Marie Dorléans has been awarded the Grand Est Book Prize 2026 for her children's album Une histoire de rien du tout, published by Seuil Jeunesse. The sixth edition of the prize, which focuses exclusively on children's albums this year, was judged by a panel led by novelist Agnès Ledig. The jury also gave a special mention to Pauline Morel for her album Pluie, published by Panthera editions. The award ceremony will take place on Friday, October 9, as part of the Troyes Mille Pages Festival. The Grand Est Book Prize was established in 2018 by the Grand Est Region to support and celebrate local literary talents. In 2026, the prize underwent a significant change, shifting from recognizing multiple categories to focusing on a single category each year. This year, the focus is on children's albums, with the category changing to comics in 2027. The prize includes a 3000 € award. Une histoire de rien du tout, released in October 2025, tells the story of an eccentric scientist who invents a machine capable of creating nothing. The book resonates in a world filled with objects and gadgets, offering a space for imagination and reflection. Based in Strasbourg, Marie Dorléans studied literature and art history before attending the École des arts décoratifs de Strasbourg, now known as the Haute école des arts du Rhin. She published her first album in 2011 and has since released nearly twenty books, mostly through Seuil Jeunesse and Sarbacane. She previously received literary creation grants from the Grand Est Region in 2018 and 2022. Pauline Morel, who trained at the École supérieure d'art de Lorraine in Épinal and later at the HEAR in Strasbourg, created her debut album Pluie. The work follows a character with an awkward body shape whose arms grow longer when he is sad, leading to a series of accidental mishaps. Morel also benefited from a literary creation grant from the Grand Est Region. The jury, chaired by Agnès Ledig, included Kathleen Feret, who oversees children's literature at the Centre national du livre; Sarah Polacci, a journalist and literary critic; Anne Zeum, an illustrator; and Élodie Bubendorff, a children's bookseller at La Bouquinette in Strasbourg. For this edition, all nominated books had to have been published in 2025. The prize's reform introduced environmental criteria, assessing the design, production, and distribution of the works. In 2025, before this change, three categories were awarded. Grégoire Carle won the BD and graphic novel prize for Le Lierre et l'Araignée (Dupuis), and Émilie Vast received the Green Book award for Petit à petit, quelque chose fond là-bas (MeMo). In the children's album category, which directly precedes this year's award to Marie Dorléans, CSIL was honored for Cherch & Trouv, published by Casterman.