At the Palazzo d’Accursio, the Sala Farnese on March 26 hosts the 2018 prize ceremony of the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair. Image: BolognaFiere
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘Professional and Intellectual Skills’
In the Sala Farnese at the Palazzo d’Accursio, Monday evening’s (March 26) prize ceremony featured the Bologna International Children’s Book Fair‘s most eagerly sought awards.
Perhaps at the top of the list are the Best Children’s Publishers of the Year—publishers, plural, because one is given for each of six parts of the world.
The prize, organized by the Bologna fair in partnership with Association of Italian Publishers (Associazione Italiana Editori, AIE), awards “those publishers who have most distinguished themselves for their creative and publishing excellence over the last year, showing originality as well as professional and intellectual skills.”
Not least in the prize organizers’ intentions is the goal of “fostering a mutual exchange of knowledge and ideas among different nations and areas of the world.” In other words, an interest here is not only in praising good work but in getting these colleagues to talk with each other about it and spread the smarts.
It’s interesting, too, that the criteria with which the jurors are working are said by organizers to include courage as well as creativity and editorial choices.
Awards awaiting distribution at Bologna’s prize ceremony. Image: BolognaFiere
2018 Bologna Prize Best Children’s Publishers of the Year
Africa
Jacana Media, South Africa
Asia
Fukuinkan Shoten Publishers, Japan
Europe
Dwie Siostry Publishers, Poland
North America
Éditions D’eux, Canada
Central and South America
Ediciones Tecolote, Mexico
Oceania
OneTree House, New Zealand
At the Palazzo d’Accursio in Bologna . Image: BolognaFiere
More coverage from Publishing Perspectives related to Bologna International Children’s Book Fair is here.