The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is a literary prize established by the Swedish Government in 2002 in memory of one of Sweden’s most significant authors. The aim of the award is to strengthen and increase interest around the world in literature for children and young people, and to promote children’s rights. The prize money of SEK 5 million makes this the world’s biggest award for literature for children and young people, and also the second biggest literary award in the world overall. The size of the prize signals that the interest of children and young people in literature is of the greatest importance. The amount is also intended to inspire activity in the area. The prize is awarded to authors, illustrators, story-tellers and those active in efforts to promote reading. It is administered by the Swedish Arts Council.
A measure of the increased interest and attention surrounding the prize is the gradual increase in the number of nominations over the years. In 2012, 184 candidates from 66 countries were nominated for the prize, compared with 155 candidates in 2008 and 177 candidates in 2005.