TEHRAN-Eight authors and illustrators and one reading promotion project from Iran have been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) 2025.

A total of 265 candidates from 72 countries and regions have been nominated for the 2025 award, including 81 candidates new from previous years. The list includes authors and illustrators, as well as storytellers and reading promoters. The laureate will be announced on April 1, 2025.

The Iranian nominees for the world's largest award for children's and young adult literature include authors Houshang Moradi Kermani, Mohammad Mirkiani, Ahmad Akbarpour, and Navid Seyed-Ali-Akbar, illustrators Alireza Goldouzian, Ali Khodaee, and Hoda Hadadi, author /illustrator Reza Dalvand, and Read With Me Organization, Mehr reported.

The global award is given annually to a person or organization for their outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature. With a prize of five million Swedish kronor (about $475,000), it is the largest award of its kind. Above all else, it highlights the importance of reading, today and for future generations.

Houshang Moradi Kermani, 80, is best known for children’s and young adult fiction. His best-known books are “The Tales of Majid,” “The Boot,” “The Water Urn,” and “A Sweet Jam”. Some of his books have been translated into English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, and Armenian, among others. Moreover, some of his books have been made into popular local movies and television shows.

Mohammad Mirkiani, 66, has written for all age groups. In his books he focuses on the history of Iran, Iranian-Islamic culture, old Persian literature, tales, and colloquial literature. He has also taught story writing courses in the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (Kanoon). Some of Mirkiani’s works have been turned into video and television products. He has also written the script of some TV series.

Ahmad Akbarpour, 54, is a novelist and author of short stories and children's books. A student of Reza Barahani and Houshang Golshiri, he soon started writing fiction for adolescents, adopting a postmodern style of writing. His short novel “That Night’s Train” (1999) received the Book of the Year award from Iran's Ministry of Culture. During his career, Akbarpour discussed such topics as fear, loneliness, and peace. In some of his works, he shows his disdain for the destructive impact of war on children. His children’s anti-war book “Good Night Commander” and “That Night’s Train,” illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault, were published in English by Groundwood Books in the U.S and Canada in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

Navid Seyed-Ali-Akbar, 41, is a writer, translator, and teacher of storytelling for children. He was a member of the Board of directors of the Association of Writers for Children and Adolescents (2012-2014 and 2018 to 2020). He served as the literary reviewer for several children’s magazines and is now the cultural director of Hoopa Publication.

Alireza Goldouzian, 49, is an internationally recognized artist who has illustrated numerous books in Iran, as well as exhibiting his prize-winning children's book art around the world.

Ali Khodaee, 64, has illustrated several books. He has also designed books as an author and illustrator, most of them are wordless and made by visual ideas. He is the recipient of many honors and awards in Iran, Japan, Serbia, and Egypt. Moreover, Khodaee has served in the juries of several international festivals.

Hoda Hadadi, 47, is an internationally recognized, award-winning Iranian illustrator, author, and poet. Her literary and visual works often feature the woman-nature relationship, where women are narrators and heroes of their daily lives. She is particularly known for her colorful collage technique, especially her use of transparent silk paper to depict light and shadow. Ho

Reza Dalvand, 35, is a member of Iranian Illustrators Society. He is the illustrator of dozens of books, including “Where Is My House?” and “Mrs. Bibi’s Elephant”. His works have been showcased in many solo and group exhibitions in Iran, England, Japan, South Korea, Ukraine and several other countries.

Read with Me is a reading promotion project in Iran which takes books and book-related activities to deprived children all over the country. Initiated by the Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature, the plan promotes the slogan “All children deserve to read quality books”.

Few have done more for the right of children to a rich inner life than Astrid Lindgren. The creator of stories beloved the world over, she was a renewer of children’s literature. She was also a steadfast humanist who made her voice heard in the public debate, speaking with moral conviction, with humor, and always with her focus on children and their future.

Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series including “Pippi Longstocking” and for the children's fantasy novels such as “The Brothers Lionheart”.

Lindgren worked on the Children's Literature Editorial Board at the Rabén & Sjögren publishing house in Stockholm and wrote more than 30 books for children. In 2017, she was calculated to be the world's 18th most translated author. Lindgren had by 2010 sold roughly 167 million books worldwide. In 1994, she was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for her unique authorship dedicated to the rights of children and respect for their individuality. Her opposition to corporal punishment of children resulted in the world's first law on the matter in 1979, while her campaigning for animal welfare led to a new law, Lex Lindgren, in time for her 80th birthday.

When, in 2002 at the age of 94, her voice finally fell silent, the Swedish Government decided to found an award to honor her memory and to promote interest in children’s and young adult literature around the world.

Administered by the Swedish Arts Council, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is awarded to those who continue to work in her spirit: with imagination, bravery, respect and empathy, and maintaining the highest level of artistic excellence. The laureates are chosen by a twelve-member expert jury.

The attention of the award leads to more translations and to more children having access to high-quality literature—entertaining, innovative, challenging, or complex.

SS/SAB