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The international Jury for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award has concluded its deliberations. Italy, with the University of Bologna, was among the jury members.

Since 1956, IBBY International has awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (considered the Nobel Prize for Children's Literature) every two years to the best author of children's books. Since 1966, the same prize has also been awarded to the best illustrator. The nominees are decided by the IBBY sections in each country, while the winners are chosen by an international jury of children's literature scholars.

For the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award, Giorgia Grilli (recommended by Ibby Italia) was selected to serve on this prestigious jury. Along with nine other jurors (from Argentina, China, Egypt, Estonia, France, India, Ireland, the UK, and the USA), the scholars had a year to read approximately 400 children's and young adult works from around the world, culminating in a final in-person meeting at the International Youth Library in Munich. The Jury met for a week in January to discuss and select the winners, who will be announced at the 2026 Bologna Children's Book Fair. A valuable experience that offered a wealth of exchange and discussion opportunities among international experts committed to establish the criteria for judging quality in children's and young adult literature, and a highly intense moment of exploration and dedication to understanding the best writing and illustration to offer young readers.

The shortlist, which also includes the two winners, will be announced on Thursday, January 29th, on the Ibby International website (https://www.jbby.org/), on the page dedicated to the Hans Christian Andersen Award (https://www.ibby.org/awards-activities/awards/hans-christian-andersen-award).