TEHRAN – 11 Iranian illustrators are seen on the final shortlist of the Nami Concurs 2017, the Nami Island International Children’s Book Festival held in South Korea. 

Reza Dalvand, Rashin Kheirieh, Majid Zakeri, Fereshteh Najafi, Nushin Safakhu and Reyhaneh Kashanian are among the nominees in the shortlist, the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) has announced in a press release published on Friday.

The final winners will be announced in February 2017.

The festival aims to encourage artists’ creativity and contribute to the advancement of the quality of picture book illustrations. It is organized every 2 years by Nami Island, the official sponsor of IBBY Hans Christian Andersen Awards.

The first concur in 2013 received 619 entries from 42 countries and the second concur in 2015 received 1330 entries from 76 countries.

RM/YAW