The laureate of the 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) will be announced at the National Library of Sweden in Stockholm on 25 March at 1 pm. The introductory speeches will be given by Kerstin Brunnberg, Chair of the Swedish Arts Council, and Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth, Sweden’s Minister for Culture.

This year’s award has drawn 238 nominations from 68 countries. The laureate or laureates – chosen from the nominated authors, illustrators, oral storytellers, reading promoters and reading promotion Groups – will be announced as usual by Larry Lempert, Chairman of the ALMA jury.

The press conference will be relayed live from the National Library to the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

– We are looking forward to hosting the announcement of this internationally significant news right here at the National Library, says Gunilla Herdenberg, the library’s Executive Director. The award puts children’s and young adult literature in the global spotlight, along with reading promotion, which is an important issue in contemporary society. It will be really exciting to be there when the jury announces this year’s laureate.

After the announcement, a jury member will give a presentation on the laureate(s). Follow the press conference live at www.alma.se, starting at 12:50 pm Central European Time (GMT+1).

The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA) is the world’s largest award for children’s and young adult literature. The award, which amounts to SEK 5 million, is given annually to a single laureate or to several. Authors, illustrators, oral storytellers and reading promoters are eligible. The award is designed to promote interest in children’s and young adult literature. The UN convention of rights of the child is the foundation of our work. An expert jury selects the laureate(s) from candidates nominated by institutions and organisations all over the world. The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was founded by the Swedish government in 2002 and is administrated by the Swedish Arts Council.