Seven Babies delivers victory in Klaus Flugge Prize
Forest’s win follows recent success for ARU course in four national competitions
Seven Babies author and illustrator Forest Xiao pictured with her award – and her own babies! Photo by Adrian Pope
Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) graduate Forest Xiao has won the 2026 Klaus Flugge Prize, which is awarded annually to the most exciting and promising newcomer to children’s picture book illustration.
Forest, who is a graduate of the MA in Children’s Book Illustration course, received the award and £5,000 first prize for her debut picture book Seven Babies (Walker Books).
This latest victory completes a remarkable summer of success for the ARU MA course. Student Anantjeet Kaur won the 2026 Batsford Prize, while graduates Vannysha Chang and Baljinder Kaur secured V&A Illustration Awards, Ray Yue won the Children’s Publishing New Talent award at the AOI World Illustration Awards and Kate Rolfe claimed the Carnegie Medal for Illustration, the UK’s oldest book award.
The Klaus Flugge Prize is the only award dedicated to celebrating published picture books by debut illustrators and Forest was joined on the six-strong shortlist by recent ARU Children’s Book Illustration graduates Justin Worsley (Henry the Artistic Dog, Andersen Press), Circle Yuen (Our Dance, Graffeg) and Laila Ekboir (We Are Like Birds, Kumusha Books).
Seven Babies, which grew from an idea Forest first developed during her studies at ARU’s Cambridge School of Art., tells the story of the arrival, one Thursday morning, of a box containing seven babies and the chaos that follows.
Forest was mum to a small baby when she was creating the book and although there was just one baby there, she says it felt like her house had been invaded by a whole army of them!
“For me, becoming a new parent has been the most unpredictable journey I have ever been on. It is a season of vulnerability, growth and shifting identity – an ongoing lesson that is teaching me to be present, to embrace the beautiful chaos and to accept my own limitations.
“It often feels impossible to balance it all: a constant see-saw between family life and my creative ambitions. And out of that came Seven Babies. It is a celebration of the discoveries, the busyness and the exhaustion of new parenthood – and a celebration of these all-powerful, magical little humans who change our lives forever.”
Forest XiaoOn winning the award, Forest added:
“It is an absolute honour, and it feels deeply rewarding to be receiving the Klaus Flugge Prize. Thank you, Klaus Flugge, for such encouragement and recognition.
“It reminds me to stay authentic, to trust my own experiences and never to underestimate the power of ordinary, everyday moments that may seem trivial, but are often the most significant of all.”
Established in 2016, the Klaus Flugge Prize honours the founder of Andersen Press and one of the most influential figures in children's publishing and illustration.
Forest’s success adds to ARU’s impressive record in the competition, with the prize having previously been won by fellow MA in Children’s Book Illustration graduates Kate Winter (2024), Mariajo Ilustrajo (2023), Joseph Namara Hollis (2022), Flavia Z Drago (2021), Eva Eland (2020) and Kate Milner (2018).