4th edition of Big Little Book Awards 2019, instituted by Parag, an initiative of Tata Trusts announces winners
New Delhi: The winner of the Big Little Book Awards 2019 for the best children’s author (Hindi) is Prabhat and Priya Kuriyan has been announced as the winner of the Big Little Book Award 2019 for the best children’s illustrator. The awards will be given during the presentation ceremony at the Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest 2019 on the 17th of November in Mumbai.
The selection of the winners was subjected to intense scrutiny by the jury panel. The intention was to reach a consensus on the eventual winners, among the 147 entries of extraordinary authors and illustrators.
As mentioned by the Jury, “Prabhat’s writing presents images and experiences of a humble life with originality and spontaneity. His works create opportunities for children to be immersed in the realm of happiness and curiosity. Prabhat has brought in a new wave to the world of children’s literature”
“Priya Kuriyan has the rare ability to get inside a child’s mind with her illustrations that bring alive a story to a young reader. She dives into the story, acquiring a deep and multi-faceted understanding that is critical in allowing the story to emerge in illustration”, said the Jury.
The jury for the Author (Hindi) Category consisted of renowned poets, authors and writers such as Arvind Gupta, Gurbachan Singh, Prachi Kalra, Suneeta Mishra and Udayan Vajpeyi. The jury for the Illustrator Category consisted of senior graphic designers and painters such as Aashti Mudnani, Proiti Roy, Rani Dharker, Sunandini Banerjee and Thejaswi Shivanand.
About the Award
The Big Little Book Award was instituted by Parag to recognize and honour significant contribution of authors and illustrators to children’s literature in Indian language(s). Instituted since 2016, the award is given under two categories –author and illustrator/artist. Every year, one Indian language is chosen for awarding an author. The language for 2019 is Hindi. Authors writing extensively for children in Hindi but not limited to it are eligible for nomination. The award for illustrator is not language specific and nominations can come from across languages. The Big Little Book Award aims to create a platform for young readers, parents, schools, publishers and other stakeholders to meet and read the work of authors/illustrators. The goal is to ensure every child experiences the joys of reading and reading good children’s books.