Vera Gereke wins Serafina Prize for illustration

Illustrator Vera Gereke has been awarded the 2026 Serafina Prize, a newcomer award for illustration presented by the German Academy for Children's and Young People's Literature. The award was announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair in cooperation with the Börsenblatt and the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Gereke received the honor for her picture book “Ein großer Affe” (A Big Ape), published by NordSüd Verlag. The jury, led by Dr. Stefan Hauck, selected her work from nearly 50 submissions. The book is described as a parable about art, exploring themes of captivity, longing, imagination, and freedom through a story of an ape who uses painting to transform his reality.

The Serafina Prize, which includes a cash prize of 2,500 euros provided by the Presse-Druck- und Verlags-GmbH, has been awarded to emerging illustrators since 2014.