Premio Strega Ragazze e Ragazzi 2025

The Strega Prize Ragazze e Ragazzi celebrates its first ten years, the award dedicated to children's and young adult literature, promoted by the Maria and Goffredo Bellonci Foundation and Strega Alberti Benevento – the organizers of the Premio Strega – with the Center for the Book and Reading of the Ministry of Culture and BolognaFiere – Bologna Children's Book Fair, in collaboration with BPER Banca, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Italian Education System Abroad, media partner RAI, and technical sponsors Feltrinelli Bookstores and SYGLA.
To celebrate the milestone of the first decade, a display will be set up at the fair showcasing the titles awarded from the first edition to the present.

The Best Storytelling in Pictures category returns for its fourth year at the fair, announced at the Illustrators Café (April 2, 2.30-3.20 PM). This category was created to highlight the relationship between the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Strega Prize, rewarding excellence in illustrated books.

Among the 42 books proposed by publishers in this competition category, the scientific committee, composed of Martino Negri, Ilaria Tagliaferri, and Virginia Tonfoni, selected the three finalist books:
Ole Könnecke and Nikolaus Heidelbach, No Dragons for Celeste, translated by Chiara Belliti (Beisler);
Beatrice Masini, Children and Gardens, illustrated by Francesca Ballarini (Timpetill);
Cristiana Pezzetta and Sylvie Bello, The Girl and the She-Bear (Topipittori).

The special mention goes to Neil Packer, The Parable of the Independent Bakery (Camelozampa), translated by Sara Saorin.

The author will receive a cash prize, and an equal prize will be awarded to the illustrator, if different from the author, and to the translator, in the case of a translated book. Both recognitions are offered by BolognaFiere. In Bologna, the first selections of the competition categories 6+, 8+, 11+ and the shortlist for the Best Debut Book will also be announced.