Candidates

Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is rewarding authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and reading promoters who have been nominated by organisations worldwide. The ALMA list contains both living legends and future stars. Their works contain wonderful adventures and everyday observations full of emotion and psychological insight, brilliant visual art and humorous masterpieces. The list also includes reading promotion activities from several continents whose work fulfils a critically important function for the future of children’s literature globally. 

“Now more than ever, children and young people need access to literature that puts the world in perspective. The ALMA list has a fantastic breadth, quality and diversity”, says jury chairman Boel Westin.

Nominated candidates for the 2021 award

In 2021, 263 nominees from 69 countries spread over 6 continents are in the running for the award. The candidates are presented in alphabetical order sorted by country. Links lead to external websites with more information about the candidate, often in the candidate's language. Missing someone's website? Email us at literatureaward@alma.se

Nominating bodies for the 2021 award (pdf)

Afghanistan

Sayyed Nader Musavi, Promoter of reading 

Albania

Stavri Pone, Author 

Argentina

Maria Teresa Andruetto, Author 
Pablo Bernasconi, Author/Illustrator 
CEDILIJ, Organisation
Jorge Luján, Author
María Wernicke, Author/Illustrator 

Australia

Jeannie Baker, Illustrator 
Ursula Dubosarsky, Author 
Susanne Gervay, Author 
Indigenous Literacy Foundation, Organisation
Margo Lanagan, Author 
Magabala Books, Organisation 

Austria

Renate Welsh, Author
Linda Wolfsgruber, Illustrator  
Lisbeth Zwerger, Illustrator

Azerbaijan

Aynur Mammadova, Illustrator
Sevinj Nurugizi, Author
Aysel Valiyeva, Promoter of reading
Reyhan Yusifqizi, Author

Belgium

Anne Brouillard, Author/Illustrator
Carll Cneut, Illustrator
Ingrid Godon, Illustrator  
Anne Herbauts, Author/Illustrator
Thomas Lavachery, Author

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mirsad Bećirbašić, Author
Šimo Ešić, Author
Marija Fekete-Sullivan, Author
Elmira Mekić, Author

Brazil

Roger Mello, Author/Illustrator 

Bulgaria 

Kapka Kaneva, Illustrator
Julia Spiridonova, Author

Cameroon

Christian Epanya, Author/Illustrator 

Canada

Isabelle Arsenault, Author/Illustrator 
Deborah Ellis, Author 
Sarah Ellis, Author
Jacques Goldstyn, Author/Illustrator
Uma Krishnaswami, Author 
Eric Walters, Author 

Canada/Iran

Nahid Kazemi, Illustrator 

Canada/United States

Jon Klassen, Author/Illustrator 

China

Liang Xiong, Author/Illustrator
Wenjun Qin, Author
Zhang Zhilu, Author

Colombia

Biblioburro (Luis Sorrano), Organisation
Silvia Castrillón Zapata, Promoter of reading
Ivar Da Coll, Author/Illustrator
Proyecto Gulliver, Organisation 
Yolanda Reyes, Author

Democratic Republic of Congo/United Kingdom

Dominique Mwankumi, Author/Illustrator 

Croatia

Dubravka Kolanović, Illustrator 

Cyprus

Hambis Tsangaris, Illustrator

Czech Republic

Petr Nikl, Author/Illustrator
Květa Pacovská, Illustrator

Denmark

Kim Fupz Aakeson, Author
Lilian Brøgger, Illustrator 
Marianne Iben Hansen, Author 
Dorte Karrebæk, Illustrator
Charlotte Pardi, Illustrator

Dominican Republic

Julia Álvarez, Author/Oral storyteller  
Biblioteca Infantil y Juvenil República Dominicana, Organisation 

Egypt

Randa El Sawi, Oral storyteller

Estonia

Andrus Kivirähk, Author
Marja-Liisa Plats, Illustrator

Finland

Linda Bondestam, Illustrator 
Marika Maijala, Author/Illustrator 
Timo Parvela, Author 
Salla Simukka, Author
Maria Turtschaninoff, Author 

France

Agence quand les livres reliant, Organisation  
Association Encrages, Organisation 
Olivier Douzou, Author/Illustrator 
Timothée de Fombelle, Author 
Bernard Friot, Author
Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Author 
Marie-Aude Murail, Author
Geneviéve Patte, Promoter of reading 
François Place, Author/Illustrator 
François Roca, Illustrator

Georgia

Irma Malatsidze, Author/Oral storyteller/Promoter of reading
Bondo Matsaberidze, Author
Nikozi Saint Alexander Okropiridze Art School, Organisation
Tea Topuria, Author 
Mariam Tsiklauri, Author 

Germany

Jutta Bauer, Illustrator 
Nikolaus Heidelbach, Illustrator
Internationale Jugendbibliothek, Organisation 
Janosch, Author/Illustrator
Labor Ateliergemeinschaft, Organisation 
Andreas Steinhöfel, Author
Stiftung Lesen, Organisation 

Greece

Vassilis Papatheodorou, Author/Promoter of reading 
Antonis Papatheodoulou, Author 
Loty Petrovits-Andrutsopulou, Author 
Iris Samartzi, Illustrator/Promoter of reading

Greenland

Naja Rosing-Asvid, Author/Illustrator 
Lene Therkildsen, Promoter of reading

Hungary

Judit Berg, Author 
Tibor Kárpati, Illustrator 

Iceland

Sigrún Eldjárn, Author/Illustrator

India

A & A Book Trust, Organisation  
Pratham Books, Organisation 

Iran 

Abdolhakim Bahar, Promoter of reading 
Mehdi Hejvani, Promoter of reading
Jamshid Khanian, Author
Mobile Library, Organisation
Houshang Moradi Kermani, Author
Read with me, Organisation 
Mohammad Reza Shams, Author 
Aliasghar Seidabadi, Promoter of reading
Farshid Shafiei, Illustrator
Hamidreza Shahabadi Farahani, Author

Ireland 

Marie Louise Fitzpatrick, Author/Illustrator
PJ Lynch, Author 
Siobhán Parkinson, Author/Promoter of reading
Sheena Wilkinson, Author

Israel 

Rutu Modan, Author/Illustrator

Italy

Chiara Carminati, Author
Museo della gente della Val Resia, Organisation 
Angela Nanetti, Author
Luigia Negro & Sandro Quaglia, Oral storytellers
Elena Pasoli, Promoter of reading
Roberto Piumini, Author

Italy/France

Beatrice Alemagna, Author/Illustrator 

Japan

Satoshi Kitamura, Illustrator/Promoter of reading
Kyoko Matsuoka, Promoter of reading 
Rumiko Takahashi, Author/Illustrator
Seizo Tashima, Illustrator

Jordan

Taghrid al-Najjar, Author

Korea 

Kim Jung-mi, Author
Korean Children’s Book Association, Organisation 

Latvia

Anete Melece, Illustrator 
Gita Treice, Illustrator http://www.gitatreice.lv/#/?page=56&index=0

Lebanon/Belgium

Fatima Sharafeddine, Author 

Lithuania

Kęstutis Kasparavičius, Author/Illustrator 

Moldavia

Ion Creanga National Children's Library, Organisation 

Mongolia

Sundui Oyunbadam, Author 

Netherlands

De SchrijversCentrale, Organisation 
Annemarie van Haeringen, Author/Illustrator 
Joke van Leeuwen, Author/Illustrator 
Ted van Lieshout, Author/Illustrator 
Gideon Samson, Author 
Marit Törnqvist, Author/Illustrator 
Edward van de Vendel, Author

Nicaragua

German Nicaraguan Library and the “Bibliobús Bertolt Brecht”, Organisation 

Nigeria

Atinuke, Author/Oral storyteller

Norway

Rune Belsvik, Author 
Gro Dahle, Author
Harald Rosenløw Eeg, Author 
Stian Hole, Author/Illustrator
Marit Kaldhol, Author 
Leser søker bok, Organisation 
Gry Moursund, Author/Illustrator
Svein Nyhus, Author/Illustrator  
Maria Parr, Author  
Bjørn F. Rørvik, Author
Øyvind Torseter, Illustrator
Trøndelag County Library, Organisation

Palestine

Sonia Nimr, Author
Philippines
Virgilio Almario, Author
Neni Sta. Romana Cruz, Promoter of reading

Poland

Iwona Chmielewska, Illustrator 
Daniel de Latour, Illustrator
Paweł Pawlak, Illustrator
Małgorzata Karolina Piekarska, Author 
Małgorzata Strękowska-Zaremba, Author 
Marcin Szczygielski, Author
Józef Wilkoń, Illustrator 

Portugal

Bernardo P. Carvalho, Illustrator 
Cristina Carvalho, Author 
Luísa Ducla Soares, Author
António Jorge Gonçalves, Illustrator 
Maria Teresa Maia Gonzalez, Author
André Letria, Illustrator 
Catarina Sobral, Illustrator

Romania

Florin Bican, Author/Oral storyteller/Promoter of reading
Andrea Kürti, Illustrator 
Anamaria Smigelschi, Author/Illustrator
Done Stan, Illustrator

Russian Federation

Evgeny Antonenkov, Illustrator
Anastasia Arkhipova, Illustrator 
Eugenia Basova, Author
Mikhail Bychkov, Illustrator 
Nina Dashevskaya, Author
Alexandra Litvina, Author
Sozidanije Foundation, Organisation
Anna Starobinets, Author
Alexander Traugot, Illustrator
Mikhail Yasnov, Author

Serbia

Jasminka Petrović, Author
Ljubivoje Ršumović, Author

Slovenia

Svetlana Makarović, Author
Slavko Pregl, Author/Promoter of reading
Alenka Sottler, Illustrator 
Anja Štefan, Author/Oral storyteller

South Africa

Book Dash, Organisation  
Niki Daly, Author/illustrator
Gcina Mhlophe, Author/Oral storyteller/Promoter of reading 
Kagiso Lesego Molope, Author
South Africa/United Kingdom
Beverley Naidoo, Author

Spain

Bibliotecas Escolares de Galicia, Organisation 
Paula Carballeira, Oral storyteller 
Jacqueline Molnár, Illustrator
Elena Odriozola, Illustrator 
Jordi Sierra i Fabra, Author 

Sudan

Salah Elmur, Illustrator 

Sweden

Eva Eriksson, Illustrator  
Gunna Grähs, Illustrator
Joanna Hellgren, Illustrator 
Olof Landström, Illustrator
Pija Lindenbaum, Author/Illustrator
Eva Lindström, Author/Illustrator
Gunilla Lundgren, Promoter of reading
Frida Nilsson, Author 
Klara Persson, Author/Illustrator  
Anna-Clara Tidholm, Illustrator 
Cecilia Torudd, Author/Illustrator
Jakob Wegelius, Author/Illustrator 
Ilon Wikland, Illustrator
Monica Zak, Author/Oral storyteller/Promoter of reading

Switzerland

Albertine, Illustrator
Franz Hohler, Author

Taiwan

Jimmy Liao, Author/Illustrator 

Turkey

Behiç Ak, Author/Illustrator 
Aytül Akal, Author 
Huban Korman, Illustrator 
Feridun Oral, Author/Illustrator

Ukraine

Kateryna Shtanko, Illustrator
Lesia Voronyna, Author

United Kingdom

Allan Ahlberg, Author
David Almond, Author 
Arts Council of Wales (ACW), Organisation
Malorie Blackman, Author 
Quentin Blake, Illustrator 
Theresa Breslin, Author 
Anthony Browne, Author/Illustrator  
Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, Organisation 
Aidan Chambers, Author/Promoter of reading 
Juno Dawson, Author 
Emily Gravett, Author/Illustrator 
Daniel Hahn, Promoter of reading 
Frances Hardinge, Author 
Shirley Hughes, Author/Illustrator 
Margaret Jones, Illustrator
Patrick Ness, Author  
Michael Rosen, Author/Promoter of reading
Katherine Rundell, Author 
John Shelley, Illustrator
Verna Wilkins, Author

United States

Elizabeth Acevedo, Author/Oral storyteller 
Laurie Halse Anderson, Author 
Children’s Literature for Children, Organisation 
Kate DiCamillo, Author 
Margarita Engle, Author 
Maira Kalman, Author/Illustrator 
Christopher Myers, Author/Illustrator 
Margaret Read MacDonald, Author   /Oral storyteller
David Wiesner, Illustrator 
Jane Yolen, Author 

Zambia

Lubuto Library Partners, Organisation 

Zimbabwe

Ken Wilson-Max, Illustrator