Little, Brown Book for Young Readers has selected artist Lázaro Miguel Garcia as the winner of the fifth annual Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award.
The award seeks to recognize a previously unpublished creator whose work amplifies and portrays a distinct and diverse cultural point of view, identity, or background. The program also provides valuable mentorship by an acclaimed illustrator and a group of children’s book professionals.
This year’s judge and mentor is New York Times bestselling artist and Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade.
Lázaro Miguel Garcia is a Cuban-American, non-binary artist, illustrator and educator living in Baltimore.
Originally judged by Caldecott Medalist and Honor artist Jerry Pinkney for the inaugural launch in 2016, Pinkey spoke of the award to Publishers Weekly: “As an artist of color, I know the significance of books that speak to the many cultural and racial squares that make up our world. As the inaugural judge for this award, I welcome the opportunity to impact diverse new voices in the field, while also honoring the time, insight, and open spirit of those I was fortunate to have at my side as a young artist, laying the groundwork for success. After more than 50 years of bookmaking, there is no doubt in my mind that mentorship is truly a shared joy and an essential responsibility to the creative process.”
Celebrating the fifth annual winner of the Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award, Caldecott Medalist, judge, and mentor Michaela Goade raves that “Lázaro Miguel Garcia is an artist with true verve — manifested in their bold colors and lines, easy sense of humor, and genuinely kid-friendly concepts. Their playful picture book dummy for Hello, Pierre brilliantly captures the energy of city life and celebrates how two children bring a community together with a simple desire to say hello and connect. Lázaro’s nearly wordless visual storytelling was a standout among our submissions and indicates a bright future in creating children’s books.”
Qualifying submissions for the Little, Brown Emerging Artist Award draw from the rich cultural experiences of this country — whether they manifest in character, theme, setting, or plot, or are derived simply from the artist’s own experience of identity. This includes literal or metaphorical inclusion of characters of underrepresented ethnicity, religious background, gender identity, class, mental or physical disability, or of any other non-dominant population.
The individual who submits the most accomplished picture book idea, in the form of a mock-up, is honored with a mentorship with a professional children’s book design and editorial team and a distinguished artist mentor. The winner will also have their submission reviewed by the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers editorial team for possible future publication.
Previous winners include Jin Xiaojing, whose debut picture book, I Miss My Grandpa, went on to be named a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book in 2019, as well as Cathy Wu, whose debut Popo and Meimei Can Help is scheduled to release in April 2024.
Artists must be previously unpublished and not currently represented by a publishing agent. One winner will be selected by a panel of three representatives from the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers editorial team along with an artist mentor. For more information and to enter, artists may visit LBArtistAward.com.