Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith is a Canadian illustrator of children's books. He is the 2024 recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his "lasting contribution to children's literature". He earlier won the 2015 Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration for Sidewalk Flowers, a wordless picture book which he illustrated with author JonArno Lawson.
Sydney Smith

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- Name
- Sydney Smith
- Birthplace
- Canada
- Awards
- * Governor General's Award 2015
- Born
- 1980
- Occupation
- illustrator
- Fields
- illustration
- Education
- NSCAD University
- Honours
- Kate Greenaway Medal · Premio Letteratura Ragazzi di Cento · Hans Christian Andersen Award · Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration
- Languages
- English
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Sydney Smith is a Canadian illustrator of children's books. He is the 2024 recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award for his "lasting contribution to children's literature". He earlier won the 2015 Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration for Sidewalk Flowers, a wordless picture book which he illustrated with author JonArno Lawson.
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wikidata · Q25189237
In this article
Biography
Biography
He currently resides in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Sydney Smith studied at NSCAD University. The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is illustration. Distinctions recorded are Kate Greenaway Medal, Premio Letteratura Ragazzi di Cento, Hans Christian Andersen Award and Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Sydney Smith • Birthplace — Canada • Notable Works — * Sidewalk Flowers • Town Is by the Sea • Small in the City • Awards — * Governor General's Award 2015 • CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal 2018, 2021 • Hans Christian Andersen award 2024
Education
Education
Smith studied drawing and printmaking at NSCAD University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was while studying there that he realized his interest for illustrating children's books.
Career
Career
Most of his work is illustrations for other authors. Smith's first three assignments were for re-issues of books by Sheree Fitch. To date he has authored and illustrated two titles, 2019's Small in the City and 2023's Do You Remember? He has worked for two different publishing houses in his career as an illustrator: Nimbus Publishing and Groundwood Books. In addition to his work as an illustrator and author, Smith has also done graphic design work for Canadian musical acts Hey Rosetta! and Old Man Luedecke.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1980
Sydney Smith born.
Published works
• 2010: Mabel Murple by Sheree Fitch • 2011: There Were Monkeys In My Kitchen by Sheree Fitch • 2012: Toes In My Nose: And Other Poems by Sheree Fitch • 2014: Jewel of the Thames (A Portia Adams Adventure Book 1) by Angela Misri • 2014: Music Is For Everyone by Jill Barber • 2015: Grant and Tillie Go Walking by Monica Kulling • 2015: Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson • 2016: Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding • 2016: The White Cat and the Monk: A Retelling of the Poem "Pangur Bán" by Jo Ellen Bogart • 2017: Town Is by the Sea by Joanne Schwartz • 2019: Small in the City by Sydney Smith • 2020: I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott • 2023: Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith • 2023: My Baba's Garden by Jordan Scott
Awards and recognition
• Year — Award — Book — Result • 2015 — Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration — Music Is For Everyone • 2015 — Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration — Sidewalk Flowers • 2015 — Prix Libbylit for Best Picture Book (Belgium) — Sidewalk Flowers • 2015 — New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year — Sidewalk Flowers • 2015 — Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year — Sidewalk Flowers • 2015 — Goodreads Choice Awards Best Picture Books — Sidewalk Flowers • 2016 — Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award — Sidewalk Flowers • 2018 — CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal — Town Is by the Sea • 2018 — TD Canadian Children's Literature Award — Town Is by the Sea • 2021 — Kate Greenaway Medal — Small in the City • 2024 — Hans Christian Andersen Award • 2024 — Governor General's Award for English-language children's illustration — Do You Remember?
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith wins prestigious children's book prize, Hans Christian Andersen Award". CBC Books, April 8, 2024.
- 2.About.
- 3.Quill and Quire. Q and A Sidewalk Flowers illustrator Sydney Smith. February 24, 2015.
- 4.The Canadian Children's Book Centre. Lillian Shepherd Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration. 2015.
- 5.Anansi Press. Sidewalk Flowers - Anansi Press. 2016.
- 6.Ricochet Jeune. Prix Libbylit. 2015.
- 7.Sidewalk Flowers wins CLA's 2016 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award. Canadian Library Association. 15 April 2016.
- 8.Publishers Weekly. PW: Geraldine McCaughrean, Sydney Smith Win 2018 Carnegie, Greenaway Medals. 2018.
- 9.thestar. Best Canadian children's book of 2018? It just won a $50,000 prize. 2018.
- 10.Flood, Alison. Jason Reynolds wins Carnegie medal for 'breathtaking' Look Both Ways. the Guardian. 2021-06-16.
- 11.Reynolds, Smith win 2021 Carnegie, Greenaway medals. Books+Publishing. 2021-06-17.
- 12.Cassandra Drudi, "Canisia Lubrin, Danny Ramadan among 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award finalists". Quill & Quire, October 8, 2024.
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Sydney Smith received Kate Greenaway Medal, Premio Letteratura Ragazzi di Cento, Hans Christian Andersen Award and Lillian Shepherd Award for Excellence in Illustration. Recorded as having received Kate Greenaway Medal, Premio Letteratura Ragazzi di Cento and Hans Christian Andersen Award.
Recognition and collections
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Illustration
5,224 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Sydney George Hulme BeamanIllustrator
- Sydney LeeIllustrator
- Sydney ParkinsonIllustrator
- Sydney Prior HallIllustrator
- Sylvia MassyIllustrator
- Sylvia Plimack MangoldIllustrator
- Sylvia WeveIllustrator
- Synthia Saint JamesIllustrator
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