The BCBF BolognaRagazzi Awards - BRAW - are an international showcase for the world’s finest, most innovative picturebooks.
Adjudicated by international juries made up of experts from the publishing world, the Awards acknowledge excellence of graphic design, innovation and ability to engage with young readers.
Some of the most sought-after awards in children’s publishing, the BRAW are also a great business opportunity for the winners. An award or special mention helps drive copyright sales on the international market, focusing world attention on the publishers, authors and illustrators involved. Visibility is also sustained by BCBF’s far-reaching promotion not only of the contest and winners during the Fair and online but also of a broad selection of the best 150 titles, with a special exhibition entitled The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf during the Fair. All other submitted titles will be donated to libraries.
The BRAW comprise five main categories: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Opera Prima (debut works by authors and illustrators), Comics (comic books and graphic novels), and Toddler. Juries may also assign a special New Horizons award to a particularly innovative work. In addition, each year, one or more Special Award categories are created alongside the main sections.
The 2026 Special BolognaRagazzi Awards category is dedicated to Fables & Fairytales.
As is longstanding tradition, all the winning books will be added to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair Collection dating back to 1966 and held by Bologna’s Salaborsa Children’s Library.
The title “Fables and Fairytales” prompts publishers - the people who shape market trends - to consider not only the linguistic aspects of the genre but also reflect more deeply on the quality, depth and content of books designed to nurture the imagination and fantasy of young readers and help develop their understanding and awareness.
Each year, the BolognaRagazzi Award chooses special prize sections: Art, Poetry, Cinema, Food, Photography, Disability, Seas, Sustainability.
For the 61st edition, the theme chosen combines two classic genres that go hand in hand: Fables and Fairytales.
Publishers are therefore invited to submit any of their fairy-tale and fable-related books published in the last seven years. From Aesop's fables to the most modern reinterpretations of classic fairy tales, the genre is the bedrock of storytelling around the world, loved by children since time immemorial. But what about contemporary stories? Are publishers producing fables and fairytales today?
By spotlighting this vast repertoire, BCBF aims to promote the circulation and sharing of fairy tales worldwide.
The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf will showcase, besides the winners and mentions, one hundred outstanding picture books, selected among the BRAW finalists in each category. In 2025 too this showcase will provide a valuable opportunity to unveil excellent works to the international publishing community.
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