“Three exceptionally talented new illustrators”
Shortlist announced for the prestigious Klaus Flugge Prize for debut picture book illustrators
- Tenth year of the award which highlights the most exciting and promising new picture book illustrators
- Shortlist of three includes a self-taught illustrator and the winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize
- Award-winning illustrators Bruce Ingman and Yasmeen Ismail and 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Kate Winter among the judges
#KlausFluggePrize / #KFP25
The shortlist for the Klaus Flugge Prize is announced today (Thursday 15 May). This is the tenth year of the award which was established in 2016 to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a leading light in the world of children’s publishing and illustration. The £5,000 prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It is the only prize specifically to recognise a published picture book by a debut illustrator.
From a longlist of 15 picture books by debut illustrators, this year’s panel of judges have chosen three to shortlist.
The 2025 judging panel is headed by award-winning author illustrators Yasmeen Ismail and Bruce Ingman. Ingman also leads the MA Children’s Literature: Children’s Book Illustration course at Goldsmiths, University of London. They are joined as judges by teacher and educational consultant Rachna Joshi; and 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize winner Kate Winter. Julia Eccleshare is chair of the judging panel.
The illustrators they have chosen to shortlist have very different styles and subject matter but share exceptional ability to tell a story and to create mood and character, while their originality and talent stood out.
The shortlisted books are:
My Hair is as Long as a River illustrated by Emma Farrarons, written by Charlie Castle (Macmillan)
Some people don’t understand why the boy in this story has long hair, but through a series of wonderful metaphors, gloriously illustrated by Emma Farrarons, he shows us why it’s so important, how it is part of him, even his ‘happy ever after’. The judges highlight the sense of playfulness and imagination captured in the illustrations and admire the loose artwork style and gorgeous colour palette.
The Café at the Edge of the Woods by Mikey Please (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Rene’s dream of serving haute cuisine in her café at the edge of the woods seems doomed to failure when it fails to attract any customers. But then her resourceful waiter Glumfoot takes matters into his own hands and finds a new and enthusiastic clientele. Mikey Please won the Waterstones Children’s Book Award with this book. The judges admire the tempo very much and the story structure. It’s a book to appeal to a wide range of readers and will inspire future picture book makers.
Grandad’s Star illustrated by Rhian Stone, written by Frances Tosdevin (Rocket Bird Books)
When Grandad was younger, he was an astronomer, and he’s full of stories about the stars. But now he’s getting older, he’s starting to forget things including the stories that he has always known so well, and even his granddaughter’s name. But the love between them doesn't dim. The judges admire the sense of feeling created in this story and strong sense of narrative. They also highlight the loose and light artistic approach and the expressive body language.
Chair of the judges Julia Eccleshare says, “Once again, the longlist reflected the creative ambitions of new illustrators and their publishers, but these three books stand out. Emma Farrarons, Mikey Please and Rhian Stone are exceptionally talented illustrators, and their books demonstrate powerfully all that picture books can do, taking young children into new and different worlds, explaining emotions through the medium of illustration, and creating a sense of self and identity. We are delighted to spotlight them and their artform as the Klaus Flugge Prize celebrates its tenth anniversary.”
The winner will be announced at a ceremony at the Art Workers’ Guild, Queen Square, London on Thursday 11 September 2025 and will receive a cheque for £5,000.
For more information, interview requests and images contact Andrea Reece
andrea.reece@zen.co.uk
020 8889 1292/ 07807893369
The Klaus Flugge Prize is funded personally by Klaus Flugge and run independently of Andersen Press.
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