9 Korean picture books win national award, set sights on global readers

Nine Korean picture books were selected for the 2026 Korea Picture Book Award, with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism pledging export support to help the winners reach readers worldwide. The ministry chose the works from 506 entries for the fourth annual awards, established in 2023 to develop Korean picture books and expand their overseas presence. The two grand prizes went to Jeon Mi-hwa’s fiction book and Kim Ji-won’s nonfiction book. Winners will receive translation, promotional and international showcase support, including opportunities at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

Each grand prize winner will receive 15 million won and the Culture Minister’s Award.

Baek Hee-na’s Gumeongcheong and The Most Wonderful Bird by Kim Bok-hee and Lee Myung-ae will each receive 10 million won; four other special-award works will each receive 7 million won.

Yeo Seo-yoon received the newcomer award for I Have a Song I Want to Sing for You, along with a 7 million won prize.

The nine publishers behind the winning books will each receive 3 million won.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Ferrum Tower in central Seoul.

Published Nov 3, 2026 11:43 am KST

The cover of Jeon Mi-hwa's "To the Fish in the Sea, to the Birds in the Sky, to the Animals in the Forest, and to Humans," a 2026 Korea Picture Book Award grand prize winner / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Nine Korean picture books have been selected for the 2026 Korea Picture Book Award, with the government pledging export support to help winning authors reach readers worldwide.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that nine works were chosen from 506 entries for the fourth annual awards, established in 2023 to promote the development of Korean picture books and expand their presence in overseas markets.

The two grand prizes went to Jeon Mi-hwa's "To the Fish in the Sea, to the Birds in the Sky, to the Animals in the Forest, and to Humans" in fiction and Kim Ji-won's "Raising Earthworms" in nonfiction.

Each grand prize winner will receive 15 million won ($10,350) and the Culture Minister's Award.

The six special awards recognize works by Baek Hee-na, for "Gumeongcheong"; Kim Bok-hee and Lee Myung-ae for "The Most Wonderful Bird"; Jin Eun-young and Lee Suzy for "Today Is My Birthday"; Nam Ki-rim for "All the Goodbyes in the World"; So Yoon-kyung for "Kosirong Haenyeo Table"; and Kim Hyo-eun for "You Can Do It."

Baek's work and the book by Kim Bok-hee and Lee Myung-ae will each receive 10 million won, while the other four will each receive 7 million won.

Yeo Seo-yoon received the newcomer award for "I Have a Song I Want to Sing for You," along with a 7 million won prize.

The cover of Kim Ji-won's "Raising Earthworms," a 2026 Korea Picture Book Award grand prize winner / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The nine publishers behind the winning books will also receive 3 million won each.

The ministry said winners will receive sample translations, promotional support, reviews and opportunities to showcase their books at major international events, including the Bologna Children's Book Fair.

"Picture books are publishing content that combines writing, illustrations and design to deliver emotion and imagination to a wide range of readers, from children to adults," said Choi Seong-hee, the ministry's director general for content industry policy.

She added, "The ministry will continue to support the creation and publication of outstanding picture books and strengthen various support measures, including translation, exports and international exchanges, so that Korean picture books can meet readers in wider markets overseas."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

2026年韩国绘本大奖评选出九部获奖作品，韩国文化体育观光部承诺提供出口支持，帮助获奖作品走向世界。该奖项设立于2023年，旨在发展韩国绘本并拓展其海外市场，此次评选是第四届。九部作品从506部参赛作品中脱颖而出。全美华的虚构类绘本和金智媛的非虚构类绘本分别荣获两项大奖。获奖者将获得翻译、宣传和国际展示方面的支持，包括参加博洛尼亚国际儿童书展的机会。

每位大奖获得者将获得1500万韩元奖金和文化部长奖。

白熙娜的《九明青》和金福熙、李明爱的《最美好的鸟》将分别获得 1000 万韩元奖金；其他四部特别奖作品将分别获得 700 万韩元奖金。

吕瑞允凭借歌曲《我有一首歌想为你唱》获得新人奖，并获得700万韩元奖金。

获奖图书的九家出版社将各获得 300 万韩元的奖励。

颁奖典礼定于周二下午2点在首尔市中心的Ferrum Tower举行。

发布于2026年11月3日上午11:43（韩国标准时间）

全美花作品《致海里的鱼儿，致天空中的鸟儿，致森林里的动物，致人类》封面，荣获2026年韩国绘本大奖 / 图片由韩国文化体育观光部提供

九本韩国绘本入围2026年韩国绘本奖，政府承诺提供出口支持，帮助获奖作者走向世界。

韩国文化体育观光部周二表示，从506份参赛作品中选出了9部作品，角逐第四届年度奖项。该奖项设立于2023年，旨在促进韩国绘本的发展，并扩大其在海外市场的份额。

两项大奖分别颁给了全美花的小说《致海里的鱼，致天上的鸟，致森林里的动物，致人类》和金智媛的非虚构作品《养蚯蚓》。

每位大奖获得者将获得 1500 万韩元（10350 美元）和文化部长奖。

六项特别奖分别表彰了白熙娜的《九明青》、金福熙和李明爱的《最美好的鸟》、晋恩英和李秀智的《今天是我的生日》、南基林的《世间所有的告别》、苏允京的《海女桌》以及金孝恩的《你可以做到》。

白的作品和金福熙、李明爱合著的书籍将分别获得 1000 万韩元的奖金，而其他四位作者将分别获得 700 万韩元的奖金。

吕瑞允凭借《我有一首歌想为你唱》获得新人奖，并获得700万韩元奖金。

金智媛作品《养蚯蚓》封面，荣获2026年韩国绘本大奖 / 图片由韩国文化体育观光部提供

获奖图书的九家出版社也将分别获得300万韩元奖金。

教育部表示，获奖者将获得样译、宣传支持、评论以及在包括博洛尼亚国际儿童书展在内的重大国际活动中展示其书籍的机会。

“图画书是将文字、插图和设计相结合的出版内容，旨在向从儿童到成人的广大读者传递情感和想象力，”文化部内容产业政策司司长崔成熙表示。

她补充说：“教育部将继续支持优秀绘本的创作和出版，并加强包括翻译、出口和国际交流在内的各项支持措施，以便让韩国绘本能够被海外更广阔市场的读者所接受。”

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。