TEHRAN – The International Board on Books for Young People has announced the shortlist for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Awards, with an Iranian author in the list.

Presented every two years, the awards honor international authors and illustrators for their contributions to children’s literature and are the highest international recognition given to creators in the field. This year, Ahmad Akbarpour from Iran is one of the six authors nominated for the awards in the authors section, ISNA reported.

The other nominees in this section include María José Ferrada from Chile, Timothée de Fombelle from France, Lee Geum-yi from the Republic of Korea, Pam Muñoz Ryan from the United States, and Michael Rosen from the United Kingdom.

In the illustrator section, there is no artist from Iran. The contenders include Beatrice Alemagna from Italy, Linda Bondestam from Finland, Cai Gao from China, Gundega Muzikante from Latvia, Walid Taher from Egypt, and María Wernicke from Argentina.

The writing award was first given in 1956, the illustration award in 1966. The former is sometimes called the Nobel Prize for children's literature.

The awards are named after Hans Christian Andersen, a 19th-century Danish author of fairy tales, and each winner receives the Hans Christian Andersen Medaille (a gold medal with the bust of Andersen) and a diploma.

Born in Fars Province, Ahmad Akbarpour, 55, is a novelist and author of short stories and children's books. He got his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran and his master's degree in children's literature from Shiraz University in Shiraz.

He began writing for adults before turning to children’s and young adult literature after discovering Constantin Virgil Gheorghiu’s “Twenty-Fifth Hour”. A student of Reza Barahani and Houshang Golshiri, he soon started writing fiction for adolescents, adopting a postmodern style of writing. 

Introduced to Iran’s Children’s Book Council, he submitted his first poem, and soon became one of Iran’s most celebrated authors for young readers, with over 50 books to his name. 

His short novel “That Night’s Train” (1999) received the Book of the Year award from Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. During his career, Akbarpour discussed such topics as fear, loneliness, and peace.

In some of his works, he shows his disdain for the destructive impact of war on children. His children’s anti-war book “Good Night Commander” and “That Night’s Train,” illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, were published in English by Groundwood Books in the U.S. and Canada in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

Known for inventive storytelling that challenges conventional narratives, Akbarpour invites readers to think critically and empathetically, weaving universal themes such as peace, friendship, and family into works like “The Giant and the Bicycle”. 

His versatility spans humor, fantasy, realism, and myth, as seen in “Good Night Commander,” “Roc Girl,” and “That Night’s Train”. He also addresses social issues, including the experiences of children with special needs or from marginalized backgrounds. His stories often collaborate closely with Iranian illustrators, enhancing their visual and emotional impact.

Translated into multiple languages, including English, German, Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Italian, Portuguese, and Arabic, and adapted into films, his works have earned recognition, including the 2024 White Ravens list (Munich), the National Children’s Literature Festival of Shiraz, and inclusion in Iran’s “Must Read and Influential Books of the Last Thirty-Three Years.” He was shortlisted for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2023 and 2025.

The most distinguishing characteristic of his works is their humor, which makes his writings captivating and agreeable. Akbarpour, who is always on the lookout for new and different elements, is thus able to look at his subject from a different perspective in some of his works and pull the reader’s imagination along. He has also had the experience of rewriting some old legends. He conducted some research and gathered Persian satire proverbs and traditional children’s games.

Beyond writing, Akbarpour mentors emerging writers through workshops, helping shape the next generation of Iranian children’s literature. His commitment to creativity, inclusivity, and critical thinking has made him a leading voice in global children’s literature.

The shortlisted authors and illustrators for the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Awards were chosen from a list of 78 nominations from 44 countries, on a 10-member jury led by Shereen Kreidieh, founder of Arabic children’s publishing house Dar Asala and president of the Lebanese Board of Books for Young People.

The two winners will be announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on April 13. The medals will be presented at the 40th IBBY World Congress, to be held from August 6 to 9 in Ottawa, Canada.

SS/SAB