Three Romanian illustrators are on the list of 235 candidates from 60 countries nominated for the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the largest children’s literature award in the world.

The candidates were presented at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Thursday, October 12.

Three of the nominees are from Romania, namely Stela Damaschin Popa, Irina Dobrescu, and Veronica Neacsu. They will compete with other candidates from countries around the world, such as Argentina, Austria, China, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Iran, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Palestine, the US, and Zambia.

United Kingdom has the highest number of nominees. New countries to enter the nomination list are Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Antigua and Barbuda, according to a press release.

So far, seventeen laureates have received the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA). The latest recipient is the German illustrator Wolf Erlbruch. The award rewards works or activities of the highest quality, but the laureates must also embrace the humanistic values that Astrid Lindgren treasures.

The laureate or laureates of the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award will be announced in Stockholm and Bologna immediately after the jury’s final meeting on March 27 of next year.

Find the entire list of nominees here.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com