TEHRAN – The Children’s Book Council of Iran has announced its nominees for the 2023 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA), a prestigious Swedish prize for children’s literature in the world.The nominees are Iranian writers Ahmad Akbarpur and Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi and Afghan book reading promoter Nader Musavi, the council announced in a press release published on Thursday.Akbarpur was picked for providing new views in his writings, for example: breaking the hierarchy of power and undermining the upper classes’ authority.His regard for peace, friendship, tolerance, children with disabilities and his writings that promote creative thinking and criticism are other reasons for the choice.Seyyedabadi was selected for his 33 years of continuous activity and creative theorization in reading promotion, and his key role in designing local and nationwide plans for book reading, as well as in the establishment of libraries and bookstores in remote rural regions.The Children’s Book Council of Iran chose Musavi as its foreign nominee for the award.He has been working for the past 22 years in cultural activities for migrant children in Iran.

He is the author of several books carrying materials for Afghan migrant children about their motherland.He also travels across Iran every year to run reading programs in over 350 schools for Afghan migrant children.The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was established in 2002 by the Swedish National Council for Cultural Affairs to commemorate Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren and to promote children’s and youths’ literature from around the world.  The award amounts to SEK 5 million (about €570,000), making it the world’s largest award for children’s and young adults’ literature.Every year, more than 250 individuals and organizations around the world are nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

The candidates are authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and reading promoters.The twelve-member jury has the challenging but pleasant task of evaluating candidates each year and selecting one laureate (or several).The jury will announce the 2023 laureate in March at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy.The Institute for Research on History of Children’s Literature and the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCY-Kanoon) are other Iranian cultural centers allowed to select Iran’s nominations for the ALMA.Kanoon has previously announced writer Hamidreza Shahabadi and illustrator Reza Dalvand as its nominees for the 2023 ALMA.Photo: A combination photo shows the Children’s Book Council of Iran’s nominees Ali-Asghar Seyyedabadi, Ahmad Akbarpur and Nader Musavi for the 2023 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.MMS/YAW