Lauren Saunders - 2026 Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustration Exhibition - Winner!

Congratulations for Lauren Saunders who was selected as one of 75 winners of the 2026 Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition!

One of the longest-standing and most successful initiatives of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Illustrators Exhibition was established in 1967 as a showcase for discovering new talent and has accompanied the evolution of the illustration world for decades.

After reviewing 317 finalist submissions, the international jury selected 75 illustration sets, created by 75 artists from 31 countries and regions around the world.

For the 2026 edition, 4,158 illustrators submitted a total of 20,790 artworks from 94 countries and regions.

The Illustrators Exhibition offers unparalleled visibility for the selected artists. At the end of the fair each year, an international tour begins, bringing the works to major cultural venues in leading capitals and cities around the world over the following two years.

CLICK HERE to see the 2026 Winning Illustrators.

Lauren says: The news came as an absolute surprise (I'm still in shock!), and I feel very overwhelmed, honoured and proud. I am so excited that my illustrations will be exhibited in Bologna! I am now planning to go to the fair in April, which will be such a dream come true for this little aspiring illustrator.

Huge Congratulations Lauren!

Congrats Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder OAM

SCBWIAustEast would love to congratulate Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder, one of Australia’s most recent OAMs. Stephanie is a children’s author with a deep love of books, art, history and the environment and we are thrilled that she has been honoured with this award for services to Children’s Literature.

This what Stephanie had to say about the award:

I have been involved in the world of children's literature since the 1980s as a reviewer, academic, critic, and editor. And, since retiring from Hansard at Federal Parliament in 2006, I've been the author and illustrator of over 30 books. Along with my family, children's literature has been my love and my passion, and so I was totally discombobulated to find out that I had been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to children's literature in the 2026 Australia Day Honours.

Over the years I have been supported, encouraged and inspired by the Children's Book Council of Australia, SCBWI, Marion Writers, the ACT Chief Minister's Reading Challenge and the National Centre for Australian Children’s Literature. I've worked with amazing publishers, including Susan Hall and Lauren Smith at the National Library of Australia and Briana Melideo at CSIRO Publishing. I've been mentored by the one and only Emeritus Professor Belle Alderman AM, and I've had the ongoing support of many creative friends, especially Tania McCartney, Cate Whittle and Irma Gold. They are all simply the best.

Dr Stephanie Owen Reeder OAM

Huge congratulations Stephanie from all your SCBWI friends. So well deserved.

SCBWI Success Story - Mick Elliott

Mick Elliott, Illustrator and Author

I am so grateful to be a past recipient of the SCBWI Picture Book Illustrator Awards for my graphic novel memoir, HYPO. Creating a graphic novel from scratch is a monumental task, requiring years of unpaid work to develop materials to pitch to publishers. HYPO - a personal story of being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a teenager - is a departure from the style and tone of books I have previously written and illustrated. I was nervous and unsure about the project’s appeal, and whether the time I was spending developing it was worthwhile.

Receiving the SCBWI award was exactly the validation I needed during this early stage of the book’s development. It provided resources to undertake study to develop my illustration skills and facilitated on-going mentorships with experienced illustrators in the industry who have provided invaluable support in my career development. As I continue to work on the book, I am buoyed by the knowledge that the SCBWI judges see the potential in it!  

Find out more about the Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards here.