2026 Guðrún Helgadóttir Children's Book Award presented at Höfði

Mayor Hildur Björnsdóttir presented the Guðrún Helgadóttir Children's Book Award at Höfði today.

The Guðrún Helgadóttir Children's Book Award was created in 2018 in honor of the writer of Guðrún Helgadóttir. Given annually for an unpublished children's or young adult manuscript, the award aims to encourage innovation in Icelandic children's literature and support authors writing for children and young people.

Around 70 manuscripts were submitted to Reykjavík City's competition for the Guðrún Helgadóttir Children's Book Award this time. The selection committee noted that many submissions were of high quality, making their final decision difficult. Ultimately, the committee voted unanimously to award the prize to the manuscript "Bestu vinir." The authors are Eva Rún Þorgeirsdóttir and Blær Guðmundsdóttir. Bókabeitan will publish the book, which will be available in stores following the award presentation.

Friendship and a mysterious puzzle

"Bestu vinir" follows a boy and a girl who meet when she moves in next door. He initially dislikes her, but his feelings change when they become seatmates at school. Together, they tackle a mysterious puzzle involving events at the school, forging an unexpected friendship through their adventures.

Authors Eva and Blær describe the book as a collaborative effort.

"Bestu vinir" is our joint creation. We developed the story together — I wrote the text, while Blær created the illustrations and designed the book's visual style. Collaboration remained central to every stage of our creative process. We worked hard to seamlessly integrate the text and images, and the final book is heavily illustrated.

The concept emerged from countless conversations with children about friendship and cooperation during Eva and Blær's school visits and storytelling workshops.

An exciting and entertaining story about the value of friendship

In its official statement, the selection committee praised the story's writing and age-appropriate language. The characters are fully developed, and the narrative is both exciting and entertaining. The committee described the illustrations as an inseparable element that brings the work to life. The selection committee believes "Bestu vinir" will resonate with young readers and offer genuine enjoyment, while the story conveys the value of friendship and open-mindedness without being heavy-handed.

The story targets middle primary level readers, and the selection committee emphasized the importance of providing fun, accessible reading material for children just beginning to read independently.

Þorgeir Ólafsson, Ragnheiður Gestsdóttir, and Katrín Lilja Jónsdóttir served on the 2026 Guðrún Helgadóttir Children's Book Award selection committee.