TEHRAN -- The Children’s Book Council of Iran nominated illustrator Mohammad-Ali Bani-Asadi for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award this week.

The council mentioned “Bani-Asadi’s illustration of more than 80 books for children, use of Iranian and Islamic symbols in most of his artwork, and teaching contemporary illustrators” as some of the reasons for selecting him.
Iranian painter and graphic designer Farshid Mesqali won the award in 1974, and Hushang Moradi Kermani and Mohammadreza Yusefi were nominated from Iran for the award in 1992 and 2000 respectively. Moradi Kermani was highly praised by the jury.
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are presented every even-numbered year in March to an author and an illustrator, living at the time of the nomination, whose lifetime efforts have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature.
The Children’s Book Council of Iran is responsible for nominating Iranian authors, illustrators, and translators for the Hans Christian Andersen Awards and Abby’s Honor List.
Photo: A work by Iranian illustrator Mohammad-Ali Bani-Asadi, who has been nominated for the 2012 Hans Christian Andersen Award