Alert! The nominees for the 2016 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award have been revealed, including four names from South Africa.
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world’s largest children’s literature award – amounting to SEK 5 million, approximately 760 000 USD or EUR 570 000 – and celebrates the memory of Astrid Lindgren, one of Sweden’s most important authors and creator of the beloved Pippi Longstocking character.
Administered by the Swedish Arts Council, the award is presented to authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and reading promoters. The award may be presented to a single laureate or to several, regardless of language or nationality.
The Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa (PRAESA) won the 2015 award, making them the the first ALMA recipient from Africa, and one of only two organisations to have won the award.
The impressive list of 215 candidates from 59 countries for 2016 award was revealed at the Frankfurt Book Fair yesterday, including the following nominees from South Africa:
- Piet Grobler – illustrator
- Niki Daly – illustrator
- Beverley Naidoo – author
- Bibilionef SA – organisation
The inclusion on the ALMA list is not a first for any of these candidates as the prize makes allowance for repeat nominations. All four have been nominated numerous times before and their staying power on the list indicates just how valued they are by the nominating bodies.
Will the massive prize come to South Africa once again? We will find out when the 2016 winner is announced next year.
The Guardian reported on the reveal of the 2016 candidates, making mention of other notable names included on the list:
British authors including Quentin Blake, Neil Gaiman and Shirley Hughes are among a host of contenders in the running for the world’s richest prize for children’s literature, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial award.
Book details
- Who is King? : And Other Tales from Africa by Beverley Naidoo, illustrated by Piet Grobler
EAN: 9781847805140
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- The Circle of Life by Koos Meinderts, Harrie Jekkers, edited by Charl JF Cilliers, illustrated by Piet Grobler
EAN: 9781869199760
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- Thank You, Jackson by Niki Daly
EAN: 9781431421213
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- The Herd Boy by Niki Daly
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EAN: 9781431401024
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- Journey to Jo’burg: A South African Story by Beverley Naidoo, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
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EAN: 9780064402378
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- Aesop’s Fables by Beverley Naidoo
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EAN: 9780798152860
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