Press release -
Vimmerby goes worldwide: Watch this year’s announcement live!
The jury for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) will choose the recipient(s) of this year’s award at its meeting on Tuesday 29 March. The decision will be made public at a press conference in Vimmerby at 1:00 pm CET. The announcement will be broadcast live at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and online at www.alma.se.
The recipient of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is traditionally announced in Vimmerby, Astrid Lindgren’s childhood hometown. Larry Lempert, the chairman of the jury, will reveal the name of the 2011 recipient(s) to the media and invited guests. The announcement will be broadcast live online and via a direct link to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Thanks to the live webcast, the identity of the recipient(s) will rapidly become known around the world.
“Last year’s webcast proved a big hit,” said Erik Titusson, executive director of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. “Thousands of viewers from over 40 countries watched the announcement live online. This year, we’re taking the idea a step further by extending the webcast to include the jury’s presentation of the recipient(s).”
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is the world’s largest prize for children’s and young adult literature. This is the third time the announcement has coincided with and been broadcast live at the world’s biggest children’s book fair in Bologna, Italy.
“It was a logical step to relay the announcement live to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair,” continued Mr Titusson. “The award has a high international profile, and the announcement of the recipient is one of the highlights of the fair. The live broadcast lets us bring Astrid Lindgren’s childhood home to the rest of the world, in much the same way as her books did.”
Those present in Vimmerby will include chairman Larry Lempert and other jury members, and Kerstin Brunnberg, chairman of the Swedish Arts Council. More jury members will participate in Bologna, along with Kennet Johansson, director general of the Swedish Arts Council, and Ruth Jacoby, Sweden’s ambassador to Italy.
Watch the webcast of the announcement and subsequent presentation at www.alma.se on Tuesday 29 March, starting at 1:00 pm CET. For video footage (web or TV) and interview requests, please contact helene.andersson@alma.se, tel. +46 76 540 1017, or rebecka.svensen@alma.se, tel. +46 76 540 1020.
The previous recipients of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award are: Kitty Crowther (Belgium, 2010), Tamer Institute for Community Education (Palestinian Territories, 2009), Sonya Hartnett (Australia, 2008), Banco del Libro (Venezuela, 2007), Katherine Paterson (USA, 2006), Ryôji Arai (Japan 2005), Philip Pullman (Great Britain, 2005), Lygia Bojunga (Brazil, 2004), Christine Nöstlinger (Austria, 2003) and Maurice Sendak (USA, 2003).
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The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world's largest prize for children's and young adult literature. The award, which amounts to SEK 5 million, is awarded annually to a single recipient or to several. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and those active in reading promotion may be rewarded. The award is designed to promote interest in children's and young adult literature, and in children's rights, globally. An expert jury selects the winners from candidates nominated by institutions and organisations worldwide. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award is administered by the Swedish Arts Council.
