4 Korean picture books win at 2023 BolognaRagazzi Award

SEOUL, March 6 (Yonhap) -- Four South Korean picture books will receive prizes at the BolognaRagazzi Award, one of the most prestigious international awards for children's books and illustrations, this year, the culture ministry said Monday.

All of them were chosen for "special mention," the runner-up prize, in three categories, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

"Moving Away" written by Lee Ji-yeon and illustrated by Regis Lejonc won the award in the fiction category, while "The Blue: Bench" written and illustrated by mia was recognized in the Opera Prima category for first works.

"The Shadow Theater," written and illustrated by Kim Kyu-ah, and "House of Dracula," written by 5unday with art by Yun Heeade, took spots in the comics-middle grade section for readers aged 9-12.

The awards ceremony will be held during the 2023 Bologna Children's Book Fair set to run on Monday and Tuesday.

Often dubbed as the "Nobel Prize in children's publishing," the annual award that has been presented by the book fair since 1966 is considered one of the three biggest awards in the field, along with the Hans Christian Andersen Awards and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

The BolognaRagazzi Award honors books of great artistic and creative value among the entries to the book fair. It hands out the top prize and two to three runner-up prizes in six different categories with the comics category again divided into three subsections based on the age group of target readers.

South Korean books have won awards almost every year since 2004. Last year, two Korean picture books -- "Summer" by Lee Suzy and "Father's big hands" by Choi Deok-kyu -- won the same runner-up honor in the fiction and non-fiction categories, respectively.

sshim@yna.co.kr
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