“Good books build minds and bridges across cultures”

Every year since 1966 the Bologna Children’s Book Fair has been awarding the BolognaRagazzi Awards (BRAW), accolades that recognise the most stunning and innovative picture books published worldwide, assigned to the best new publications in the sector.

Here, Elena Pasoli, Director, Bologna Children’s Book Fair, shares more.

AABP: Share the vision of the BCBF BolognaRagazzi Awards.

Elena: In sixty years, they have become one of the most prestigious awards for children’s publishing worldwide, representing an opportunity for the fair to intercept new trends in international publishing and to expand the event’s relationships with publishers from various areas of the world, offering new business opportunities to the winners as well as to exhibitors and visitors to the fair.

Over the years, BCBF’s attention to market changes and developments in the sector has also led it to introduce some new features. These include the addition of two new permanent award categories, Comics and Toddler, following the boom in the market for the respective publishing segments, and the establishment of the BolognaRagazzi CrossMedia Awards (BRCMA) specifically for the best cross-media projects, following the expansion of digital media.

AABP: Congratulations on completing 60 years of BolognaRagazzi Awards. How has the awards shaped up over the years?

Elena:During the 1960s, Bologna was experiencing a period of intense economic and cultural ferment, in particular relating to ideas about education: the Premio Grafico Fiera di Bologna/Graphic Prize Fiera di Bologna was established in 1966, replacing the previous Torchiod’Oro that had been created in 1964, the first year of BCBF.

In 1995, the Prize was renamed the BolognaRagazzi Award, with the aim of promoting the book as a comprehensive publishing project in which graphic and aesthetic excellence are interwoven with the ability to engage young readers, plus a greater appreciation of the value of innovation.

This perspective is also reflected in the composition of the juries, which feature different professional figures: booksellers, librarians, scholars, teachers, journalists, art critics and pedagogists, for a multifaceted and comprehensive evaluation of the nominated works.

Since the eighties, some big names in international graphic design have been involved in the Award: Bob Noorda, Milton Glaser, Saul Bass, Massimo Vignelli, Alan Fletcher, Roman Cieslewicz,Heinz Edelmann and Noma Bar.

AABP: Would you like to share any special examples, incidents, events or books, which have made a special difference?

Elena: One case I would like to highlight is Die heilige Nacht, awarded in 1970, which remained in obscurity for decades due to being mistakenly attributed to the wrong publishing house. Today, we know that this book was written by Aurel von Jüchen, with extraordinary illustrations by Celestino Piatti, and published by Artemis Verlag. What makes this discovery even more special is the fact that this fall, the book will be republished by NordSüd Verlag, giving new generations of readers the opportunity to rediscover it.

Another noteworthy case is the special double mention awarded in 1972 to Der kleine Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, illustrated by Klaus Ensikat. This book was submitted for the award by two different German publishers, Georg Bitter Verlag and Der Kinderbuchverlag—a detail that initially seemed like a transcription error. The truth, however, turned out to be far more fascinating: in 1971, Der kleine Hobbit was published simultaneously in West Germany by Georg Bitter Verlag and in East Germany by Der Kinderbuchverlag. An extraordinary publishing case and a true symbol of cultural dialogue capable of overcoming the borders of the Berlin’s Wall.

AABP: How is the jury selected and who were the jury members for 2025?

Elena: Every year, juries are made up by selecting publishing experts from various fields. The selection of the jurors for the BolognaRagazzi Award is made by myself and my team, based on the meetings we have throughout the year during our work-related travels. We also take into account suggestions from our many international partners.

Each year, we aim to bring together a group of individuals with a wide range of professional backgrounds and cultural roots, in order to create the special kind of alchemy that is essential for the jury’s work to be both precise and forward-looking. For the Fiction, Toddler and Opera Prima categories, the 2025 international jury was made up of: Stefano Cipolla (art director, graphic designer and journalist, Italy), Diletta Colombo (bookseller, co-founder of the Spazio B**K bookshop-workshop in Milan, Italy) and Pam Dix (President of IBBY UK, United Kingdom).

For Non-Fiction and the special Sustainability category: Tobias Hickey (Head of Illustration at the University of Worcester, co-founder of the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society, UK), Ayse Koca (author, teacher and student tutor, currently at the Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books, Norway), Lisa Lyons Johnston (publishing consultant, member of the global advisory board of PublisHer, Canada).

For the Comics category: Karen Green (comics and cartoon curator at Columbia University, USA), Luca Raffaelli (author, writer and artistic director of numerous festivals, Italy) and Tanja Skale (editor of the comics magazine Stripburger, Slovenia).

AABP: How many entries were received for 2025 and how many awards given.

Elena: In 2025 we received 3858 titles from 68 countries and regions of the world, a record number of participants with 15% more titles compared with the previous record set at the 2024 edition.

Year by year, the numbers of the BRAW show a constant growth, confirming the high regard and the trust placed by publishing houses from all over the world in BCBF’s scouting activities.

The prize is divided into five permanent categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Opera Prima (debut publications by authors and illustrators), Comics and Toddler, and also includes the special New Horizons award that the international juries can assign to a particularly innovative work. Furthermore, every year a special category is added: for the 2025 edition, the focus is on Sustainability, in line with the 17 sustainable development goals outlined by the United Nations, with which BCBF began a collaboration at the 2024 edition. Beside these awards, some special mentions are given to meritorious titles.

AABP: Share the concept of the book 60 Years of Wonder?

Elena: For sixty years, the BolognaRagazzi Awards have been accompanying the evolution of the world publishing market, and now represent a genuine historical archive that reveals the development of the best of children’s literature over the course of six highly productive decades. To celebrate this important milestone, with the support of Grafiche AZ, BCBF decided to present 60 Years of Wonder: 1966-2025, 843 Books – The Legacy of the BolognaRagazzi Award: this volume – curated by Isabella Del Monte from the BCBF team – presents in chronological order the whole collection of covers of the 843 books awarded in Bologna from 1966 to the present day, illustrating the development of the picture books worldwide, one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors of the entire publishing industry.

The book is available for free download on BCBF website.

AABP: What is the theme, timeline and how to apply for 2026 BolognaRagazzi Awards.

Elena: Entering books for the BolognaRagazzi Awards is free of charge and reserved exclusively for publishers (both exhibitors and non exhibitors of BCBF), with no limit on the number of works a single publisher may enter.

The application must be carried out by registering to the BCBF website visitors area and then delivering the submitted books to Bologna. We will announce the topic of the 2026 special category and the deadline for application in the next weeks.

AABP: Your message to the publishing world and what you felt about BCBF 2025.

Elena: The 2025 edition of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair welcomed over 33,000 visitors from around the world. In the face of today’s global challenges, remaining open to diversity and a plurality of voices—a principle that has always been at the heart of BCBF—is more important than ever. With new areas such as the Games Business Centre and the TV/Film Rights Centre, BCBF also continues to anticipate emerging trends in a publishing world that is increasingly interconnected with other sectors, establishing itself as a stage for dialogue on the innovations and possibilities shaping the future of the industry. Here is my message to everyone in the world of children’s publishing: please, keep up the outstanding work you are doing. Continue to create ever more beautiful books, and always remember that good books are the most powerful tools we have to help young people grow into conscious, free-thinking adults — and the strongest foundations on which to build bridges between all cultures across the world.