Mar 14, 2006, 19:09 GMT
Stockholm - A total of 137 candidates have been nominated for a literature prize created in memory of famed Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, organizers said Tuesday.
The winner of the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award was to be named Wednesday.
The prize, worth 5 million kronor (636,000 dollars), was created 2002 by the Swedish government in honour of Lindgren, creator of numerous popular fiction characters including Pippi Longstocking.
The 2005 award was shared by Japanese illustrator Ryôji Arai and British author Philip Pullman.
Brazilian author Lygia Bojunga won in 2004, while Austrian author Christine Nostlinger and US author and illustrator Maurice Sendak shared the prize when it was first awarded in 2003.
The prize aims at awarding writers, illustrators of children's and young people's literature, or promoters of reading whose work reflect the spirit of Astrid Lindgren.
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