Swiss illustrator Albertine wins 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award
Albertine, a Geneva-based Swiss illustrator, has won the prestigious 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Prize 2020 for her illustrations for children's books.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Français
fr
La dessinatrice suisse Albertine décroche le Prix Hans Christian Andersen 2020
“Albertine creates books with multiple levels of interpretation, with drawings made with infinite precision that are lively and full of humour,” the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) said on Monday in a press release.External link
The Hans Christian Andersen Award, which the NGO hands out every two years, is considered one of the highest international awards for authors and illustrators of children’s books.
The illustrator told Swiss public television, RTS, that the news had taken her by surprise.
“I was in my garden in my rubber boots and got a call from someone in English. I thought I’d won a mattress from the supermarket Conforama or something like that. It took me several hours to realise. It’s a crazy surprise. I didn’t expect it at all. The best prizes are the ones you don’t expect,” she declared.
Albertine is the fourth Swiss illustrator to be awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Prize after Alois Carigiet (1966), Jörg Müller (1994) and Jürg Schubiger (2008). An international jury selected her from among 36 candidates from all over the world.
Albertine, whose family name is Zullo, has shown her work in many exhibitions in Switzerland and France. She has produced numerous children’s books, illustrations, posters and other artwork.
She was the first Swiss artist to be awarded the prestigious Golden Apple in Bratislava, which she received for her Marta et la bicyclette. In 2009 she won the Schweizer Kinder- und Jugendmedienpreis for La Rumeur de Venise. Her Les oiseaux, a collaboration with the writer Germano Zullo, was awarded the Prix Sorcières and was listed by the New York Times Book Review as one of the Top 10 Books of the Year in 2012. Mon tout petit was awarded First Prize at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in 2016.
At the online ceremony on Monday, American author Jacqueline Woodson also won the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Prize for writing.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.