The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are presented every two years by IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important and lasting contribution to children's literature. IBBY National Sections from 35 countries have made their selections and submitted 30 authors and 30 illustrators as candidates for the 2008 Hans Christian Andersen Awards.

The elected Chair of the International Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury, Zohreh Ghaeni (Iran) and Jury members from Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Egypt, France, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America, will meet in March 2008 to select from among these nominations the winners of the 2008 Andersen Awards. The results will be made public at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, Monday, 31 March 2008 and the Awards will be presented to the winners at the 31st IBBY Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark on 7 September 2008.