
The University of Guadalajara, through a project created by the Environmental Sciences Museum as part of the University’s Cultural Center, and with the support of the Guadalajara International Book Fair, has established the José Emilio Pacheco City and Nature Award. The prize, which will be given for the first time this year, will be dedicated to poetry. The winning author, who must write in Spanish and have at least ten unpublished poems or poems published in the last five years that are related to nature, urban sustainability, socio-ecological harmony and environmental conservation, will be given a purse of US $10,000. The award is dedicated to poet José Emilio Pacheco, whose work explores the duality between cities and nature.

Created by the University of Guadalajara, and with the collaboration of the National Institute for Indigenous Languages, the Culture Ministry, the National Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Cultures and Jalisco’s Department of Education, the American Indigenous Literature Award is granted to enrich, protect and promote the legacy and richness of Mexico’s indigenous peoples through literature in all its forms, and to and acknowledge and further develop the careers and works of indigenous authors. The award, which carries a purse of US $25,000, will be given for the fourth time at the 2016 FIL Guadalajara.

The SM Ibero-American Award for Literature for Children and Young People was implemented in 2005, the year of Ibero-American literature, with the goal of promoting literature for children and young people throughout Ibero-America. The award is given out each year during the Guadalajara International Book Fair to recognize writers of literature for children and young people and carries a purse of US $30,000.

With the goal of creating a network that helps to encourage the work of illustrators of books for children and young people in Ibero-America, the SM Foundation and the FIL Guadalajara invites illustrators to submit their work to be included in the Annual Ibero-American Illustration Catalog. The 45 works selected will be displayed in an exposition at the Guadalajara International Book Fair. In addition, illustrators will have the opportunity to work on an illustrated book with Ediciones SM and the winner will be given US $5,000. You can find more information at: www.iberoamericailustra.com
Program Search
FILustra
Activities for Professionals
FILustra
Illustrating the Everyday and Other Mediums
Creative Reflections: A Two-Way Journey
The Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), in collaboration with the Professional Association of Illustrators of Euskadi and the Irudika International Meeting, will celebrate the eleventh edition of FILustra. Both events have established themselves as key references in the field of illustration, providing a vital space for professional development and creative exchange on an international scale.
FILustra and Irudika will highlight the diversity and depth of contemporary illustration, as well as the importance of building bridges between cultures and diverse artistic visions. Through panel discussions, talks, and workshops, the events will encourage dialogue and creative exchange among illustrators from various fields, strengthening the global community of creators and illustration enthusiasts.
This year, both meetings will be drivers of change and transformation in the world of illustration, reaffirming their commitment to art, culture, and the professional development of the sector.
Participants: Leire Urbeltz, María Luque
Moderator: Miguel Ramal
Virtual participation: M. Oliver Lamothe

Leire Urbeltz
Invitado de HonorShe is a PhD candidate at the William A. Douglass Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA; holds a master’s degree in research and creation in art, and a bachelor's degree in fine arts from the University of the Basque Country. She studied creative illustration and visual communication techniques at the EINA School, linked to the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and a master’s degree in illustrated children's books at the Escuela i con i in Matadero-Madrid. She has participated in various international residencies, including at the Seoul Museum of Art-Nanji Residency (South Korea), the Centro Cultural El Paso del Norte in Ciudad Juárez (Mexico), and the Manga Art Studio in Beijing (China). She was an artist-in-residence at the Fundación BilbaoArte in 2012, won the first prize at the Encuentros Arte Joven de Navarra in 2015, and received grants from the Government of Navarra's Creation Aid in 2023 and 2016. In 2017, she received a Leonardo Grant for Researchers and Cultural Creators from the Fundación BBVA. She has held several solo exhibitions in El Paso (Texas), Bilbao, and Vitoria, and has participated in group exhibitions in Seoul, Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Vitoria, Pamplona, Cáceres, Bradford, and Beijing. As an illustrator, she has published several children's and young adult books and designed the image for the Basque Book and Music Fair, among others. She has worked as a muralist for various institutions and urban art festivals. She was a member of the Department of Art Education at the Huarte Contemporary Art Center and an art mediator for the city council of Pamplona, Azkuna Zentroa, and the Communauté d’agglomération Pays Basque-Euskal Hirigune Elkargoa. She has worked as an associate professor at the Public University of Navarra, teaching art education in the primary education degree program.

María Luque
María Luque was born in Rosario and lives in Buenos Aires. Since 2005, she has exhibited her work in museums and galleries in Argentina, Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Spain. She works as an editorial illustrator and coordinates workshops. In 2011, she created the project “Merienda dibujo,” a series of meetings with artists. She is a co-founder of the Festival Furioso de Dibujo. She participated in “Informe, historieta argentina del siglo XXI,” published by Editorial Municipal de Rosario.
She is the author of La mano del pintor, a graphic novel about Cándido López (Sigilo, 2016; L'Agrume Éditions 2017; Lote 42 2019), Casa transparente (Sexto Piso, Premio Novela Gráfica Ciudades Iberoamericanas), Espuma (Galería Editorial, 2018), Noticias de pintores (Sigilo, 2019), and Corazón geométrico (Sigilo, 2022). In 2022, she received a Konex Award, Diploma of Merit in Humor and Comic.
Other activities involving the participant:
Networks between spaces and authors: The importance of the existence of projects that manage and accompany authors
#LeemosCómics con Ana Penyas y María Luque

Miguel Ramal
Invitado de Honor(Alicante, 1994)
Illustrator and graphic designer educated at the Escola d’Art i Superior de Disseny de València (EASD Valencia) (2016-2021) and the Escola Superior de Artes e Design (ESAD Matosinhos) (2020). His work focuses on graphic communication and experimentation as a visual research tool. In recent years, he has done cultural projects involving different creative disciplines, combining with commercial work.
His work has been exhibited in countries like Portugal (2018, Sao Joao de Madeira), Italy (2019, Bologna), Argentina (2019, Buenos Aires), Uruguay (2021, Montevideo) and Spain (2018, Madrid), (2021, Vitoria), (2022, Valencia).
Sunday December 01
10:00 to 11:15
Salón de Profesionales, Área Internacional, Expo Guadalajara