This year's Tartu Illustration Festival focuses on book illustration and is organized in cooperation with the Year of the Estonian Book and the Estonian Children's Literature Center.

"Book culture encompasses a wide range of phenomena and illustrations play a very important role among them, so it is a great pleasure that this year's TIF is dedicated to book illustration and that the festival and the book year are collaborating on a number of events, including speed dating for writers and illustrators, several discussion groups and the opening of a traveling exhibition focusing on significant Estonian poetry books," said Marja Unt, chief organizer of the Year of the Estonian Book and executive director of the Estonian Literary Society.

The festival will feature workshops, presentations, discussion panels and a market with nearly 40 different illustrators from Estonia and neighboring countries.

In addition to books, the one-day program covers topics from various fields related to printmaking and illustration, including character creation, zine culture, collaboration between writers and illustrators and the International Bologna Children's Book Fair at which Estonia was guest of honor in 2025.

Visitors will also have the opportunity to listen to one of Estonia's most renowned illustrators and animators – Heiki Ernits – talk about his creative journey, processes and the birth of his beloved characters.

More information is available here.

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