The literary world is abuzz with the announcement of the shortlist for the 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize, celebrating its 10th year of championing emerging talent in children’s picture book illustration, per booksforkeeps.co.uk. Established in 2016 in honour of the late Klaus Flugge, the visionary founder of Andersen Press, the £5,000 award recognises the most promising newcomers in the field.
From a competitive longlist of 15 debut illustrators, a panel of esteemed judges has narrowed it down to three exceptional artists. The shortlisted works showcase a remarkable range of styles and storytelling.
Emma Farrarons’ evocative illustrations in My Hair is as Long as a River, written by Charlie Castle (Macmillan), impressed the judges with their playful imagination, loose style, and gorgeous colour palette, beautifully conveying the importance of self-expression.
Mikey Please’s The Café at the Edge of the Woods (HarperCollins Children’s Books), already a Waterstones Children’s Book Award winner, is lauded for its delightful tempo and engaging narrative structure, promising to inspire both young readers and future picture book creators.
Rhian Stone’s heartfelt illustrations in Grandad’s Star, written by Frances Tosdevin (Rocket Bird Books), captured the judges’ admiration for the powerful emotions and strong narrative conveyed through a light artistic approach and expressive character body language.
The judging panel for this milestone year includes award-winning author-illustrators Yasmeen Ismail and Bruce Ingman, alongside teacher and educational consultant Rachna Joshi, and the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize winner, Kate Winter. The panel is chaired by Julia Eccleshare.
Eccleshare commented, “These three books stand out, demonstrating powerfully all that picture books can do, taking young children into new and different worlds, explaining emotions through the medium of illustration, and creating a sense of self and identity.”
The winner of the 2025 Klaus Flugge Prize will be revealed at a ceremony held at the Art Workers’ Guild in London on Thursday, September 11.
