury announces its decision at a press conference in Stockholm, which is broadcast live on our website. Interest is high. The laureate is interviewed by the media, and the news spreads worldwide. In the picture, jury member Mårten Sandén and host Stefan Ingvarsson are seen at the 2021 announcement.
Photo: Matilda Rahm / Kulturhuset Stadsteatern
At the Bologna Children's Book Fair, a large audience gathers to watch the live broadcast and find out who the laureate is.
Photo: Bologna Children's Book Fair
Curious about the jury’s work?
Watch an interview with jury member Mårten Sandén, who tells us about the nomination process, the hardest part of being a jury member, and what it takes to be an ALMA laureate.
See our interview here