Jon Klassen receives the 2026 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award
With precision, feeling and witty humor, he portrays life's challenges of uncertainty and hope, always through the interaction of color and form.
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is the world's largest prize for children's and young adult literature, with a prize money of five million kronor. The award will be presented by HRH Crown Princess Victoria on 25 May at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The Swedish Arts Council administers the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.
The jury’s motivation
"Through his subtle and evocative storytelling in words and pictures, Jon Klassen opens new perspectives on our place in the universe. What happens when a rock falls from the sky, when hats disappear or a skull begins living a life of its own? With precision, emotion and inventive wit, life’s challenges of uncertainty and hopefulness are portrayed in an interplay of colour and form. Jon Klassen’s brilliant tales stand out for their effortless elegance and ambiguous depth, where the reader becomes a co-creator".