The Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (or Kanoon), the Children’s Book Council of Iran, and the Iranian Illustrators’ Society selected the nominees.

The biennial, organized under the auspices of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), takes place in Slovakia’s capital every two years, showcasing outstanding works from illustrators worldwide. A national selection process was held on March 2, 2025, in Tehran, where a jury of experts evaluated 40 submitted works.

Among the nominated works are ‘The Dal Girl’ by Noushin Sadeghian, ‘Bahram and the Seven Domes’ by Narges Mohammadi, and ‘Sweet Salt’ by Negar Ourang.

Other selected pieces include ‘The Clever Fox’s School’ by Ghazaleh Bigdelou, ‘I Saw It Myself’ and ‘Let the Chick Have It All’ by Pedram Kazerooni, ‘A Sun in the Turkmen Desert’ by Najla Mahdavi, and ‘The Lion King’ by Amir Shabanipour.

In addition, ‘The Uninvited Guest’ by Maryam Tahmasebi and two internationally titled works, ‘Dad Is Right Here’ by Mahshid Raghami and ‘Milloon’s Mind’ and ‘Imagine a Garden’ by Hoda Haddadi, will also represent Iran.

The selected works will be featured in the Bratislava Biennial catalog and compete for top prizes, including the Grand Prix ($3,000), five Golden Apples ($1,500 each), and five Special Medals ($1,000 each). The top winner will also have the opportunity to present their work independently at the next exhibition.

Illustrator Fatemeh (Parisa) Behabadi has been chosen to participate in the symposium, while Melika Jamali will join the illustration workshop at the biennial.

Established in 1967, the Bratislava Biennial remains a platform for celebrating global excellence in children’s book illustration.