Uruguay is present at the online edition of Bologna Children's Book Fair

The largest showcase for children's and young adults' literature in the world, Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF) once again offered a range of Uruguayan works that aspire to obtain interest for their international publication. Due to the health emergency caused by COVID-19, the event was held virtually this year.

From Monday 4 to Thursday 7 May, representatives from the Amanuense and Basilisa publishing houses and the copyright agent Jorge Varela took part in the event through a virtual platform. Uruguay's participants were unanimously elected by a tribunal composed by representatives from Uruguay XXI, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC), and the Uruguayan Chamber of Books (CUL). In addition, 14 authors had the possibility to exhibit their work in a children's and young adults' literature catalogue and in the MEC's illustration catalogue.

Another highlight of the country's participation was the selection of Uruguayan illustrator Eduardo Sganga, who is part of the Bologna Official Illustrators Exhibition. Every year 75 illustrators are selected from among the 3,000 that take part in the annual contest.

Aimed at promoting the national publishing business and talent, Uruguay XXI has created a catalogue with a selection of works from Uruguayan authors of children's and young adults' literature. Those selected were: Amanuense, Natalia Cardozo, Matías Castro, Criatura Editora, Editorial Basilisa, Valentina Echeverría, Nino Fernández, Jorge Matos, María José Pita, Claudia Prezioso, Sebastián Santana, Dani Scharf, Alfredo Soderguit and Eduardo Sganga, winner of the 2019-2020 Illustration Prize.

Border closure and lockdown measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 led to new ways for networking and doing business. Webinars, masterclasses, portfolio reviews, exhibitions, award ceremonies, book trailers, videos and virtual business meetings are some of the initiatives that the Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF) offered to authors and illustrators in its 2020 edition.

During four days more than 2,500 participants from 80 countries had the opportunity to create new links within the international community in the online version of the event.

The BCBF gave access to the Illustrators' Virtual Wall, which was covered with posters, drawings, photos, images and contact details by the participating authors. The spectators were able to see the different works, select the author's origin country, obtain their contact and observe each work in detail.

In addition, the BCBF created a new format for its renowned Illustrators' "Survival Corner". This time, a 24-hour marathon was held aimed at connecting the illustrator's community around the world. 24 international reviewers, illustrators, art directors and agents from New Zealand, Mexico, Italy, China, France and Korea evaluated through video conference a total of 240 portfolios of previously registered illustrators.

As part of this special online program, a unique edition of the "Dust or Magic" master class was offered. The program was aimed at those who make digital media for today's children. The masterclass focused on the Bologna Ragazzi Digital Award report, in which the jury analysed the content market transformations after COVID-19 and reflected on the role of screens in this era.

Bologna Children's Book Fair (BCBF) is an unmissable meeting point for publishers, writers, illustrators, translators, literary agents, distributors and printers, and an ideal forum for promoting the publishing business and the purchase and sale of copyrights.

Uruguay's participation can be see through this link. The catalogue created specifically for the occasion is available here.