Stockholm, Sweden -- Japanese illustrator Ryoji Arai and British author Philip Pullman were named the winners of the third annual Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for Literature on Wednesday.
Both authors were invited to Stockholm to collect the $732,515 prize from Crown Princess Victoria on May 25.
Established by the Swedish government, the prize is presented annually to promote children's literature and books focusing on the rights of children. The committee received 118 nominations for this year's prize.
It was named for Lindgren, the beloved Swedish children's author whose Pippi Longstocking, a strong-willed girl with braided hair, freckles and mismatched stockings, captivated generations of children around the world. Lindgren died Jan. 28, 2002.
Arai was cited for his career of illustrating children's books with what the award committee called "bold, mischievous and unpredictable" images.
"His picture books glow with warmth, playful good humor and an audacious spontaneity that appeals to children and adults alike," the citation said. "In adventure after adventure, color flows through his hands in an almost musical way. As a medium for conveying stories to children, his art is at once genuine and truly poetic, encouraging children to paint and to tell their own stories."
Pullman has written nearly 20 books, starting with 1982's "Count Karlstein," followed by "The Ruby in the Smoke" in 1986 and the Sally Lockhart quartet.
His best known work is the trilogy "His Dark Materials," which includes "Northern Lights," "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass." He was honored for his work on those with the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Book Award and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award.
The committee cited his work, noting that with "inventiveness, linguistic brilliance and psychological insight he creates and explores his own worlds without losing focus on here and now. Through his strong characters he stands firmly on the side of young people, ruthlessly questioning authority and proclaiming humanism and the power of love whilst maintaining an optimistic belief in the child even in the darkest of situations."
American Maurice Sendak and Austrian Christine Noestlinger shared the first Lindgren award in 2003. Last year's winner was Brazilian author Lygia Bojunga.
The prize can be awarded to individual writers and groups that promote reading among children.
This year's award was elected by a jury of 12 Swedish researchers, authors and librarians, including one of Lindgren's relatives.
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