The Illustrators Exhibition held during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BCBF) announced on March 3 that it has selected a total of 77 illustrators from across the world. On March 4, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) pointed out that eight Taiwanese illustrators were selected among them, an impressive achievement comparable to that of 2019, when nine Taiwanese illustrators were selected.
Bologna Children's Book Fair is the world’s largest book fair for illustrators and children. Since its establishment in 1976, the fair has held a prominent position for exhibitions and competitions for illustrators worldwide. It also serves as a professional copyright exchange platform for publishers of picture books and children’s books.
A total of 3235 illustrators from 68 countries submitted their works to this year’s BCBF. Juries from Britain, the United States, Germany, Italy and Japan were invited to make the selection. A total of 226 shortlisted illustrators were announced in the first round, and among them, 24 of them are Taiwanese. In the second round, 77 illustrators were selected, and eight of them came from Taiwan. Due to the pandemic, the BCBF and Illustrators Exhibition will be held online from June 15 to 17.
The TAICCA announced that the eight winners include Chang Hsiao-Chi (張筱琦), Huang Yu-Chen (阿文), Hsueh Hui-Yin (薛慧瑩), Huang Yi-Wen (黃一文), Cho Pei-Hsin (卓霈欣), Chen Wei-Hsuan (陳瑋璿), Chen Yi-Chin (陳怡今), and Dai Wei-Chun.
The agency will also be launching the "BCBF Cross-medium Marketing Project" aimed at producing short animations for works of the eight illustrators, to convey the different aspects of storytelling through illustrations, in hope of increasing the visibility of Taiwan's original contents.
TAICCA Chairperson Ting Hsiao-ching (丁曉菁) congratulated the eight winners, commending them for their unique illustration styles.
"Taiwanese illustrators, with their unique illustration styles, have garnered worldwide recognition in recent years, and they have showcased Taiwan’s creative prowess," Ting said.