Bokushin INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE,OSAKA
■The International Brothers Grimm Award

【The International Brothers Grimm Award for Research into Children's Literature】

September, 2022

1. Purpose:
For the development of children's literature, it is highly desired to promote steady and sound research into it. To encourage people who engage in such research, it will be a valuable incentive if awards are given to those who have made a prominent contribution to this field of study. We hereby establish a regular international award for research into children's literature in order to contribute its development.

2. Details of the establishment:
The award was established in 1986. As it happened to be commemorative year of the bicentenary of the birth of the Brothers Grimm, we named the award after these outstanding collectors and excellent scholars of Marchen well known all over the world. We plan that the award will be given every other year from 1986 onward in alternation with the Hans Christian Andersen Prize which is given to writers and illustrators also every other year.

It was the Kinran-kai Foundation the alumni association of Osaka Prefectural Otemae High School, that established the fund for this award as on of the commemorative projects of the 100th anniversary of the foundation of their school.

3. Sponsorship:
Under the auspices of the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka.
Supporter by the Kinran-kai Foundation and Osaka Prefectural Otemae Senior High School Alumni Kinrankai.

4. Title:
The International Brothers Grimm Award.

5. Qualifications for recipients:
One who has performed outstanding work in research into children's literature and picture books, or one who has contributed remarkably to such research and to the promotion of such research.
The award will be given to an individual, not to an organization.

6. Prize and prize money:
Besides a commemorative prize \1,000,000 will be given to the recipient of the award.


7. Time of award presentation and number of persons:
1987 is the first year, and from that time on prizes will be given every other year. One prize winner is selected each time.


8. Method of selection:

1) The recipient will be decided by the selection committee based on the results of questionnaires answered by specialists at home and abroad.

2) The selection committee consists of ten persons:

John Stephens Emeritus Professor of Macquarie University (Australia)
Ziqian Zhu Professor of Ocean University (China)
Winfred Kaminski Professor at Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
Evelyn Arizpe Professor of University of Glasgow,
President of the International Research Society for Children’s Literature (U.K.)
Kimberly Reynolds Professor of University of Newcastle (U.K.)
Ariko Kawabata Professor of Japan Women’s University,
President of the Japan Society for Children’s Literature in English
Motoko Sato Emeritus Professor of Chiba University
Sumiko Yokokawa Director of the Japan Society for Children’s Literature
Yoshio Tahara Director of the Kinran-kai Foundation
Takeo Miyakawa Chief Director of the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka


Members of the committee overseas will be requested to communicate through letters in the process of the selection.

The recipient will be invited to the Award Ceremony. Traveling expenses will be paid for by the host organization.

The financial affairs of this award will be carried out from the Kinran-kai Foundation.

The management business concerning this award will be undertaken at the International Institute for Children's Literature, Osaka.



【The Shield of the Award】

The 1st to 6th The 7th ~
The 1st to 6th
The 7th ~



【The Successive Winners of the Award】

2023 the 19th Dr. Clare Bradford
・2021 the 18th Prof. Zhu Ziqiang
・2019 the 17th Prof. Okiko Miyake
・2017 the 16th Dr. Roberta Seelinger Trites
・2015 the 15th Prof. Perry Nodelman
・2013 the 14th Prof. Kimberley Reynolds
・2011 the 13th Prof. Jiang Feng
・2009 the 12th Prof. Emeritus Teruo Jinguh
・2007 the 11th Prof. John Stephens
・2005 the 10th Prof. Dr.Maria Nikolajeva
・2003 the 9th Prof. Dr.Peter Hunt
・2001 the 8th Dr. Jean Perrot
・1999 the 7th Dr. Jack Zipes
・1997 the 6th Dr. Theodor BrÜggemann
・1995 the 5th Dr. Denise Escarpit
・1993 the 4th Prof. Shin Torigoe
・1991 the 3rd Dr. James Fraser
・1989 the 2nd Dr. GÖte Klingberg
・1987 the 1st Prof. Dr.Klaus Doderer


11TH International Brothers Grimm Award (PDF)
・The 10th International Brothers Grimm Award Commemorational Talk