The IBBY Honour List
2,167 books and their creators from 79 countries, on 13 lists from 2002 to 2026.
The IBBY Honour List is a selection of recently published books, made every two years, that honours writers, illustrators and translators from IBBY’s member countries. Each national section may nominate one book in each of the three categories. A country that publishes children’s books in more than one language may submit a book for writing and for translation in each official language.
IBBY describes the aim as choosing books that are representative of the best in children’s literature from each country and suitable for publication throughout the world. The diplomas are presented at the IBBY World Congress, where the catalogue is introduced and the books are shown for the first time. Sets of the books then travel to exhibitions, and permanent collections are kept in Munich, Zurich, Bratislava, St. Petersburg, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Tucson.
The 2026 list was, according to IBBY, the largest compiled since the programme began seventy years ago. IBBY’s website publishes the lists as tables from 2002 onwards, and this archive records those. Earlier lists are not yet included.
The lists
| Year | Writing | Illustration | Translation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 53 | 39 | 37 | 129 |
| 2004 | 54 | 44 | 42 | 140 |
| 2006 | 67 | 54 | 43 | 164 |
| 2008 | 69 | 54 | 46 | 169 |
| 2010 | 64 | 52 | 48 | 164 |
| 2012 | 65 | 54 | 50 | 169 |
| 2014 | 57 | 50 | 43 | 150 |
| 2016 | 68 | 52 | 53 | 173 |
| 2018 | 73 | 59 | 59 | 191 |
| 2020 | 68 | 57 | 54 | 179 |
| 2022 | 63 | 52 | 48 | 163 |
| 2024 | 68 | 55 | 61 | 184 |
| 2026 | 76 | 58 | 58 | 192 |
Where the books come from
| Continent | Entries, 2002–2026 |
|---|---|
| Europe | 1184 |
| Asia | 418 |
| South America | 205 |
| North America | 156 |
| Africa | 145 |
| Oceania | 59 |
By country
Countries with entries in several languages (Spain, South Africa, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Finland) can have more than three per list.
Andersen laureates on the Honour List
- Wolf Erlbruch (Andersen Award 2006): 2002, illustration, “Nachts”; 2006, illustration, “Die große Frage”.
- Jürg Schubiger (Andersen Award 2008): 2012, translation, “De Strubelpeter”.
- Jutta Bauer (Andersen Award 2010): 2004, illustration, “Opas Engel By the artist”.
- María Teresa Andruetto (Andersen Award 2012): 2008, writing, “El árbol de lilas”; 2014, translation, “Un amigo para siempre”.
- Nahoko Uehashi (Andersen Award 2014): 2004, writing, “Kami no Moribito”.
- Cao Wenxuan (Andersen Award 2016): 2016, writing, “Mang Yang”.
- Igor Oleynikov (Andersen Award 2018): 2012, illustration, “Ballada o malen’kom buksire”.
- Albertine (Andersen Award 2020): 2010, illustration, “La Rumeur de Venise”; 2016, illustration, “Mon tout petit”.
- Jacqueline Woodson (Andersen Award 2020): 2006, writing, “Locomotion”; 2016, writing, “Brown Girl Dreaming”; 2020, writing, “The Day You Begin”.
- Suzy Lee (Andersen Award 2022): 2020, illustration, “Kang-yi”.
- Marie-Aude Murail (Andersen Award 2022): 2010, writing, “Miss Charity”; 2018, writing, “Sauveur et fils. Saison 1”.
- Sydney Smith (Andersen Award 2024): 2018, illustration, “Sidewalk Flowers”.
On three or more lists
- Michael Roher: 2012 (illustration), 2014 (writing), 2016 (writing), 2020 (writing), 2024 (illustration).
- Susan Ouriou: 2004 (translation), 2008 (translation), 2010 (translation), 2020 (translation), 2024 (translation).
- Aslaug Jónsdóttir: 2002 (illustration), 2004 (illustration), 2016 (illustration), 2022 (illustration).
- Jaco Jacobs: 2008 (writing), 2010 (translation), 2022 (translation), 2024 (writing).
- Jacqueline Csuss: 2004 (translation), 2010 (translation), 2014 (translation), 2018 (translation).
- Joslin Twouyo: 2008 (writing), 2012 (writing), 2016 (writing), 2018 (writing).
- Patxi Zubizarreta: 2004 (translation), 2008 (writing), 2020 (writing), 2026 (writing).
- Samar Mahfouz Barraj: 2014 (writing), 2018 (translation), 2024 (translation), 2026 (translation).
- Sozapato: 2014 (illustration), 2020 (illustration), 2024 (writing), 2024 (illustration).
- Anne Cohen Beucher: 2018 (translation), 2020 (translation), 2026 (translation).
- Annelies Jorna: 2002 (translation), 2006 (translation), 2012 (translation).
- Annika Sandelin: 2018 (writing), 2022 (translation), 2026 (translation).
- Brigitte Rapp: 2012 (translation), 2016 (translation), 2026 (translation).
- Camila Bunster Danklefsen: 2018 (translation), 2024 (translation), 2026 (translation).
- Carmen Diana Dearden: 2012 (translation), 2014 (translation), 2024 (translation).
- David Elliot: 2012 (illustration), 2014 (illustration), 2018 (illustration).
- Elena Odriozola: 2006 (illustration), 2014 (illustration), 2022 (illustration).
- Fatima Sharafeddine: 2010 (translation), 2016 (writing), 2018 (translation).
- Jacqueline Woodson: 2006 (writing), 2016 (writing), 2020 (writing).
- Jamshid Khanian: 2012 (writing), 2014 (writing), 2022 (writing).
- Kawata Teepa: 2014 (translation), 2016 (translation), 2018 (translation).
- Marina Colasanti: 2004 (translation), 2016 (translation), 2020 (writing).
- Odilon Moraes: 2014 (illustration), 2018 (illustration), 2024 (illustration).
- Philip de Vos: 2006 (translation), 2018 (translation), 2020 (translation).
- Siobhán Parkinson: 2008 (writing), 2012 (translation), 2018 (translation).
- Sylvie Neeman: 2010 (writing), 2014 (writing), 2022 (writing).
People are matched by exact name only; the lists give no other identifier.
Sources
- IBBY — IBBY Honour List . Accessed .
- IBBY — IBBY Honour List 2026 . Accessed .
Last updated .