An approach to Brazilian children’s and young adult literature awards (2000–2020): analysis and characterization

Abstract

Objective: The relevance of literary prizes has been widely studied, although no works have been found that reflect their importance in the case of Children's and Youth Literature (LIJ) in Brazil, so this work aims to be a first approach to the subject. Methods: For this, the national LIJ awards in Brazil have been studied, as well as 474 award-winning titles in force between 2000 and 2020 and a characterization of them has been carried out, studying their chronological evolution, the institutions on which they depend, its most awarded modalities, categories and genres. Results: It is concluded that in Brazil there are few national LIJ awards compared to its large territorial extension. It is also observed that they are consolidated awards over time, although their appearance is late compared to the first appearance of the children's/youth book in Brazil. Conclusions: The study of the authors reveals that not all the winners are recognized and are considered great names of the LIJ in Brazil. Finally, the most awarded genre is the narrative followed by illustrated albums, especially in the last ones studied.