Paterson, author of several titles for children, was awarded for her sensitive description of feelings and creation of captivating real characters with true human qualities.

Translated into 22 languages, her books are mostly about misfit children, who long for love, understanding, recognition and most of all want to belong to families. Her works cited by the jury headed by Peter Schneck of Austria, include The Great Gilly Hopkins, Bridge to Terabithia and Lyddie.

Ungerer, who has produced about 40,000 drawings for children, bagged the illustrator award for his predilection to the study of human society using the art of criticism with a cruelty and a search for truth, which is a prerogative of children. French Ambassador to India Claude Blan Chemaison received the award on behalf of Ungerer, who was not present due to health reasons. His illustrations cited by the jury include Snowhite kidnapped by awful and sadistic little dwarfs, sleeping beauty savagely insulting the lusty prince come to carry her off, little Red Riding Hood struck by love, going off with the wolf to have a good time while her grandmother starves to death.

The finalists in the writing award category were Ruskin Bond (India), Brian Doyle (Canada), Anne (UK) and Alice Vieira (Portugal) while in the illustrator award section were Dick Bruna (Netherlands), Stasys Eidrigivicius (Poland) and Binette Schroeder (Germany). The jury chose the two winners from 50 nominees. Queen Margarethe II of Denmark is the patron of the awards. The award for writing is given since 1956 and the illustrator's award since 1966. The awardees last year were Uri Orlev (Israel) in writing and Klaus Ensikar (Germany) in illustration.