What are the Aesop Prize and the Aesop Accolades?
The Aesop Prize and Accolades, awarded by the Children’s Folklore Section, recognize exceptional books, for children or young adults, that are based on folklore. The folklore must be accurately presented in the text and illustrations and add to the reader’s understanding of folklore.
To Be Eligible for the 2026 Competition:
- Folklore should be central to the book’s content and, where present, to its illustrations.
- The folklore presented should accurately reflect the culture and worldview of the people whose folklore inspired the book.
- The reader’s understanding of folklore should be enhanced by the book, and the book should be enhanced by the presence of folklore.
- The book must reflect the high artistic standards of the best of children’s literature and have strong appeal to the child reader.
- Books may be fiction or nonfiction, but must be published in the English language. Books in which the text is presented both in English and in another language are also eligible.
- Books must be published between August 15, 2025, and September 15, 2026.
- Folklore sources–whether oral or written–must be acknowledged and source annotations (where applicable) should be referenced within the bound contents of the publication.
To Submit Your Title(s) to the Competition:
- Submit your application details using the AFS Prize Application Form
- Send one (1) copy of each book to all members of the Aesop Prize Committee:
- K. Brandon Barker, Department of Folklore, Indiana University, 800 E 3rd Street, Bloomington, IN 47405
- LuAnne Roth (University of Rhode Island), 8 Druid Road, Warwick, RI 02888
To be considered, books must be received by August 15, 2026. Bound galleys are acceptable, provided publication date is no later than September 15.
Past Prize and Accolade Recipients
2026:
- Woolly Dog Warms His Family (Orca Book Publishers) by Andrea Fritz
- The Unbelievable True Story of Uutak (Inhabit Media) by Atuat Shouldice
- [Accolade] Korean Folktales for Children (Tuttle Publishing) by Julie Kim
- [Accolade] Abu Jmeel’s Daughter & Other Stories (Interlink Books) by Jamal Sleem Nuweihed
2025: The Three-Year Tumble (NorthSouth Books) by Dayeon Auh
2024:
- The Legend of Slappy Hooper: An American Tall Tale (Athenaeum and Skyhook Press), retold by Aaron Shephard and illustrated by Toni Goffe
- What’s in This Little Round Hole?: A Whimsical Kentucky Folktale Game (Wildway Publishing), retold by Mary-Lou Hagen Montagna and illustrated by Chris Beatrice
- [Accolade] Chang’e (HarperCollins) by Katrina Moore and illustrated by Cornelia Li
2022:
- Blancaflor, The Hero with Secret Powers: A Folktale from Latin America (Toon Books), written by Nadja Spiegelman and illustrated by Sergio García Sánchez
- A Bedtime Full of Stories: 50 Folktales from around the World (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books), written by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Anna Shepeta
- [Accolade] The Man of the Moon (Inhabit Media), written by Gunvor Bjerre and illustrated by Miki Jacobsen
- [Accolade] Across the Rainbow Bridge: Stories of Norse Gods and Humans (Candlewick Press), written by Kevin Crossley-Holland and illustrated by Jeffrey Alan Love
2021: Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns by Duncan Tonatiuh
Questions? Email cf.section@afsnet.org. To acquire seals for winning books, contact Priscilla Ord.