More than 250 candidates from 68 countries have been nominated for this year’s Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, one of the world’s most prestigious prizes for literature aimed at children and young people.
The annual award, worth five million kronor ($574,000), is due to be announced later on Tuesday.
The 262 candidates included nominees ranging alphabetically from Sayyed Nader Musava, who promoted reading in Afghanistan, to Ken Wilson-Max, an illustrator from Zimbabwe.
The Swedish Government created the award in 2002 to honour writers and illustrators of literature for children and young people.
It is also to honour those who promote reading in the spirit of Swedish author, Astrid Lindgren.
She died in 2002 aged 94, after a life creating numerous popular fiction characters, including Pippi Longstocking.
Last year’s winner was South Korean illustrator Baek Heena.
The inaugural winners in 2003 were Maurice Sendak of the U.S. and Christine Noestlinger of Austria. (dpa)
