21 March 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEIBBY ANNOUNCES WINNER OF THE 2022 IBBY-ASAHI READING PROMOTION AWARD
Sylvia Vardell, Chair of the IBBY Reading promotion Jury of the International Board on Books forYoung People (IBBY) announces the winner of the 2022 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award.
IBBY is very grateful to the continuing support and sponsorship of the Asahi Shimbun MediaGroup from Japan.
The 2022 winner is:Pinnguaqta, a programme of Ilitaqsinniq – The Nunavut Literary Council, from Canada
The Intergenerational and Family Literacy Initiative is one of Ilitaqsiniq’s main pillars of work.
Included in this initiative, Pinnguaqta is an inclusive and culturally meaningful community-based
early childhood education programme that is designed and centred on Inuit societal values. The
programme supports and encourages parents and caregivers in the development of life, literacy
and essential skills in their infant and preschool children in preparation for formalized education.
The target group of Pinnguaqta is children from birth to six-years old, as well as their parents
and caregivers. Full and part-time staff, content specialists, and community Elders work togetherto provide “wraparound support” for informal culture-based learning in a warm, safe andwelcoming environment.
The Jury appreciated the holistic approach of the project, this was seen to be a good message
especially for minority nations across the world. The “safe place” idea with the focus onintergenerational family literacy was much admired.
IBBY congratulates the Ilitaqsiniq programme. The winners of the IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion
Award are endowed with prize money of USD 10,000, which is generously given by theCorporate Social Responsibility Department of the Asahi Shimbun.
The 2022 Jury comprised:
Constanza Mekis (Chile), Doris Breitmoser (Germany), Elena Pasoli (Italy), Basarat Kazim(Pakistan), Sophie Hallam (UK), and Sylvia Vardell (USA) as Chair.
Each nomination was judged according to the following criteria:
I.
II.
III.

How well does the project support IBBY’s Mission Statement?
Is there existing or possible support for the project from other funding sources?
Has the project been in existence for at least two years prior to its nomination?
Is the project sustainable? Does it provide a framework for growth?
IV.
What is the impact of the project? Does it reach its stated target audience?
V.
Is the project original and innovative?
VI.
Can the project provide a model for others? Is it easily replicated? Are any
printed materials available and are they of high literary quality?
VII.
Can the results of the project be evaluated?
The other nominated projects for the 2022 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award are:_____________________________________________________________________________
Nonnenweg 12, CH-4055 Basel, Switzerland

Poesía en la escuela, Buenos Aires, Argentina;
Fundación Giracuentos, Santiago de Chile, Chile;
Di Heslige Sløngers Klup, Middle Jutland, Denmark;Albus International Children’s Literature Festival, Aarhus, Denmark;DREAM: Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring, Dominican Republic;
Fundación Abriendo Camino, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;
Reading Marathon: Ecuador, A Country That Reads, Quito, Ecuador;
ATD Fourth World’s Street Libraries, France;
Art of Buna, Ethiopia;
Parag Multi-State Library Project, Tata Trusts, India;
The Community Library Project (TCLP), New Delhi, India;
Children Cultural Development Centre (CCDC), Iran;De Verhalenweverij, Flanders, Belgium;
Stichting De Voorlees Express, Netherlands;
Društvo Bralna značka Slovenije-ZPMS, Slovenia;
Book Dash, South Africa;
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library: The Dollywood Foundation, USA.

About the International Board on Books for Young People – IBBY
The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) is a non-profit organization, which
represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed tobringing books and children together.
IBBY’s mission is•to promote international understanding through children's books;•to give children everywhere the opportunity to have access to books with high literary
and artistic standards;•

to encourage the publication and distribution of quality children's books, especially indeveloping countries;•

to provide support and training for those involved with children and children'sliterature;•

to stimulate research and scholarly works in the field of children's literature;•

to protect and uphold the Rights of the Child according to the UN Convention on theRights of the Child.

Contact:
For more information, about the winners and about IBBY go to www.ibby.org or write to
Executive Director Liz Page at: liz.page@ibby.org