The 2026 Korean Picture Book Award has selected To the Fish in the Sea and the Bird in the Sky (fiction) as the Grand Prize winner, as announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Publishing Culture Industry Promotion Agency on November 3.
This year marks the fourth edition of the awards, with a total of 506 entries submitted. After expert evaluations, two Grand Prize winners were chosen—one in the fiction category and one in nonfiction—along with six Special Prize winners and one Rookie Prize winner, totaling nine awardees.
The Grand Prize in the fiction category went to To the Fish in the Sea and the Bird in the Sky (Jeon Mi-hwa, Borim Publishing), while the nonfiction Grand Prize was awarded to Worms, Grow Worms (Kim Ji-won, RHK).
To the Fish in the Sea and the Bird in the Sky reflects on the relationship between nature and humanity, emphasizing the significance of coexistence among all living beings. Worms, Grow Worms explores the value of life and the natural cycle through the lens of the humble worm, effectively conveying the importance of living in harmony with the ecosystem.
Each Grand Prize winner will receive a Minister of Culture Award and a cash prize of 15 million won.
Among the six Special Prize winners, two authors—Baek Hee-na for Hole (Story Bowl) and Kim Bok-hee and Lee Myung-ae for The Most Wonderful Bird in the World (Four Seasons Publishing)—will each receive a Minister of Culture Award and a cash prize of 10 million won. The authors of four other works—Today is My Birthday (Jin Eun-young, Lee Su-ji, Our School), All the Peace in the World (Nam Gi-rim, Gomgom), Haenyeo's Table (So Yoon-kyung, Woongjin Think Big), and I Can Do It (Kim Hyo-eun, Changbi)—will receive awards from the head of the publishing promotion agency and a cash prize of 7 million won each.
The Rookie Prize was awarded to I Have a Song I Want to Share with You (Yeo Seo-yoon, Four Seasons Publishing), with the author receiving a Minister of Culture Award and a cash prize of 7 million won. Additionally, the nine publishing houses that produced the award-winning works will each receive a cash prize of 3 million won.
The award-winning works will be promoted through the integrated publishing export platform (K-Book) and the English webzine K-Book Trends, which will support sample translations and reviews. Various export support benefits, including exhibitions at major international book fairs such as the Bologna Children's Book Fair, will also be provided.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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