The longlist for the 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize was announced today, Thursday 11 February 2021. Established in 2016, the Klaus Flugge Prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It honours Klaus Flugge, founder of publisher Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books.

Previous Klaus Flugge Prize winners include Jessica Love in 2019 for the ground-breaking Julian is a Mermaid, Francesca Sanna in 2017 for The Journey and Kate Milner for My Name is Not Refugee in 2018.

Over fifty books were submitted, striking proof of publishers’ commitment to commissioning and developing new illustrators. 20 have made it onto the longlist.

Julia Eccleshare, chair of the judging panel says: “We are excited to announce the longlist for this year’s Klaus Flugge Prize and to celebrate the wealth of talent in the world of picture book illustration. As ever, the books on the longlist represent an extraordinarily wide range of subjects and themes: friendship, love, family and our natural world are perennial subjects for books for young children but here too are night-time adventures, tales of daring, and a treatise on why it’s not rude to be nude. Though they are telling different stories and using a range of artistic techniques, the longlisted illustrators are all gifted storytellers. We are grateful as ever to Klaus Flugge for supporting the award and shining this spotlight on illustrators and illustration for children.”

The 2021 Klaus Flugge Prize longlist in full:

Child of Galaxies, Charlotte Ager, art director Lilly Gottwald, (Flying Eye Books).

Dear Earth, Clara Anganuzzi, written by Isabel Otter, art director Thomas Truong, designer Emma Jennings (Caterpillar Books)

The Last Garden, Anneli Bray, written by Rachel Ip, editor Frances Elks, art director Paula Burgess (Hodder Children’s Books)

While You’re Sleeping, John Broadley, written by Mick Jackson, editor Neil Dunnicliffe, designer Sarah Crookes (Pavilion)

The Grizzly Itch, Victoria Cassanell, editor Grace Greave, designer Lydia Coventry (Macmillan Children’s Books)

Gustavo the Shy Ghost, Flavia Z. Drago, editors Tanya Rosie and Maria Tunney, art director Anne-Louise Jones (Walker Books)

It Isn’t Rude to be Nude, Rosie Haine, editor Fay Evans, designer Jade Wheaton (Tate)

RSPB Birds, Angela Harding, written by Miranda Krestovnikoff, editor Isobel Doster, art director Strawberrie Donnelly (Bloomsbury

The Twin Dogs, Chihiro Inoue, editor Fay Evans, designer Jade Wheaton (Tate)

Like the Moon Loves the Sky, Saffa Khan, written by Hena Khan, editor Ariel Richardson, art director Amelia Mack, designer Abbie Goveia (Chronicle Books)

A Hat for Mr Mountain, Soojin Kwak, editor Helen Weir, art director Chris Inns, designer Jo Spooner (Two Hoots)

Lost, Alexandra Mîrzac, editor Fay Evans, designer Jade Wheaton (Tate).

Fly Tiger Fly, Rikin Parekh, editor Ellie Brough, designer Grahame Lyus (Hodder Children’s Books)

Where the Sea Meets the Sky, Riko Sekiguchi, written by Peter Bently, editor Nicola Carthy, designer Grahame Lyus (Hodder Children’s Books)

I’m Sticking with You, Steve Small, written by Smriti Halls, editor Helen Mackenzie Smith, designer Jane Buckley (Simon and Schuster)

My Red Hat, Rachel Stubbs, editor Denise Johnstone-Burt, designer Charlie Moyler (Walker Books)

A Fox Called Herbert, Margaret Sturton, editor Sue Buswell, designer Rebecca Garrill (Andersen Press)

Bartholomew and the Morning Monsters, Ruan van Vliet, written by Sophie Berger, editor and art director Ziggy Hanaor (Cicada Books)

Rabbit Bright, Viola Wang, editor Nicola Carthy, designer Jennifer Stephenson (Hodder Children’s Books)

The After Christmas Tree, Bethan Welby, art director Janice Thomson, designer Goldy Broad (Scallywag Press)

Eva Eland, 2020 winner with When Sadness Comes to Call, returns this year as a judge alongside celebrated illustrator Posy Simmonds; Darryl Clifton, Illustration Programme Director at Camberwell College of Arts; Fleur Sinclair of the Sevenoaks Bookshop; and Mathew Tobin Senior Lecturer in English and Children’s Literature, Oxford Brookes University. The panel will be chaired by Julia Eccleshare, director of the children’s programme of the Hay Festival. They have a hard task ahead reducing this list to the shortlist which will be announced on 19 May 2021 and the winner will be revealed in September.

More information about the history of the award and details of previous winners can be found on the official website.