The Hans Christian Andersen Award, named after the Danish writer, was established in 1956 by IBBY. Although it carries no monetary reward, it is renowned as the most prestigious accolade in children’s literature, acknowledging the complete literary works of an author and an illustrator every two years.
Today, on the first day of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy, IBBY announced the nominees from various countries for the 2026 edition of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, including two Portuguese authors with extensive published works.
Alice Vieira and Teresa Lima’s names were submitted by the Observatório de Leitura (Pombal, Leiria), which has represented Portugal on the International Board on Books for Young People since 2024.
Portugal had been without official representation in IBBY for several years, leading to a lack of nominees for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, a significant event in the activities of this international council.
Alice Vieira (1943) has been a candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Award twice, in 1996 and 1998, while Teresa Lima (1962) was nominated in 2014.
Journalist and author Alice Vieira has applied her clear journalistic style to young adult fiction, starting with “Rosa, minha irmã Rosa” (1979), which won the International Year of the Child Children’s Literature Award sponsored by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
“The importance of her writing for young adults transcends borders and time, remaining ever-relevant and always moving. Alice Vieira is one of those voices that are true contemporary classics and the raw material for all who have read her,” states IBBY in its biographical note on Alice Vieira.
Among Alice Vieira’s other titles are “Úrsula, a maior,” “Os olhos de Ana Marta,” “Viagem à roda do meu nome,” and “A espada do rei Afonso.” She has also received the Ibero-American SM Children’s and Youth Literature Award in 2023 and was nominated for the Swedish Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in 2009.
Teresa Lima, a visual artist and teacher of Visual Arts, began focusing on book illustration for children and youth in 1994.
She has twice won the National Illustration Award in Portugal (in 1998 and 2006) and is the illustrator of works such as “Alice no País das Maravilhas” by Lewis Carroll, “A Cavalo no Tempo” by Luísa Ducla Soares, and “Histórias de animais” by Rudyard Kipling.
Regarding Teresa Lima’s visual work, IBBY highlights her “ability to represent the possible worlds suggested by the text, completing it and filling some of its gaps while suggesting others,” and praises the illustrator’s artistic language.
For the 2026 edition, the Hans Christian Andersen Award will feature 78 candidates from 44 countries, marking a record in both the number of authors selected and participating countries, as revealed by IBBY.
Representing Portugal in IBBY, the Observatório de Leitura was established by the municipality of Pombal in 2023, as part of the “Caminhos de Leitura” Children’s Literature Meeting.
The Observatório de Leitura comprises specialists in children’s literature, mediators, and trainers in book and reading promotion, and annually awards the Selo Caminhos de Leitura, one of Portugal’s most recent awards in children’s and youth literature.
IBBY is a non-profit international organization aiming to contribute to the formation of more educated and culturally enriched societies through the promotion of children’s literature and reading advocacy among children and youth worldwide.
In addition to the literary award, IBBY’s initiatives include the International Children’s Book Day, instituted in 1967 to promote reading and books for children, celebrated on April 2nd, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen.
