About | Fereshteh Najafi | Iranian Illustrator

Fereshteh Najafi is an Iranian illustrator who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and a Master’s degree in Illustration from Azad Art University in Tehran. After moving to Genoa, Italy, in 2008, she began focusing her artistic practice on children’s book illustration.

Over the past two decades, Fereshteh has built an international career as an illustrator and workshop instructor, working in Italy, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates. Since 2006, her work has been featured in major international illustration exhibitions, including the Bratislava Illustration Biennial, the Illustrators Exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Le Immagini della Fantasia in Sarmede, Italy, and the Nami Concours in South Korea.

Her illustrations have also been exhibited in Germany, Serbia, South Africa, Australia, Japan, India, and the United Arab Emirates. She has illustrated more than twenty-five books published in Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, France, South Africa, Jordan, Taiwan, Portugal and Italy.

Based in Brazil since 2015, Fereshteh continues to work internationally as an illustrator, creating books and visual narratives for publishers and cultural projects around the world.

Prizes and exhibitions

2026 Ilustrofest Festival of Illustrations of Belgrade, Serbia
2026 Nami Island International Picture Book Illustration Concours, South Korea
2025 Bib – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovakia
2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair – The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf (selected book), Italy
2025 Emilia’s 2024 Highlights – “Arrebatadores” Category – “O invasor”, Brazil
2025 AEILIJ Award – Best Set of Illustrations – “O invasor”, Brazil
2025 The 30 best children’s books of the year – Revista Crescer – “O invasor”, Brazil
2024 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy
2024 FILEX Award for Illustrated Books – winning project – Brazil
2022 BIBF Ananas Illustration Awards, Beijing, China
2021 Bib – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovakia
2021 BIBF Ananas Illustration Awards, Beijing, China
2021 Illustradays, Athens, Greece
2020 BIBF Ananas Illustration Awards, Beijing, China
2019 Rende Festival – La piccola pittrice – Italy – Fisrt Prize
2018 Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, Shanghai, China
2018 Le immagini della Fantasia – International Children’s Illustration Exhibition, Sarmede, Italy
2018 Theater – Art Exhibition, Wasserturm Stromeyersdorf, Konstanz, Germany
2017 Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, Shanghai, China
2017 Nami Island International Picture Book Illustration Concours, South Korea
2017 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates
2016 “Birds of a Feather” – Orange City, Sydney, Australia
2016 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates – Honorable Mention Prize
2015 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy
2014 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy – New Horizons Mention – Bologna Ragazzi Award
2014 Exhibition at the International Youth Library, Castle Blood Castle, Munich, Germany
2013 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates
2012 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy
2012 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates
2011 Bib – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovakia
2011 International Illustration Exhibition, Sarmede, Italy
2011 International Illustration Competition, Cremona, Italy
2011 Illustration Exhibition Alida Bothma and Fereshteh Najafi, South Africa
2010 International Illustration Competition, Belgrade, Serbia
2010 International Illustration Competition, Cremona, Italy
2009 Colors of Iran, Genova, Italy
2008 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy
2008 International Illustration Exhibition, Sarmede, Italy
2008 Fantasmi e Fughe, Mostra Internazionale di Illustrazione, Associazione Culturale Teatrio in Italy
2008 Second Prize, Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations, Accu – Asia⁄Pacific Cultural Centre for Unesco International Book Development Fund, Tokyo, Japan
2007 Bib – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovakia
2007 Iranian illustrators, Mantova, Italy
2006 Zoroastro, Goa, India
2005 Appreciation board from the 13th press festival, Tehran, Iran
2005 Second prize of the 2th illustration festival of educational books, Tehran, Iran
2004 Appreciation board of the 1th illustration festival of educational books, Tehran, Iran
2003 Appreciation board from the 6th press festival of Kanoon, Tehran, Iran
2002 Biennial of Illustration, Tehran, Iran

Selection of published books

2026 Contra a corrente – Edições SM, Brazil
2026 Pula-pula – Editora Mil Caramiolas, Brazil
2025 Todas as cores do mar – Editora Gaia, Brazil
2024 O invasor – Boitatá, Brazil
2024 Pode ser – Editora Ararinha, Brazil
2023 Memória de elefante – Editora Ozé, Brazil
2023 Delicious – Almaya, Jordan
2022 A menina e as estrelas – Editora Olho de Vidro, Brazil
2019 La piccola pittrice – 2nd Edition – Coccole Books, Italy
2019 What’s up, Little Red Riding Hood? – Educacional, Brazil
2018 I dream to be a ballerina – Dar Al-saqi, Lebanon
2017 My world – Dar Al-saqi, Lebanon
2016 Where do I put you? – Dar Al-saqi, Lebanon
2015 When my grandmother was a child – Dar Al-bana,Lebanon
2015 Adventures of an open window – Dar Al-buragh, Iraq
2014 Pe and the wide world – Editora Positivo, Brazil
2013 When I open this book – Kalimat, United Arab Emirates
2013 Golabatoon and the white horse – Nazar, Tehran, Iran
2013 Plume d’Or – Grandir, Nîmes, France
2011 Cinderella – Maskewmiler Longman, South Africa
2010 La piccola pittrice – Coccole e Caccole, Italy
2010 Le Roi Bahram – Grandir, Nîmes, France
2008 The Princess – Shabaviz, Tehran, Iran
2005 Guest of moon – Elmi Farhangi, Tehran, Iran