We are delighted to announce that Emily Gravett has been nominated for the Illustrator Category of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards 2026. The IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Awards are the highest international recognition given to creators of children’s books whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children’s literature.
‘Gravett burst into the illustration scene in 2005 in the most impressive of ways – her debut Wolves won the CILIP Kate Greenaway Award. Since then, her exceptional talent for illustration as well as storytelling incorporating themes with cross-generational appeal has seen her create an oeuvre of work consisting of many titles hailed as instant modern classics. Gravett’s works offer playful, creative and, often, subversive juxtapositions of the visual and the verbal.’ – Dr Soumi Dey
The shortlists for the 2026 awards will be announced early in the new year and the winners at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in April 2026. The awards will be presented to the winners at the 40th IBBY World Congress in Ottawa, Canada from 6-9 August 2026.
The full shortlists for all the nominees can be found here. We wish the best of luck to all the nominees.