Asia in the Heart, World on the Mind

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) declared Nina Patricia C. Martinez as the 2019 PBBY Wordless Book Prize winner. Martinez, a freelance graphic artist and illustrator, bagged the grand prize with her entry Ang Mga Sikreto ng Langit at Dagat. Martinez has a degree in Visual Communication from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She has illustrated and designed for NGOs and businesses, as well as for magazines and books. Martinez shall receive a medal and a cash prize worth twenty thousand pesos at the National Children’s Book Day ceremonies at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 16. For inquiries about the contest, contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352-6765 loc. 203 or e-mail secretariat@pbby.org.ph.

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People is now accepting entries for its Wordless Book Prize.  2018 will mark the first year that the PBBY will be awarding such a prize. The winner shall receive twenty thousand pesos and a medal. Prizes shall be awarded at an appropriate ceremony to be held on National Children's Book Day, July 17, 2018. CONTEST RULES The contest is open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity. All entries must be e-mailed to pbbywordless@gmail.com. For this contest, all submissions must be in digital form, with each file clearly identifiable by a filename that is actually the pen name of the contestant. Entries may be in color or in black and white. They may be digitally rendered or traditionally done artwork that may or may not have been digitally enhanced. The submission format should be pdf. Entries should use the CMYK color space and should be at actual size fo...

This year’s PBBY-Alcala Grand Prize winner is art student Sophia Lorraine Demanawa, from the Ateneo De Manila University. Demanawa is studying Information Design and is an active member of Blue Indie Komiks (BLINK). She earned the judges’ unanimous vote for her fresh portrayal of Genaro Gojo Cruz’s Dalawa Kami ni Lola . Gojo Cruz’s story bagged the 2017 PBBY-Salanga Prize . Aside from illustrating, Demanawa also enjoys making comics, designing gig posters, and writing poetry. Four other illustrators were chosen as Honorable Mention: Arade Louise Villena, Mary Grace Theresa Dulawan, Christian Oliver Cruz, and Irene Rose Buenaventura. The winners will be awarded at the National Children’s Book Day (NCBD) celebration on July 18, 2017 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. For inquiries about the contest and the NCBD celebration, contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352 6765 loc 204 or e-mail  pbby@adarna.com.ph . 

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2017 PBBY-Alcala Prize . The winner shall be given a cash prize of P25,000, a gold medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in an appropriate ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children’s Book Day on   July 18 . Contest Rules The contest is open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity. Entries must be based on the 2017 PBBY-Salanga Prize winning story   Dalawa Kami ni Lola   by Genaro Gojo Cruz. A copy of this story may be requested from the PBBY Secretariat or   downloaded from the PBBY website . All entries must be original unpublished illustrations that have not won in any previous contest. All entries must consist of three (3) illustrations that are of the same size and medium. Entries do not have to be based on consecutive spreads/parts of the tex...

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People declared Mark Lawrence Andres as Grand Prize Winner of the 2016 PBBY-Alcala Prize . Andres is a graphic designer of And a Half Studio and has illustrated three children’s books for an NGO. He is also a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) , a professional organization of children’s book artists. Artist John Dominic Ochotorena won honorable mention. Ochotorena is a member of Ang INK as well. This year’s PBBY-Alcala Prize called for entries based on the 2016 PBBY-Salanga Prize  Grand Prize Winner, “Makinang Makinang,” by Genaro Gojo Cruz. Both Andres and Ochotorena will be awarded during the celebration of National Children's Book Day on July 19, 2016 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. For inquiries about the contest, contact the PBBY Secretariat at telephone number 352-6765 loc. 203 or e-mail   pbby@adarna.com.ph .

You are all invited to an exhibit featuring the winning works from the past 31 years of the PBBY-Alcala Illustrators' Prize . The exhibit will be at Corredor Gallery, College of Fine Arts, University of the Philippines Diliman and will open 3 p.m. on August 18.

The 2014 PBBY-Alcala Prize was won by freelance artist Aaron Paul Asis. Asis based his winning entry on one of the 2014 PBBY-Salanga honorable mention awardees, “Gaano Ba Kalayo Patungong Paaralan?” by Genaro Gojo Cruz. According to this year’s judges, Asis’ illustrations “depict the intimacy between two brothers, but their visual closeness does not prevent the viewer from imagining the expanse of the outside world and feeling the anticipation for tomorrow’s journey to school.” Garnering honorable mention this year are artists Jericho Angelo Moral and Jason Gabriel Sto. Domingo. Click here to see Moral's and Sto. Domingo's illustrations. All three artists are members of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK) , a professional organization for children’s book artists. Asis shall receive twenty-five thousand pesos, a medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded during the National Children’s Book Day ceremonies on July 15, 2014. ...

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2014 PBBY-Alcala Prize . The winner shall be given a cash prize of P25,000.00, a gold medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in an appropriate ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children's Book Day on July 15, 2014. CONTEST RULES: 1. The contest is open to all Filipino citizens except those who are related to any PBBY member up to the third degree of consanguinity. 2. Entries must be based on any of the following, all honorable mention winners of the 2014 PBBY-Salanga Prize :         "Ang Misay sa Aming Bahay" by Susan Anne Alegro Quirante         "Gaano ba Kalayo Patungong Paaralan?" by Genaro Gojo Cruz         "Reyna Elena" by Michael de Guzman 3. Copies of these stories may be requested from the PBBY Secretariat or downloaded from ...

National Children's Book Month is the perfect time to read or reread Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! by Nanoy Rafael and Sergio Bumatay III (Adarna House, 2008). The book is a product of the silver anniversary Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) Salanga and Alcala prizes, and is one of my favorite Filipino children's books. Recently the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Sweden awarded Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! the Peter Pan Prize , an annual prize for a foreign children's or young adult book of high quality published in Sweden. ( Bokförlaget Trasten is Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! 's publisher in Sweden.) CONGRATULATIONS! Here is IBBY Sweden’s citation for the book: "The Filipino picture book Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! represents a part of the world not often seen in Swedish publishing for children. The theme, however, is universal: A child getting a younger sibling. The boy Isko’s anxiety about the changes he suspects will take place in his famil...

Visit "A Curious Buffet"! Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang I.N.K.) , the organization for children's book illustrators in the Philippines, presents art inspired by the kitchen at Post (formerly Pablo), Cubao X. This group exhibit runs until July 13. Update: "A Curious Buffet" has been extended to July 20. And here is a video from the exhibit's opening! A CURIOUS BUFFET: Ang I.N.K. Group Exhibit from Teters Enrique on Vimeo .

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) awards the 2013 PBBY-Alcala Prize to Dominic Agsaway, an illustrator from Bulacan and a member of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang InK) . This is Agsaway’s first time to win the contest. This year’s PBBY-Alcala Prize called for entries based on the 2013 PBBY-Salanga Prize-winning story, “Ngumiti si Andoy” wri tten by Michael Jude C. Tumamac, a story inspired by the life of Andres Bonifacio . Honorable Mentions in this year’s contest went to artists Sergio Bumatay III and Francin Cruz. Bumatay and Cruz are also members of Ang InK.     Agsaway shall receive twenty-five thousand pesos, a medal, and an opportunity to be published. Prizes will be awarded in a ceremony to be held during the celebration of National Children's Book Day at the Cultural Center of the Philippines on July 16, 2013. For inquiries about the contest, please contact the PBBY Secretariat at pbby@adarna.com.ph.

The Book Illustrators Gallery (BIG) of the Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) aims to showcase the work of Asian illustrators and artists to promote them to a wider audience. You are invited to submit artwork that has appeared in children’s books, audio products, video products, comics, or games, published between January 2012 and March 2013. You can submit a maximum of five pieces of artwork. Send digital copies in jpeg/jpg format to afccbig@gmail.com for consideration, with “AFCC BIG 2013 Submission” as the email subject. Please include the following information in the submission:     Name     Designation / Company name (if applicable)     Mailing address     Phone number / Mobile number For each illustration please include:     Year of production     Title of the illustration     Title of the work in which the illustration appeared     ...

Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK) , the Philippine’s first and only association of artists committed to the creation and promotion of illustrations for children, is open to new members! Requirements: 1. Accomplished application form.     2. One illustration based on "Sino Ako?" by Eugene Y. Evasco.   3. Five sample illustrations from your portfolio.     72 dpi, JPEG, or PNG     Dimensions should be at least 1000 x 1000 pixels Email all requirements to hello at ang-ink dot org and please indicate subject as 2013APP: FirstName LastName. Deadline for applications is February 20, 2013.

We are looking for children’s book illustrators from countries around the world to design bookplates for International Book Giving Day 2013! If you are interested in designing a bookplate, please contact Amy Broadmoore at amy dot broadmoore at gmail dot com. International Book Giving Day is a grassroots, 100% volunteer initiative to encourage people to give books to children on February 14, 2013. To celebrate, people are invited to 1) give a book to a friend or family member, 2) leave a book in a waiting room for children to read, or 3) donate a book to an organization that distributes books to children in need. Children’s book illustrators are invited to design bookplates that celebrants can attach to books they give to children. We welcome bookplates written in a variety of languages. The bookplates must be 11.4 cm x 6.9 cm (or 4.5 inches x 2.7 inches) in size. We will make the bookplates available for free at the International Book Giving Day websit...

To Naoko Stoop for her debut picture book Red Knit Cap Girl (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers) being named one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2012! To learn a bit more about the book, please watch the video below: Linkage: Naoko's blog Naoko's Twitter account The complete list of the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2012

The Hans Christian Andersen Award , considered the most prestigious international children’s literature award, is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature. The winners for the 2012 award will be announced on Monday, March 19 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Among the five short-listed authors and five short-listed illustrators selected from 57 candidates submitted by 32 national sections of the IBBY is Iran's Mohammad Ali Beniasadi. Congratulations! :o) The other Asian candidates were writers Masamoto Nasu (Japan), Sun-mi Hwang (Republic of Korea), and Sevim Ak (Turkey), and illustrators Satoshi Kako (Japan), Seong-Chan Hong (Republic of Korea), and Feridun Oral (Turkey).

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) has announced the winners of the 2012 Alcala Illustrators' Prize. The grand prize goes to Hubert Fucio, and honorable mentions go to Aldy Aguirre, Dominic Agsaway, and Jonathan Rañola. Congratulations! Click here to see the winning illustrations! (I am impressed by the details in Fucio's illustrations and my personal favorites are the adorable illustrations by Agsaway.) For inquiries about the Alcala Illustrators' Prize, please email the PBBY Secretariat at pbby@adarna.com.ph.

The 2012 Bologna Ragazzi Awards for the best children's books in terms of graphic and editorial design have been announced. Champagne, cake, confetti, coffee, and CONGRATULATIONS go to: New Horizons - Mentions Misunderstanding , written by Farideh Khalatbaree and illustrated by Ali Boozari (Shabaviz Publishing Company, Tehran – Iran) Waterlife , written and illustrated by Rambharos Jha (Tara Books, Chennai – India) Opera Prima - Winner Tabati , written by Nadine R. L. Touma and illustrated by Lara Assouad Khoury (Dar Onboz, Beirut - Lebanon) Opera Prima - Mention Grimmie's White Canvas , written and illustrated by Hyunjoo Lee (Sang Publishing, Seoul – Republic of Korea) Thanks to my friend Jules , one of the Ragazzi jurors, for this information!