Thursday 19 February: The longlist for the 2026 Klaus Flugge Prize is announced today.

Set up in 2016, the Klaus Flugge Prize honours publisher Klaus Flugge, a hugely influential figure in picture books and founder of publishing house Andersen Press.

The £5,000 prize is awarded annually to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s book illustration and is the only prize specifically to recognise a published picture book by a debut illustrator. The Klaus Flugge Prize is regarded as one of the most significant children’s book awards.

“I love that this prize celebrates such a wide range of styles and approaches. There’s no single way to be a picture book illustrator—every voice and visual language has value.” Emma Farrarons, 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize winner

This year 18 books have made it to the longlist. Andersen Press, Kumusha and Walker Books each have two books on the list, while independent publishers Graffeg, Otter-Barry Books and Scallywag Press are also represented. Three of the four books on the Waterstones Prize Illustrated Books Shortlist are in the running: Milo and the Mountain by Jamie Carroll (O’Brien Press); The Great Green Island by Becky Colvin (Macmillan Children’s Books); and My Rice is Best, illustrated by Maxwell A. Oginni, written by Selina Brown (Puffin).

Click here to see the longlist in full