The winners were chosen from some 20,790 submissions from 4,158 illustrators representing 94 countries and regions.

By Andrew Richard Albanese, Editor-in-Chief

Among the highlights of the upcoming 63rd edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (set for April 13-16) will once again be the Illustrators Exhibition, now in its 60th year. And this week, Bologna reps announced the winning 75 illustration sets for the exhibition, chosen by an international jury from a “shortlist” of 317 finalists from 31 countries and regions around the world.

The 2025 winners and a selection of the images is available here.

One of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s longest running and most successful initiatives, the Illustrators Exhibition was established in 1967 as a showcase for discovering new talent, and today offers an important platform for generations of emerging and established artists.

In all, the 2026 edition drew 20,790 submissions from 4,158 illustrators representing 94 countries and regions, fair officials said in a release.

In addition to featuring the winning artists at heart of the Bologna Book Fair, the exhibition also embarks on a two-year international tour that takes it to major cities around the world, starting with Japan, Korea and China.

And since 1971, a catalogue, The Illustrators Annual, has been documenting the Illustrators Exhibition, published by Corraini in Italian and English, in Japan by JBBY (Japanese Board on Books for Young People,); in Korea by CCOC; and in China by Dandelion Picture Book House.

This year’s edition will feature a cover illustrated by Iranian illustrator Noushin Sadeghian, the winner of the 2025 Bratislava Illustration Biennial Grand Prix. And to mark the 60th anniversary of the Exhibition, the 2026 edition of the catalogue will also feature an original insert by Paola Vassalli.

This year’s selection jury included:

• Sunkyung Cho (illustrator and author, SI Picture Book School and publisher at Somebooks, South Korea).
• Jenni Erkintalo (illustrator, author and publisher, Etana Editions, Finland).
• Alīse Nīgale (Co-Founder and Editorial Director of Liels un Mazs, Latvia).
• Daniela Olejníková (illustrator, Slovakia)
• Riccardo Vecchio (Italian illustrator and Chair of MFA Illustration as Visual Essay at the School of Visual Arts in New York).

For bios of the jury members, click here.

The 63rd edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair is set for the Bologna Exhibition Center from April 13 to 16.