TEHRAN -- Iranian writer Abbas Jahangirian and illustrator Amir Shabanipoor have been nominated for the 2027 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, placing two figures from Iran’s children’s book community among an international field of authors, illustrators, storytellers and reading advocates.
The nominees were announced by the Swedish award’s organizers, who listed 277 candidates from 80 countries and regions. Eighty-five are appearing on the list for the first time. The laureate will be announced on April 6, 2027, during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
The nominations recognize different but complementary ways of making literature accessible to young readers: through stories that give shape to children’s experiences and illustrations that expand the possibilities of visual storytelling.
Jahangirian, whose career spans more than five decades, has worked as a fiction writer, playwright, researcher and educator. According to the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, which nominated him, his writing explores social and human concerns including environmental protection, peaceful coexistence, intergenerational relationships and the cultivation of hope.
His stories also feature children with disabilities as active central characters rather than peripheral figures. The nominating
statement highlights his engagement with Iranian history, local culture and national identity, alongside his interest in the connections between literature, theatre and cinema. His work in teaching creative writing, playwriting and screenwriting further reflects a commitment to developing storytelling beyond the printed page.
Shabanipoor’s nomination recognizes an illustrator whose visual language draws on color, composition and expressive character design to extend the narrative possibilities of picture books. His work engages with children’s emotions, curiosity and imagination, while incorporating elements of Iranian culture in ways intended to reach readers across cultural boundaries.
His collaborations with publishers and organizations working in children’s literature, together with international exhibitions, overseas publications and awards, were cited among the reasons for his nomination.
The Iranian contingent for 2027 also includes writer Atoosa Salehi, illustrators Alireza Goldouzian and Hoda Haddadi, and the reading-promotion initiative Read with Me. They were nominated through other Iranian organizations, including the Children’s Book Council of Iran, the Society of Iranian Children’s and Young Adult Writers and the Institute for Research on the History of Children’s Literature.
Established by the Swedish government in 2002 in memory of Astrid Lindgren, the creator of Pippi Longstocking, the award carries a prize of five million Swedish kronor and honors outstanding contributions to children’s and young adult literature. Administered by the Swedish Arts Council, it is among the world’s most substantial literary prizes devoted to young readers.
The 2026 laureate was Canadian illustrator and picture-book creator Jon Klassen. The next award will bring together a new generation of international attention around the people and organizations working to ensure that children encounter stories capable of widening their understanding of the world.