Author and illustrator Lee Uk-bae has won the grand prize in a special category at the 2026 Bologna Ragazzi Award, one of the prestigious prizes in children’s publishing.
According to Sakyejul Publishing, Lee’s children’s book “The Story of a Brother and a Sister,” published in 2020 here, received the top prize in the Fairy Tales and Fables special category.
The Bologna Ragazzi Award, presented during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, honors outstanding publications in children’s literature. The awards are divided into five permanent categories — fiction, non-fiction, opera prima for debut authors and illustrators, comics and toddlers — and also features a special theme each year. This year’s competition drew 4,120 titles from 73 countries and regions.
For 2026, the special category focuses on fairy tales and fables “to highlight and explore a publishing trend that, while never having left the global publishing scene, is now experiencing renewed momentum,” organizers said.
The award-winning title retells the well-known Korean folktale “The Sun and the Moon,” about a brother and sister who become the sun and the moon after escaping a tiger.
Lee, 66, is considered part of the first generation of Korean creators of original picture books and has long been known for works that draw on the aesthetics of traditional Korean folk painting.
Meanwhile, author and illustrator Jeon Bo-ra received a Special Mention in the Opera Prima category for her debut work “The Heart Bowl.” The picture book explores the shapes of the heart and human emotions through the metaphor of bowls, and is created using a paper collage technique.
The award ceremony will take place during the 2026 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, scheduled for April 13-16 in Bologna, Italy.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
