2022-2023 Concours international d'écriture d’albums jeunesse Astra & minedition

2020-2021 Astra International Picture Book Writing Contest Winners Announcement

Astra International Picture Book Writing Contest kicked off in October 2020. We received a total of 1,688 manuscripts from 68 countries on six continents.

The entrants ranged from novice writers to established authors, from 21 years old to 90 years old. Teachers, librarians, doctors, accountants, actors, designers, engineers, gardeners ... from different countries, with different identities and experiences expressed their love for children and children's literature through their stories.

For six months, our jury composed of 7 international experts has reviewed the manuscripts and selected 24 winners.We are pleased to announce the winners list:

Gold Prize

Author:Yun Dai
Title:Sherjahaan
Language:English Country:China
Statement of the Jury (by Leonard S. Marcus):

Listen closely as the Earth speaks for itself in a lyrical reflection on humankind's troubled relationship with the environment and on the possibility that past harm can still be repaired. Based on a true story, the powerful mythic voice of this vivid narrative describes a once beautiful region of India where tigers roamed free and shows how over-farming unended the ecological balance. Amazingly, the work of two knowledgeable, dedicated individuals was enough to reverse the damage and bring tigers and other wildlife back. A happy ending that is sure to energize and inspire young environmentalists across the world.

Silver Prize(3 winners)

Author:Freda Lewkowicz
Title:Songs of the refugee
Language:English Country:Canada
Statement of the Jury (by Leonard S. Marcus):

"Sometimes small things are magical": these are the opening words of a beguiling historical-fiction narrative set in Europe before and during the Second World War. A mother takes a sewing needle found in the street as a sign from heaven that her son Marek should become a tailor. A wild sequence of events later, Marek's skill with a needle and thread actually does prove to be the thing that saves his life. From this artful story, readers will see for themselves that history is made not only by great heroes and monumental events but also by ordinary people taking chances that sometimes have life-and-death consequences for themselves and others.

Author:Sandra Markle
Title:Hope is home
Language:English Country:United States
Statement of the Jury (by Leonard S. Marcus):

In this touching story based on real events, a young school-aged boy whose family has fled their war-torn country for America scrambles to learn English and adapt to a very different way of life. Yousif's love of drawing and gardening become his lifelines as a caring teacher and others in the community give him just the encouragement that he needs to transform a hard situation into a hopeful one and to feel at home again.

Author:Teresa M. Robeson
Title:Clear and bright: the Ching Ming festival
Language:English Country:United States
Statement of the Jury (by Leonard S. Marcus):

In our over-busy world of flickering computer screens and families scattered across vast distances, how can people--and especially children--still feel close and connected? This buoyant story recounts one family's celebration of the annual Chinese holiday for visiting the graves of one's ancestors, sharing festive meals, and taking time out to catch up with one another. For wide-eyed Lily, the day comes with a revelation: the realization that she herself will always be part of a nurturing age-old tradition that links past, present, and future.

Finalist Prize(20 winners)

Author	Title	Language	Country
Glenda Ann Armand	While you are sleeping	English	United States
Myren Duval	Backwards boy (L'enfant à l'envers)	French	France
Laurent Gautier	The first day (Le premier jour)	French	France
Cynthia Ann Grady	Run, river	English	United States
Nicole Groeneweg	Rollie-pollies: animals that curl up to protect themselves	English	United States
Lorraine H Himmel	Waiting for Kai	English	United States
Guichai Huang	The visible and the invisible (看得见的与看不见的)	Chinese	China
Udai Kumar Jain	Siya’s grandpa	English	India
Janine Jargow	Oh rubbish, that doesn’t matter! (Ach quatsch, das ist doch egal!)	German	Germany
Marine Joris	Epi, a little king (Epi, petit roi)	French	France
Barbara W. Kimmel	Day care for Nana and me	English	United States
Unt' Margaria	I won’t be scared (Je n’aurai pas peur)	French	France
Laurence Melin	The seven wonders of the world (Les sept merveilles du monde)	French	France
Shuo Pang	If I became a little house (如果我变成了小房子)	Chinese	China
María de los Ángeles Quinteros	The opposite of things (El revés de las cosas)	Spanish	Chile
Joyce Anne Ray	Shanta and the calling eyes	English	United States
Roni Joanne Schotter	The other side of the wall	English	United States
Lisa Beth Schulman	The sound of stars	English	United States
Patrice Teisseire-Dufour	The Russian dog (Le chien russe)	French	France
Karen Beth Winnick	When Chetan comes…	English	United States

*The names of the winners are arranged in alphabetical order of their last names.

After "blind" judging, that is, the judges read the manuscripts without knowing the authors’ identities, Chinese author Ms. Yun Dai won the Gold Prize. She was very delighted for being recognized by the experts from different languages and cultures, "When a jury made up of English, Chinese, French, German and Spanish speakers agreed to give this honor to a story based on something that happened in India, it really showed that, as human beings, we do share some common feelings. This sense of togetherness is beautiful." She is looking forward to seeing her story being read by people in different countries.

The video of the online award ceremony will be released on November 22. The "Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition Astra Award" will also be announced on the same day.

(All entrants will be notified by email about the results of the contest. Please note that the email might be delivered to the spam.)