Chilean Antonio Skármeta and South African Jenny Robson were recently named by UNESCO Director-General, Koichïro Matsuura, as winners of the 2003 UNESCO Prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance. Skármeta’s book, La Composición (The Composition), illustrated by Alonso Ruano and published in Venezuela by Ediciones Ekaré, won the first prize in the category of books for children under 13 years of age. The story is about a boy living with his family under a military dictatorship, who one day receives a visit from a uniformed man asking all school children to write a composition entitled ‘What my family does at night.’ Robson was announced as winner in the category of books for 13-18-year-olds, for Because Pula Means Rain, published in Cape Town by Tafelberg. It tells the story of Emmanuel, an albino child who lives in a small village in Botswana with his grandmother. His greatest wish is to be brown like everybody else and not be shunned by them. The writer deals with all kinds of discrimination, and says that ‘in such a wide and open land spread out under such a wide and open sky, there is room enough for many beliefs and many truths.’ Founded in 1995 and awarded biennially, the prize this time drew 353 entries written in 36 languages from 54 countries. The two winners, who will be presented with their cash prizes during April at the Children’s Book Fair in Bologna, were selected from an international shortlist of 55. The following eight books were also awarded Honourable Mentions in each category: Under-13s category Wir alle für immer zusammen (All of Us Together Forever), the German version of a book originally written in Dutch by Guus Kuijer, translated by Sylke Hachmeister and published in Hamburg by Verlag Friedrich Oetinger Meu Vô Apolinário (My Grandpa Apolinário), by Brazilian writer Daniel Munduruku, illustrated by Rogério Borges and published in Brazil by Studio Nobel Huff Bluff, written in Arabic by Egyptian author Amal Farah, illustrated by Safaa Naba’a and published in Egypt by Al-Shourouq Nips XI, by Australian Ruth Starke, published in Australia by Lothian Books 13-18 category Caged Eagles, by Canadian author Eric Walters, published in Canada by Orca Book Publishers Grenzen (Borders), written in Dutch by Belgian Katrien Seynaeve and published in Belgium by Averbode El Diario Violeta de Carlota (Carlota’s Violet Diary), by Spanish writer Gemma Lienas, published in Spanish by Alba and in Catalan by Empúries Le Meilleur Choix (The Best Choice), a collective cartoon story published in French in Burundi by Studio A V Buja