Chinese picture book artist Cai Gao was named the winner of the 2026 Hans Christian Andersen Award for Illustration at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on April 13, becoming the first illustrator from China to be awarded the prestigious honor.
The award, regarded as the highest international distinction for creators of children’s literature, is presented every two years by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) to an author and an illustrator whose complete bodies of work have made a lasting contribution to the field. Cai’s award follows the first Chinese writer Cao Wenxuan’s win of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing in 2016.
A Pioneering Voice in Chinese Picture Books
Born in Changsha, Hunan Province in 1946, Cai Gao graduated from Hunan First Normal School (now Hunan First Normal University). She began creating illustrations and picture books for children based on Chinese folk tales in the 1970s, emerging as a pioneer of original Chinese picture books. After retiring in 2001, she dedicated herself fully to picture book creation. Largely self-taught, she has remained devoted to children’s book creation for decades, producing more than 40 picture books that draw deeply from Chinese folk traditions and classical literature.
Earlier Career Highlights
Before her historic Andersen Award win, Cai was the first Chinese artist to receive the Golden Apple Award at the Bratislava International Children’s Book Fair (BIB) in 1993. She also served as a juror for the 34th Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustration Exhibition and received the Special Contribution Award at the Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award in 2022.
Cai's recent picture book What Would It Be Like Without It (Bu Neng Mei You) was honored with the 12th National Outstanding Children’s Literature Award and the Bing Xin Children’s Book Award in 2025. Her other acclaimed works include The Land of Peach Blossom, How I Came to Be Me, and Blazing City 1938.
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Hunan education administration network
