Nordic Council

Meet the nominees for the 2026 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize

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norden.org

Thirteen works have been nominated for the 2026 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize. The works include picture books, novels, and a graphic novel. This year’s nominations are a feast for the imagination, exploring nature both above and below the water, and throughout the seasons. Young readers are confronted with some serious challenges – feelings of loss, identity, separation, and chaos are shaped by adult surroundings, and must be faced with whether the reader wants to or not.

Here are the nominees:

Denmark

Askel Aden: KH Misha

Birgitte Krogsbøll and Kamilla Wichmann (ill.): Himlen er en helleflynder

Finland

Malin Klingenberg and Maria Sann (ill.): Gamlingarna

Tomi Kontio and Elina Warsta (ill.): Koira nimeltään Kissa hyvästelee ystävän

Faroe Islands

Sólrún Michelsen and Annika Øyrabø (ill.): Sjókæti (A–OY)

Greenland

Karline Nathansen and Pernille Kreutzmann-Larsen (ill.): Naja arferlu

Iceland

Diljá Hvannberg Gagu and Linn Janssen (ill.): Árstíðarverur

Ævar Þór Benediktsson and Elín Elísabet Einarsdóttir (ill.): Skólastjórinn

Norway

Anna Fiske: Lille løve

Hilde Hagerup: Du eneste – historien om Gunvor Hofmo og Ruth Maier

Sami language area

Ingá Elin Marakatt and Inga-Wiktoria Påve (ill.): Elsa, Jovnna ja Sirkus Maximus

Sweden

Elin Lindell: Jenka och jag

Johanna Gustafsson-Ahlzén: Det känns så fake

Winner to be announced on 20 October

The winner of the 2026 Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize will be announced on 20 October. In connection with the Session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, the winner will receive the “Nordlys” prize statuette at a special award ceremony on 27 October. The prize is worth DKK 300,000.

About the Nordic Council Children and Young People’s Literature Prize

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.