María Cristina Ramos, the internationally renowned writer from Neuquén – Neuquén Informa

He was a finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Prize, also known as the “Little Nobel Prize.”

The Hans Christian Andersen Prize was awarded to the French writer Marie-Aude Murail at the Putrajaya International Book Fair in Malaysia. This event concerns us, since the writer María Cristina Ramos, who has lived, worked and written in Neuquén for many years, was a finalist for the prestigious Children’s Literature award.

The Hans Christian Andersen Prize, also known as the “Little Nobel Prize”, is the biennial international award given by IBBY, the International Organization for Children’s and Young People’s Books, in recognition of the career and enduring contribution of the work of a living author. to children’s and youth literature. It is the most important award for the field of children’s and young people’s literature, and it is awarded after a detailed selection process that begins with the presentation of candidacies, from each IBBY member country.

The Hans Christian Andersen Prize is awarded in two categories, writer and illustrator, and for each edition of the prize, the member countries of the organization choose their candidates who best represent them. In Argentina, the institution in charge of selecting the candidates for the Andersen Prize is ALIJA (Association of Children’s and Youth Literature of Argentina) as the national section of IBBY. After this process that lasts months, a list of only five finalists in each category is drawn up, the best five authors and the best five illustrators, who will still go through a new stage until, by democratic and highly consensual vote, to the winners.

On this occasion, 29 writers and 32 illustrators were the candidates nominated by 33 countries for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The criteria used to evaluate the candidates included aesthetic and literary quality, as well as the freshness and innovation of the set of works; the ability to see the point of view of children and to arouse their curiosity; and the continued relevance of their works for children and young people

To choose the winners, the jury —composed of 10 specialists from all over the world (including Cecilia Repetti, specialist and member of ALIJA)— began last year with the reading of more than 300 works. There the Short List was chosen (the six finalists in each category). In that Short List, the writer already from Neuquén by adoption was selected -for the second time, since in the 2020 edition she was also a finalist. “So far I have come, to this list of finalists that makes me happy for the path traveled, for our LIJ and for bringing the representation of Argentina to life, peace and democracy, the jasmines, the childhoods. Thank you Alija for the accompaniment! ”, Expressed the prolific author in her networks.

The Ministry of Culture congratulates the beloved writer María Cristina Ramos and celebrates her work, her contributions to culture, her presence in childhood and in the networks that make the encounter with the poetic word possible and enriching. We also appreciate her contributions and her constant collaboration with mediators in popular schools and libraries in the province.