Faroese children’s radio programme nominated for ALMA award

The Faroese children’s radio programme Barnaútvarpið has been nominated for the 2027 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for its work encouraging children and young people to read, KVF reports.

The Faroese Writers’ Association nominated the programme and its presenters, Jonna Fritsdóttir Mortensen and Elin á Rógvi, to recognise their long-running work promoting children’s and young adult literature, said association chair Rakel Helmsdal.

Helmsdal compared the award to a Nobel Prize for children’s and young adult literature and said that being nominated was an honour in itself. Mortensen and á Rógvi said they were surprised, happy and proud of the nomination.

The presenters said Barnaútvarpið is broadcast on weekdays and Sundays, and that children hearing stories is important, particularly at a time when there is much discussion about children’s language skills.

The programme is nominated in the Reading Promotion category, one of four award categories. The others are Author, Illustrator and Oral Storytelling. The award was established in 2002 in memory of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. A total of 277 candidates from 80 countries and territories have been nominated for the 2027 award, which is worth five million Swedish kronor, or just under 3.4 million Faroese krónur. The winner will be announced on April 6, 2027.