About The Award

The Hans Christian Andersen Medal, The International Hans Christian Andersen Award, or The Ibby Award is an international children’s book prize, also called “children’s literature Nobel Prize”, awarded every other year in two categories: Writing (awarded since 1956) and Illustration (awarded since 1966).

The price is considered the biggest honors a children’s book author or illustrator can achieve. The prize is awarded every two years.

 

Price Committee

The committee is secret, but consists of an international series of children’s literature specialists affiliated with the International Board on Books for Young People.

 

Award winners

Literature:

  • 1956 – Eleanor Farjeon (UK)
  • 1958 – Astrid Lindgren (Sweden)
  • 1960 – Erich Kästner (Germany)
  • 1962 – Meindert DeJong (USA )
  • 1964 – René Guillot (France)
  • 1966 – Tov Jansson (Finland )
  • 1968 – James Krüss (Germany ), José Maria Sanchez- Silva (Spain)
  • 1970 – Gianni Rodari (Italy )
  • 1972 – Scott O’Dell (USA )
  • 1974 – Maria Gripe (Sweden)
  • 1976 – Cecil Cooper ( Denmark )
  • 1978 – Paula Fox (USA )
  • 1980 – Bohumil Riha (Czechoslovakia)
  • 1982 – Lygia Bojunga Nunes (Brazil)
  • 1984 – Christine Nöstlinger (Austria )
  • 1986 – Patricia Wrightson (Australia)
  • 1988 – Annie M. G. Schmidt (Netherlands)
  • 1990 – Tormod Haugen (Norway)
  • 1992 – Virginia Hamilton ( USA)
  • 1994 – Michio Mado (Japan)
  • 1996 – Uri Orlev (Israel)
  • 1998 – Katherine Paterson (USA )
  • 2000 – Ana Maria Machado (Brazil)
  • 2002 – Aidan Chambers (UK)
  • 2004 – Martin Waddell (Ireland )
  • 2006 – Margaret Mahy (New Zealand)
  • 2008 – Jürg Schubiger (Switzerland)
  • 2010 – David Almond (UK)
  • 2012 – María Teresa Andruetto (Argentina)

Illustration:

  • 1966 – Alois Carigiet (Switzerland)
  • 1968 – Jiří Trnka (Czechoslovakia )
  • 1970 – Maurice Sendak (USA )
  • 1972 – Ib Spang Olsen ( Denmark )
  • 1974 – Farshid Mesghali (Iran)
  • 1976 – Tatjana Mawrina ( Soviet Union)
  • 1978 – Svend Otto S. ( Denmark )
  • 1980 – Suekichi Aqaba ( Japan)
  • 1982 – Zbigniew Rychlicki (Poland)
  • 1984 – Mitsumasa Anno (Japan)
  • 1986 – Robert Ingpen (Australia)
  • 1988 – Dusan Kállay ( Czechoslovakia )
  • 1990 – Lisbeth Zwerger (Austria )
  • 1992 – Kveta Pacovská (Czech Republic)
  • 1994 – Jörg Müller (Switzerland)
  • 1996 – Klaus Ensikat (Germany)
  • 1998 – Tomi Ungerer (France)
  • 2000 – Anthony Browne (UK)
  • 2002 – Quentin Blake (UK)
  • 2004 – Max Velthuijs (Netherlands)
  • 2006 – Wolf Erlbruch (Germany)
  • 2008 – Roberto Innocenti (Italy )
  • 2010 – Jutta Bauer (Germany)
  • 2012 – Peter Sís (USA / Czech Republic)