During the 2025 Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF), three signature events: 2025 BIBF International Illustration Forum, BIBF Illustration Night - 2025 BIBF Illustration Awards Ceremony, and 2025 BIBF International Awards Ceremony of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Special Recommendation Award were hosted by China National Publications Import and Export (Group) Co.Ltd (CNPIEC). Driven by the dual engines of "Artistic Innovation" and "Industry Convergence," these events facilitated cross-border dialogue and showcased achievements within the global illustration field.

International Illustration Forum Unveils New Ecosystem of Art Industry Through Diverse Perspectives

On 21st June, 2025 BIBF International Illustration Forum, themed "Symbiosis Diversity: Illustration Art Innovation and Industry Integration under Global Perspective," was held at the China National Convention Center.

Chaired by renowned illustrator Dongming Tian and opened with a speech by Jianhua Lei, Deputy General Manager of CNPIEC, the forum gathered industry experts from China, the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands. Distinguished participants included Rong Yu, Director of the Suzhou University International Communication Research Center for Jiangnan Culture; De Ao, General Manager of Genlin Children's Books; Claudia Mazzucco, CEO of Edizioni Mediterranee (Italy); Jia Fei, Senior Editor and Picture Book Expert at Juvenile & Children's Publishing House; Zhiyuan Wu, Co-founder of MOONVIS and Representative of the Fennie & Teun brand; and popular travel illustrator Junzhang Tong.

Experts pointed out that illustrators are upgrading from "storytellers" to "cross-disciplinary narrative designers," with their creations becoming a vital link bridging cultural heritage and illustration innovation.

BIBF Illustration Night: Chinese Artist Wins Global Prize

On the evening of 21st June, the " BIBF Illustration Night - 2025 BIBF Illustration Awards Ceremony " was held at Guotu Bookstore, with more than a hundred guests from the publishing and the illustration art industry attending. Jianrui Liang, Deputy General Manager of China National Book Import & Export (Group) Co., Ltd, the organiser of the event, delivered a speech and awarded Chinese illustrator Yifan Hu with the highest honour of the event, the ‘BOB Global Award’. Yifan Hu's work ‘The Lake Heard’, centered on the theme of growth, conveying profound narrative through serene visual language, making it a rare and exceptional masterpiece.

The 2025 awards covered six major categories: Children's Publishing, Editorial Illustration, Advertising, Product & Packaging, Book Cover, and Technology. It attracted 17,427 submissions from 52 countries and regions, was highly recognised in the industry for its international vision and professional judging mechanism.

Youth Category Awards: Children's Creativity Bridges Chinese and Foreign Cultures

On June 20th, the award ceremony for the Youth Category was held in the BIBF Picture Book Zone. H.E. Ambassador André Haspels of the Netherlands to China and Jianhua Lei, Deputy General Manager of CNPIEC, jointly presented awards to the winners.

Since the launch of this year's competition in March, a total of 7,810 pieces of youth illustration works were collected, and 379 groups of masterpieces were assessed to be shortlisted and centrally exhibited in the BIBF Picture Book Zone during the exhibition. During the event, guests interacted with young creators and encouraged them to explore the path of art. Some of the selected winning works will be included for the international touring exhibition programme. The establishment of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Special Recommendation Award also highlights the depth of cooperation between Chinese and Dutch culture in the field of art education.

BIBF Series Wraps Up: Empowering the Sustainable Global Illustration Ecology

The 2025 BIBF builds an artistic ecosystem spanning all ages and perspectives with the multi-dimensional model of "Competition + Exhibition + Forum". The event not only provides a display platform for global illustrators, but also promotes the practice and innovation of illustration art in cultural dissemination and industrial upgrading through Chinese and foreign cultural cooperation and transnational expert dialogue. In the future, the organisers will expand the influence of the event and launch the touring exhibition of the award-winning works], to continuously energize the global illustration art ecology and help Chinese illustration to the centre of the world stage.