Words cannot describe the sheer magic of the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition. Mere words fail to convey the excitement aroused by this amazing event, which is staged by BolognaFiere alongside the Inter- national Children’s Book Fair, and rounds off the experience perfectly.

The 2016 Bologna Illustrators Exhibition is a “special” edition: 50 years have passed since the first Illustrators Exhibition was held in 1967, and there seemed no better time to cast our minds back over the fantastic journey that BolognaFiere has taken in the company of illustrators and publishers from all over the world. Down the years, the Exhibition has shone the spotlight on the creativity, imagination and whimsy of a truly international community of artists. Among our travelling companions were many young illustrators who went on to build spectacular careers; they return to Bologna year after year as enthusiastic as ever and always keen to measure themselves against the next generation of emerging talents.

Today more than ever, the Illustrators Exhibition is viewed as an in- ternational powerhouse for children’s book illustrations. Here, pub- lishers seek and find the artists who masterfully illustrate the stories and picturebooks enjoyed by children and teens the world over. The event is a drawcard for young artists seeking to make their hopes and dreams come true, and for publishers confident that their own expectations will be fulfilled.

However, the Illustrators Exhibition is much more than this: it is sheer “magic”. Even the most jaded visitor cannot help but fall under its spell when admiring the works selected by an international jury from among the thousands of entries that arrive every year from the four corners of the world. The expert jury is called upon to choose the illustration (or style) that has the greatest impact or uses a par- ticularly unusual technique. The entries are invariably of the highest standard and the jury always struggles to come up with the panel of illustrators around which the Exhibition is built.