Submissions are now open for the Klaus Flugge Prize 2024.

The Klaus Flugge Prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It honours publisher Klaus Flugge, a supremely influential figure in picture books who has nurtured many top illustrators including David McKee, Tony Ross, Ruth Brown, Satoshi Kitamura and Chris Riddell.

The 2024 judging panel will be led by award-winning illustrator Petr Horácek. Horácek’s fellow judges are Olivia Ahmad, Artistic Director at the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration; Alex Forbes, founder of independent bookshop Forbears Books; and the winner of the 2023 Klaus Flugge Prize, Mariajo Ilustrajo. Julia Eccleshare is chair of judges.

Publishers have until the closing date, midnight 12 January 2024, to make their submissions. Eligible illustrators may have created book covers, or illustration for other media, or illustrated books in another genre - for example, poetry or fiction - but eligibility for the prize requires that this is their first picture book for children. The book should have been first published on a children’s list in the UK between 1 January and 31 December 2023. Books first published in another country must have been co-published in the UK within three months of the original publication date.

Mariajo Ilustrajo says, ‘Winning the Klaus Flugge Prize has been very special to me as I’ve been following the award for years. The recognition of such a prestigious prize has been a real boost to my confidence.’

Chair of the judges, Julia Eccleshare says, ‘We are excited to be inviting submissions for this the ninth Klaus Flugge Prize and grateful as ever to Klaus Flugge for his support.’

The Klaus Flugge Prize was launched in 2016. Previous winners are Nicholas John Frith, who won the inaugural prize with Hector and Hummingbird (Alison Green Books); Francesca Sanna who won in 2017 for The Journey (Flying Eye Books); Kate Milner who won the 2018 prize with My Name is Not Refugee (Barrington Stoke); Jessica Love who won in 2019 with Julian is a Mermaid (Walker Books); Eva Eland who won in 2020 for her book When Sadness Comes to Call (Andersen Press); and Flavia Z Drago, 2021 winner for Gustavo the Shy Ghost (Walker Books). The 2022 winner was Joseph Namara Hollis with Pierre’s New Hair (Tate Publishing).

The winner receives a cheque for £5,000.

 

The submission form and full criteria can be found at https://www.klausfluggeprize.co.uk/criteria/

For further information contact:

Andrea Reece

Administrator Klaus Flugge Prize

020 8889 1292/ 07807893369