Jury President

Leonard S. Marcus

(USA)

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the world’s foremost writers about children’s books and the people who create them. He is the author of more than 25 award-winning books. Leonard is a frequent contributor to the New York Times Book Review and Horn Book and was Parenting magazine's book critic for 21 years. He is a founding trustee of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. Leonard has judged the New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of the Year Award (four times), the National Book Award, the Ragazzi and SM Illustrator Prizes of the Bologna Book Fair, the Fundación SM's Catálogo Iberoamérica Ilustra, Scholastic Asian Book Award (jury chair), and Chen Bochui Award.

Nathalie Beau

(France)

Nathalie Beau has dedicated her entire working life to children's books. In the late 1970s, she created in Strasbourg one of France's first children's bookstores, La Bouquinette. She co-founded the French Association of Children's Booksellers and was its president for five years. Nathalie then worked in publishing before finally joining the National Centre for Children's Literature, a department of the French National Library (BNF), where she directed the Centre's International Division and headed the French section of IBBY. While at the BNF, Nathalie also edited the picture book column of La Revue des livres pour enfants. She works now as a trainer, a book reviewer, and lecturer. Nathalie served as a juror of Bologna Ragazzi Award in 2011 and juror of the Chen Bochui Award for literature in 2014 and 2015 and illustration in 2019.

Wenxuan Cao

(China)

Wenxuan Cao is one of China's most widely read Chinese children's literature authors and among the most frequently translated Chinese authors in the world. Among his best-known works are the young adult novel Bronze and Sunflower and the picture book Feather, illustrated by fellow Hans Christian Award winner Roger Mello. He is a professor of literature at Peking University and is vice president of the Beijing Writers Association. Wenxuan has received numerous awards for his work, including the Andersen Award and the Chinese National Book Award.

Claudia Maria Pecher

(Germany)

Claudia Maria Pecher is a German literary scholar. She is the President of the German Academy of Children's and Young Adult Literature, where she is engaged in historical and current children’s and youth literature studies. After various teaching assignments, she worked from 2011 to February 2020 at the Institute for Research on Young People at the Goethe University Frankfurt before taking over the management of the State Department for Libraries of the Sankt Michaelsbund in Bavaria. She has been appointed to serve on numerous jury boards, including the Bavarian Art Funding Award. Claudia is also an active member of Europe's children's literature community.

Dolores Prades

(Brazil)

Dolores Prades has been a publisher and consultant focused on literature and reference books for children and youth since 2000. Her academic background is in the social sciences. She holds a Master’s degree in political science and a PhD in economic history. Since 2012, Dolores has been a founding member and publisher of Emília magazine, president of Instituto Emília (www.revistaemilia.com.br), and Director of Laboratório Emília de Formação (http://laboratorioemilia.com). In 2016, she served as a juror for both the Hans Christian Andersen Award and Bologna Ragazzi Award. In 2019, she was a juror for the Chen Bochui Award. Since 2018, Dolores has been the Bologna Children Book’s Fair’s consultant from Latin America.

Peter H. Reynolds

(Canada)

Peter H. Reynolds is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator. Published in over 25 languages, his books The Dot, Ish, The Word Collector, and Say Something!, among others, inspire children and “grown up children” with Peter's messages about authentic learning, creativity, bravery, empathy, and courageous self-expression. Peter illustrated the best-selling I Am series and The Water Princess by Susan Verde and the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald. His media company FableVision produces award-winning interactive applications and his educational company FableVision Learning produces applications to inspire creativity in the classroom. Peter and his twin brother Paul launched the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity (TLC), a not-for-profit organization that encourages creativity and innovation in teaching and learning. He lives in the Boston area where he founded The Blue Bunny, a family-owned and operated children’s book, toy & creativity store.

Maria Russo

(USA)

Maria Russo is minedition's US Editorial Director, based in New York. She is the co-author of How to Raise a Reader, the popular guide to fostering a lifelong love of books in children ages 0 to teens. Before joining minedition and Astra Publishing House she was the Children’s Books Editor at the New York Times, where she handled thousands of children's books each year, assigning reviews and essays, and writing regularly herself about children's books and their creators. Maria has also been a writer and editor at publications including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Observer. She earned a PhD in English and Comparative Literature from Columbia University, where she taught for three years in the School of General Studies.