TEHRAN -- Iran’s Children’s Book Council has nominated illustrator Reza Dalvand and writer Ahmad Akbarpour for the 2028 Hans Christian Andersen Award, submitting their names to the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in the Illustration and Writing categories, respectively.
The biennial Hans Christian Andersen Award is IBBY’s highest international distinction for authors and illustrators of children’s books, recognizing a body of work that has made an important and lasting contribution to children’s literature.
Dalvand, an award-winning author and illustrator of more than 30 books, has built an international career through work published in numerous countries and translated into more than 15 languages, according to the Children’s Book Council. His work is noted for its distinctive visual language and its engagement with childhood, identity, difference and children’s rights.
International publishing records confirm Dalvand’s extensive work in children’s illustration. Macmillan describes him as an award-winning aut hor and illustrator whose work explores childhood, self-acceptance, social justice and identity, while Publishers Weekly has reported recent international publishing deals for his books.
Akbarpour has more than four decades of experience in children’s and young adult literature and has published more than 50 books.