Illustrators Annual 2025 | Bologna

A key event for discovering trends and artists in illustration, the Bologna Children’s Book Fair’s Illustrators Exhibition has shaped the evolution of children’s books for over 50 years, becoming one of the world’s most important showcases of children’s illustration. The Illustrators Annual 2025 features works by artists from 89 countries, selected from over 4,300 participants for the 59th Illustrators Exhibition. This extensive collection offers a global perspective on illustration, highlighting creativity and emotional impact through a selection chosen by this year’s jury: Walter Fochesato, Chris Haughton, Neal Porter, Felicita Sala, and Gema Sirvent. The 2025 cover was created by Sydney Smith, winner of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration. The cover alternates each year between winners of the Andersen Award and the Grand Prix of the Bratislava Illustration Biennial, making this volume a prized collector’s item. Alongside the selected works, the book includes contributions from the jury and a piece by illustrator and School of Visual Arts lecturer Riccardo Vecchio.