Among the most long-standing and successful initiatives of the Bologna Children's Book Fair is the "Illustrators' Exhibition", created in 1967 as a stage to discover new talents, which has accompanied the evolution of the world of illustration for decades.
After meeting to select 317 finalists, the international jury composed of: Sunkyung Cho (illustrator from Korea and author), Jenni Erkintalo (Finnish illustrator, author and publisher), Alīse Nīgale (publisher from Latvia), Daniela Olejníková (illustrator from Slovakia), Riccardo Vecchio (illustrator from Italy and teacher), selected 75 sets of illustrations representing 75 authors from 31 countries and regions around the world.
A total of 4,158 illustrators applied for the 2026 Illustrators' Exhibition, presenting 20,790 works of art from 94 countries and regions around the world.
The exhibition represents a unique opportunity for the selected illustrators to gain visibility: every year, after the fair ends, it embarks on an international tour, which over the next two years reaches cultural venues in major capitals and cities around the world.
This year's long list includes 317 names, among which we saw Stella Drais and Martin Stanev.
Traditionally, we upload the works of each of the authors, which you can view in the album on our Facebook page. We leave you to enjoy the illustrators for 2026 and await the results of the other competitions and exhibitions in Bologna, and our team will be on site this year as well to cover the events in their entirety.
| Artist | |
| Abdollahi Mitra | Iran |
| Arce Fernando | Peru |
| Babilaite Ieva | Lithuania |
| Banci Elena | Italy |
| Brönner Nele | Germany |
| Castano Samuel | Colombia |
| Cavalcante Felipe | Brazil |
| Chen Yi Chin | Taiwan |
| Choi Sunnu (rebecca) | Canada |
| Collette Charline | France |
| Crowton Melissa | USA |
| Cuny Cécile | France |
| Drobova Yuliya | Uzbekistan |
| Elizagaray Estrada María | Argentina |
| Fink Svea | Germany |
| Fonseca Armando | Mexico |
| Gledhill Carly | United Kingdom |
| Gomes Catarina | Portugal |
| Gubellini Matteo | Italy |
| Gurrutxaga Otamendi Maite | Spain |
| Maruoka Hisano | Japan |
| Hofer Roberto | Chile |
| Hong Sohee | South Korea |
| Hsu Chia-yu | Taiwan |
| Huang Yi | Taiwan |
| Iwata Machiko | Japan |
| Jheng Yuan-cin | Taiwan |
| Ji Mi Ran | South Korea |
| Kim Hyojin | South Korea |
| Ko Minjoo | South Korea |
| Kuan Meng-hsuan | Taiwan |
| Kuchmezova Aziza | Cyprus |
| Lam Kin Choi | Hong Kong - China |
| Lee Seonjoo | South Korea |
| Lee Youngchae | South Korea |
| Lopez Anabella | Argentina |
| Lučanská Lucie | Czech Republic |
| Mahmoudi Moghadam Maryam | Iran |
| Majewski Marc | France |
| Máray Mariann | Hungary |
| Marty Eveliina | Switzerland |
| Montero Vicén Marina | Spain |
| Moreira Henrique | Brazil |
| Neacsu Veronica | Romania |
| Neri Camilla | Italy |
| Olivadoti Luigi | Liechtenstein |
| Onodera Miho | Japan |
| Paris Ophélie | France |
| Park Sona | South Korea |
| Penaud Lucie | France |
| Piaggio Alice | Italy |
| Rizak Mariia | Ukraine |
| Rocha Vitor | Brazil |
| Rodriguez Enric | Spain |
| Romano Margaux | Italy |
| Runde Aleksandra | Latvia |
| Saunders Lauren | Australia |
| Shimada Mai | Japan |
| Shin Ami | South Korea |
| Shiotani Shinri | Japan |
| Shurpakova Marta | Belarus |
| Umeda Yoshino | Japan |
| Terasawa Chieko | Japan |
| Tuzi Gui | China |
| Valdivia Paloma | Chile |
| Viegas Oliveira Inês | Portugal |
| Völker Sven | Germany |
| Ximenes Bruna | Brazil |
| Sio Maan Yang | Macau |
| Yang Hyoju | South Korea |
| Yang Tingfang | Taiwan |
| Zhang Siqi | China |
| Zhang Yilun | China |
| Zhou Yuxuan | China |
| Zocca Bruno | Italy |
Add comment