The long list of illustrators at Bologna 2026

The Bologna Children's Book Fair has been working for over 60 years to discover new trends and rising talents in global illustration.

This year, 4.158 illustrators entered for the Illustrators Exhibition 2026, with a total of 20.790 submissions coming from 95 countries and regions.

To determine the winners, the international jury shortlisted 317 finalist artists.

All finalists at the Bologna Children's Book Fair will enjoy priority access and a guaranteed spot for a portfolio review within the activities of the Illustrators Survival Corner 2026 to receive feedback and valuable suggestions from prominent publishers, illustrators, authors, agents, and art directors.
Furthermore, one illustrator will be selected from among the finalists to create the Visual Identity for the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2027, under the guidance of the Chialab design studio. This represents an exceptional chance for exposure and professional development, offering illustrators the opportunity to showcase their work to a global audience.

Here is the list in alphabetical order, and in it we find two Bulgarian names – Stella Drais and Martin Stanev (Bulgaria).

You can see the entire gallery here.

We are waiting for the shortlist, which we will also upload as an album on our Facebook page.

Please note that this is the list of FINALISTS, the list of WINNERS will be published very soon. This is a new concept of the Bologna Fair, to show the works on the long list as well.