The photo, provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shows the covers of the four South Korean illustrated books that won awards at the 2023 BolognaRagazzi Awards. (Resale and archiving prohibited)
SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) — Four South Korean picture books will receive awards this year at the BolognaRagazzi Awards, one of the most prestigious international prizes for children’s books and illustrations, the Ministry of Culture, Sports said Monday. and Tourism.
All received a “special mention” -the second prize- in three categories, according to the ministry.
“Moving Away,” written by Lee Ji-yeon and illustrated by Regis Lejonc, won the award in the fiction category, while “The Blue: Bench,” written and illustrated by mia, was recognized in the first feature category.
“The Shadow Theater,” written and illustrated by Kim Kyu-ah, and “House of Dracula,” written by 5unday, with art by Yun Heedae, took places in the comics section for middle-grade readers, ranking among the top 9 and 12 years old.
The award ceremony will take place during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2023, which will be held from Monday to Thursday (local time), in the Italian city.
Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize in Children’s Publishing,” the annual award, which has been presented by the book fair since 1966, is considered one of the top three prizes in the field, along with the Hans Christian Andersen Awards and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
The BolognaRagazzi Awards honor books of great artistic and creative value among those who participate in the book fair. It awards one first prize and two to three second prizes in six different categories, including the comics category, divided, again, into three subsections, depending on the age group of target readers.
South Korean books have won awards almost every year since 2004. Last year, two South Korean picture books, “Summer,” by Suzy Leeand Choi Deok-kyu’s “Father’s big hands” won the same second prize in the fiction and nonfiction categories, respectively.
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