Meet the nominees for the 2024 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize

This year’s nominees span the entire Nordic Region with works from all countries and language areas. The books deal with life difficulties that children and young people are confronted with in the form of absent parents, bullying and loneliness, as well as bigger social problems such as violence, war, and fleeing difficult situations. Human power over nature, our smallness and our responsibility are also brought up, while the works also look at nature’s roles as a haven for play, and as a source of hope, comfort, and reflection.  

Here are the books that could win the 2024 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize: 

The works have been nominated by the national members of the adjudication committee for the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize.

The winner of the 2024 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize will be announced on 22 October during a television broadcast produced by the Icelandic public service broadcaster RÚV, which will be available to watch in all the Nordic countries. During the Session of the Nordic Council in Reykjavik, which takes place in the last week of October, the winner will receive the “Nordlys” prize statuette at a special award ceremony. The prize is worth DKK 300,000.  

The Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize was first awarded in 2013. The prize was born out of the long-standing desire of the Nordic ministers for culture to strengthen and highlight literature for children and young people in the Nordic Region.  

The prize goes to a literary work for children and young people written in one of the Nordic languages. The work can combine text and images, and must meet high literary and artistic standards. 

Text updated on 28 August with information about the announcement of the winner under the heading “Winner to be announced on 22 October”.