64th edition 5 - 8 April 2027 | Bologna - Italy
64th edition 5 - 8 April 2027 | Bologna - Italy
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 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 2027 Special BolognaRagazzi Awards category is dedicated to Scribbles and Drawings.
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.
This special category of the BolognaRagazzi Award showcases a theme that is dear to many.
Engaging in time-honoured activities, such as doodling and drawing – returning to pencils, crayons and everything that leaves a human mark on paper – is an act that is increasingly being represented in the world of children’s books. Children in every corner of the world doodle and draw in the pages of books: their pencils and crayons have become playmates as well as the protagonists of many stories. Could this perhaps be a response to technology, a deliberate attempt to reappropriate a form of self-expression and the pleasure it brings?
Another trend in the market is to tell the stories of the many children whose love of drawing set them on the path to becoming famous illustrators of children’s books. A global overview of titles published in the last five years allows us to get to know and promote some precious and genuinely useful books – books that are well worth celebrating and sharing.
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 2027 too this showcase will provide a valuable opportunity to unveil excellent works to the international publishing community.
