TEHRAN – Iranian visual artist and illustrator Noushin Sadeghian won the Grand Prix at the 30th Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB) in Slovakia.

Sadeghian won the top award for her illustrations in the book “Daal’s Daughter”, written by Ahmad Akbarpour, IRNA reported.

Introduced to the event by the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon), “Daal’s Daughter” had previously received several awards at international events, including the Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustration Competition (BCBF) 2022.

The book is a folk tale of Lorestan that tells the story of a girl raised by a simurgh (a benevolent bird in Persian mythology and literature), known as Daal. The narrative unfolds as the king's son falls in love with her and employs an old woman to locate the mysterious girl. However, the old woman deceives him, tying the true Daal’s daughter to a tree, while marrying her own daughter to the prince instead.

Realizing he has been tricked, the prince sets off in search of the true girl. Meanwhile, a lion arrives and consumes the Daal’s daughter, from which two branches of reeds sprout from her blood.

After a while, the king’s shepherd sees the reeds and cuts them to play a song, but the reed tells the story of the Daal’s daughter. So, the prince cuts the reed in half, and Daal’s daughter appears.

At this year’s edition of the BIB, the Iranian researcher of children’s literature and picture books Sahar Tarhandeh was one of the international jurors.

Previously, Iranian illustrators Alireza Golduzian (2005) and Hassan Mousavi (2019) had won the Grand Prix of the BIB.

The Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, held since 1967 under the auspices of UNESCO and IBBY, is one of the most prestigious international events in the field of illustration. Every two years, Bratislava, Slovakia, hosts selected works by illustrators from around the world.

This esteemed competition, held every two years under the auspices of UNESCO and in collaboration with the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, takes place in Bratislava, Slovakia, and is considered one of the most significant events in the illustration world.

This international event features a series of exhibitions, workshops, symposiums, and professional programs for illustrators and children’s literature researchers from around the world.

Launched on October 3, the 30th Biennial of Illustration Bratislava will run until January 10, 2026, at the Bratislava Castle.

Photo: An illustration by Noushin Sadeghian for the book “Daal’s Daughter”

SS/SAB