The winners of the 2022 BolognaRagazzi Book Award, the top prizes for children's books offered by the Bologna Children's Book Fair, have been announced. The awards were given in six categories: fiction, nonfiction, opera prima (for first books), poetry, comics, and new horizons (a special category to honor titles for innovative work). Overall, a total of 2,215 books from 62 countries and regions of the world were submitted for the 2022 edition of the BolognaRagazzi Award. This is an increase of 630 from 2021 and 365 compared to 2020. Publishers from 20 new countries submitted titles for the first time as well, including from Iceland, Hong Kong, and South Africa.
In an unusual turn, books from Les Éditions de la Pastèque in Montreal, Canada, won both the top prizes in the fiction and nonfiction categories. A majority of the overall winners were written in French.
Organizers of the Bologna Fair noted that the Covid-19 pandemic was a dominant theme of many submissions, as was the subject of intergenerational caring relationships, death and suffering. The environment was also a key theme. The judges highlighted the increased use of graphic design to play with language and meaning in the form of representations of anagrams and palindromes, among several examples.
This year, the fair is offering an on-site exhibit of the winners, as well as a digital display highlighting an additional 100 titles selected from the finalists.
Here are the winners and special mentions:
FICTION
WINNER
À qui appartiennent les nuages?
Text by Mario Brassard
Illustrations by Gérard DuBois
Les Éditions de la Pastèque, Canada, 2021
SPECIAL MENTIONS
¿Qué tiene un bosque?
Text and illustrations by Yael Frankel
Claraboya Ediciones, Chile, 2021
Summer
Text and illustrations by Suzy Lee
BIR Publishing Co., South Korea, 2021
Fechamos
Text by Gilles Baum
Illustrations by Régis Lejonc
Les Éditions des Éléphants, France, 2020
NONFICTION
WINNER
Monstres Sacrés: Voyage au cœur des volcans
Text by Julie Roberge
Illustrations by Aless MC
Les Éditions de la Pastèque, Canada, 2021
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Para que serve?
Text by José Maria Vieira Mendes
Illustrations by Madalena Matoso
Planeta Tangerina, Portugal, 2020
Des trucs comme ci, des trucs comme ça
Text and illustrations by Bernadette Gervais
Éditions des Grandes Personnes, France, 2021
Father’s big hands
Text and illustrations by Choi Deok-Kyu
YUN Edition, South Korea, 2020
OPERA PRIMA
WINNER
Les Reflets d’Hariett
Text and illustrations by Marion Kadi
L’Agrume, France, 2021
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Det var en gång och blir så mycket mer
Text and illustrations by Johanna Schaible
Piratförlaget, Sweden, 2021
Fluidoteca
Text and illustrations by Berta Páramo
Litera libros, Spain, 2021
COMICS
EARLY READER - WINNER
Bienvenue à Bibiville
Text and art by Éponine Cottey
Éditions 2024, France, 2021
EARLY READER - SPECIAL MENTION
Hvem rumpet brunosten?
Text by Erlend Loe
Art by Kim Hiorthøy
Cappelen Damm, Norway, 2021
MIDDLE GRADE - WINNER
Teatro di natura
Text and art by Michelangelo Setola
Canicola Associazione culturale, Italy, 2021
MIDDLE GRADE - SPECIAL MENTION
Nowhere girl
Text and art by Magali Le Huche
Dargaud, France, 2021
YOUNG ADULT - WINNER
Polly
Text by Isabelle Pralong
Art by Fabrice Melquiot
Éditions La Joie de lire, France, 2021
YOUNG ADULT - SPECIAL MENTION
Le grand vide
Text and art by Léa Murawiec
Éditions 2024, France, 2021
POETRY
WINNER
Immenses sont leurs ailes
Text by Maurielle Szac
Illustrations by Nathalie Novi
Éditions Bruno Doucey, France, 2021
SPECIAL MENTIONS
Corazón de pájaro
Text by Mar Benegas
Illustrations by Rachel Caiano
AKIARA books, Spain, 2020
Sagan um Skarphéðin Dungal sem setti fram nýjar kenningar um eðli alheimsins
Text by Hjörleifur Hjartarson
Illustrations by Rán Flygenring
Angústúra, Iceland, 2018
Vom Flaniern und Weltspaziern
Texts by Elisabeth Steinkellner
Illustrations by Michael Roher
Tyrolia-Verlag, Austria, 2018
Collection “Les Poèmes”: Ici ou là et ailleurs aussi; Bois profonds; Pierre d’un jour; Poèmes en peluches; Macadam, courir les rues; Poèmes par-dessus les toits; Thoulathiyat, haïkus arabes; Terrains vagues; BUS 83; Les chaises
Vv.Aa (Mo Abbas, Gaëlle Allart, Edith Azam, Ramona Bǎdescu, Gabriella Corcione, Gaëtan Dorémus, Odile Fix, Jérémie Fischer, Raphaële Frier, Bernard Friot, Benoît Guillaume, Géraldine Hérédia, Amélie Jackowski, Julien Martinière, Pierre Soletti, Clothilde Staës, Walid Taher, Christian Tortel)
Le port a jauni, France, 2018–2021
NEW HORIZONS
Laimes bērni
Text by Luīze Pastore
Illustrations by Evija Pintāne
Liels un mazs, Latvia, 2021
