Literature opens the door to new worlds and has the ability to increase understanding and exchange between cultures and people.
2024 Winner is from Australia
The
Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) encourages reading and promote literacy by securing access to good literature for First Nations children of Australia. The organisation works in 427 First Nations Communities all over the Australian continent.
ILF emphasizes the importance of First Nations children finding themselves, their culture and their languages reflected in the books they read. With trust and respect for each Community and its unique conditions, traditions and wishes, and in cooperation with Community residents, ILF promotes reading for pleasure, education, the creation of new stories and the preservation of language. ILF’s innovative, creative work is an inspiration – not only for reading promotion among First Nations peoples, but also for work with children in other social groups whose stories, languages and experiences are not recognized by the majority society.
ALMA Jury comments: "With curiosity and respect, Indigenous Literacy Foundation works with reading and storytelling among First Nations children in Australia. In close collaboration with Communities, they highlight the value of all people’s own languages and stories. By spreading books and stimulating reading, storytelling and creativity, Indigenous Literacy Foundation builds the desire to read and fosters pride, self-confidence and a sense of belonging. Every child has the right to their language and their stories."
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is awarded to those who continue to work in her spirit: with imagination, bravery, respect and empathy, and maintaining the highest level of artistic excellence. The attention of the award leads to more translations and to more children having access to high-quality literature—entertaining, innovative, challenging, or complex.
The prize amount of SEK 5,000,000 ($513,000) is a signal to the world that Sweden takes children’s reading very seriously. Reading books in translation fosters understanding among people and cultures. Children’s and young adult's access to literature is a precondition for democracy and openness.
This has been the big award week for Children's Literature. We have had the announcement of the Hans Christian Andersen Award winners and now the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award or ALMA. You can see a very short film here about the award and about Astrid Lindgren.
A total of 245 candidates from 68 countries and regions have been nominated for the 2024 award, including 66 candidates new from previous years. You can read about the 2022 nominees here.
The list includes authors and illustrators, as well as storytellers and reading promoters. You can see the whole list here - there are some big names on this list which makes winning this award by the ILF even more impressive. Here are a few names I noticed of people who were nominated in 2024: Kate DiCamillo; Isabelle Arsenault; Deborah Ellis; Jon Klassen; Ivar Da Coll; Gilles Bachelet; Timothée de Fombelle; Tonke Dragt; Gavin Bishop; Atinuke; Iwona Chmielewska; Suzy Lee; Sven Nordqvist; Allan Ahlberg; David Almond; Malorie Blackman; Quentin Blake; Lauren Child; Julia Donaldson; Neil Gaiman; Michael Rosen; Katherine Rundell; Beverley Naidoo; Room to Read; Ursula Dubosarsky; and Ken Wilson-Max.
You can see past winners here.
This is the THIRD time Australia has received this huge honour:
2008 Sonya Hartnett
2011 Shaun Tan
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