BolognaRagazzi Award - How to take part

Entering books for The BolognaRagazzi Award is free of charge and reserved exclusively for publishers.
Books may only be entered by a publisher. Authors or illustrators wanting to have their book(s) entered for the competition must do so through their publisher.
Self-published books shall not be accepted. 

Publishers may submit one or more original works for each Award section, provided entries were published within the dates given below: 

• FICTION fictional works of stories or fables in the form of picturebooks or publications whose illustrations are the predominant feature. Works must have been published for the first time in the period 1 January 2022- 31 December 2023
• NON FICTION: publications providing general or special information on any area of knowledge, science, history, music, or any other topic broadening the learning experience, including biographies. Works must have been published for the first time in the period 1 January 2022- 31 December 2023
• COMICS: comics and graphic novels, divided into the sub-categories: EARLY READER (6-9 years), MIDDLE GRADE (9-12 years) and YOUNG ADULT (from 13 years). Works must have been published for the first time in the period 1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023 (works already submitted for the 2021, 2022, and 2023 BolognaRagazzi Award shall not be accepted)
• OPERA PRIMA (DEBUT WORK): works of hitherto unpublished authors or illustrators with the aim of acknowledging innovative projects and the research they entail. Works must have been published for the first time in the period 1 January 2023- 31 December 2023
• TODDLERS: works published for tje first time in the period 1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023.
• "THE SEA": The 2024 BolognaRagazziAward special category is dedicated to sea-themed books released in the last 6 years. Works must have been published for the first time in the period 1 January 2018- 31 December 2023

Please note:

1. There is no limit on the number of works a single publisher may enter. 
2. The same work may not be entered for the fiction, non-fiction or comics category at the same time. Works may, however, be submitted for ONE of these three categories and also for the Opera Prima (Debut Work) or Photography category, provided the conditions governing these categories are met.
3. Translated works may not be submitted for the Award.
4. BolognaRagazzi Award is not a literary prize. Novels, short stories and works without a substantive illustrative content shall not be taken into consideration by the Jury.

Works can be entered for the Award until 15 December 2023 (Books must then be sent by post, express courier or hand-delivered  before 12 January 2024 - see "STEP 2"). 

To enter works for the BRAW, publishers must first register in the visitors area of the book fair website. Note that a publisher that is a BCBF exhibitor with a login for the exhibitor area will still have to register to the visitors area in order to enter books for BRAW.  

Once that is done, the publisher will need to register for BRAW by clicking on the BRAW box in their reserved area. Note that no email will be sent to the publisher at this point. 

Once registered as publisher - BRAW Registry - STEP1 -, publishers should then complete BRAW Book - STEP 2  for each book they intend to present. The candidate book cards will always be visible in the visitors area.

Once your book(s) have been successfully entered online, 3 copies of each volume must be sent to the Organizing Secretariat in the period from 5 October 2023 to 12 January 2024.
Please note that books arriving after this date shall not be accepted for the competition.

Your parcel must contain:

• 3 copies of EACH book entered
• A copy of the Book Card (you can print it in Braw Book - STEP2) in EACH of the 3 copies sent in
• A printed copy of the Publisher Sheet: you can print it in Braw Registry - STEP1
• Our BRAW Packaging Label must be affixed to the outside of each parcel sent. This packaging label can be downloaded from "Braw Book - STEP2".

NB: Books entered at different times during the submission period may be sent separately, provided they comply with the instructions given above and arrive within the deadline also given above. 

Please note: if a book has been entered for more than one BRAW category, 3 copies of each book, each with an Information Sheet, must be sent for EACH category entered. 

Parcels must arrive from 5 October 2023 to 12 January 2024. Parcels may be sent by post, courier service, or hand-delivered to:

“BOLOGNARAGAZZI AWARD”
c/o Giannino Stoppani Cooperativa Sociale
Via Nosadella 51/a
40123 BOLOGNA, ITALY
Telephone: +39 051 587055 /+39 051 6154463
E-mail: bolognaragazziaward@gmail.com 

Please note:

• All titles must be received by the BolognaRagazzi Award Secretariat carriage paid. All titles coming from outside the European Union must be sent with prepayment of all customs clearance and delivery costs (carriage paid to domicile cleared through customs). Please note that the books received have no commercial value for BolognaFiere. It is therefore advisable for customs purposes to declare a value applicable to books not for sale to be entered for a competition.
• We strongly advise you to send your parcel(s) in good time since the expiry date for receipt is close to the holiday season when delivery times might be considerably delayed. We advise shipment by express courier rather than by post for parcels sent near the expiry date. In any event, we recommend using a shipment method with a parcel tracking service. Posting the tracking code of your parcel on your reserved area will assist our Organizing Secretariat to also keep track of your shipment.
• Books received cannot be returned to sender.

The list of all the books entered for the competition will be published on the BCBF website during the month of January 2024. In February 2024, the Jury will meet to decide on the winners and mentions in each category. This will be followed by an official announcement of the results.

The award ceremony will be held in Bologna during BCBF from 8 to 11 April 2024. 

• The BRAW Award is one of the most prestigious prizes in children’s publishing
• It’s a business opportunity for publishers, the winning books projected on to the international publishing stage
• Books receiving prizes and mentions are given broad visibility, promoted both during the book fair and via online channels

VISIBILITY OPPORTUNITY FOR THE WINNERS

The BRAW Award offers winners important visibility opportunities on the global publishing scene with: 

• The Award Ceremony during the book fair
• Meetings at the book fair and online dedicated to the authors, illustrators and publishers of the winning books
• Showcasing of the winning books at the book fair
• Publication and distribution at the book fair and online of a small booklet with details of the winners 
• The BRAW page on the BCBF website with information sheets on each prize-winning publication
• Promotion of winners on BCBF’s social network channels and on its FairTales blog platform

A Jury of international experts will assess the works in the competition and chose a Winner and various Special Mentions for each category: FICTION, NON FICTION, OPERA PRIMA (Debut Work), COMICS, TODDLERS and "THE SEA". The Jury may also assign the special NEW HORIZONS Award to a particularly innovative work. 

bolognaragazziaward@gmail.com