Per Gustavsson

Porträttbild av en man med skägg och glasögon

What’s your top tip for inspiring children and young people to read?

"Read out loud. I think reading out loud is fantastic. I’ve been in my share of raucous classrooms, but as soon as someone starts reading out loud, the room virtually always goes quiet. There is something fundamental about reading out loud. We need it."

Do you ever get “illustrator’s block”? If so, what do you do?

"I once read an explanation of how to understand creativity. Imagine a bicycle with a dynamo-powered light, the kind that only lights up when you start pedalling. If you aren’t moving forward, there’s no light. So even if you haven’t a clue what you’re doing, the trick is to keep drawing, keep writing."

A lot of children like to draw. What is your advice for young illustrators?

"Always be drawing. Draw your friends. Draw your dinner. Draw your feet. If it comes out weird, just draw it again. Try not to think in terms of a drawing looking good or bad. Be glad whenever you draw anything at all!"

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Jury with extensive knowledge

Rewarding the highest-quality work demands an expert knowledge of international children’s and YA literature as well as children’s rights and children’s reading. The twelve-member expert jury has the challenging but pleasant task of evaluating some of the world's most prominent candidates each year and selecting a laureate.

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