World Kamishibai Forum wins the Blue Dolphin Award!

In August, 2025, Tara McGowan was invited to Piran to receive the Blue Dolphin Award on behalf of the World Kamishibai Forum. Here is the festival as described by Igor Cvetko:

The International Kamishibai Festival “White Dolphin”, Piran (Mednarodni festival kamišibaja Beli delfin v Piranu), which began in 2018, led by Zapik Theatre, Igor Cvetko and Jelena Sitar every third weekend of August

1.     This festival has had eight iteration, from 2018 (including the COVID years)

2.     In the program: 50 – 60 kamishibai performances by invited performers in 4 days 

3.     A night program for the adults 

4.     5 to 8 different countries represented

5.     Masterclass included (from 2018, 12 hours–artists, experts and researchers from abroad and from Slovenia, including Dr. Tara McGowan, Yuiko Tsuno, Phillippe Robert, Fanette Moulin)

6.     The White Dolphin/Beli delfin prize for the best performance, voted by the audience, since 2018

7.      The Blue dolphin/Modri delfin award for outstanding achievements in promoting kamishibai in international context, from 2024

Igor Cvetko and Jelena Sitar Cvetko (the “papa and mama” of kamishibai in Slovenia) have worked tirelessly to create a vibrant kamishibai culture in Slovenia and its surrounding areas. They are the ones who truly deserve an award! Here is a list of kamishibai activities currently being carried out in Slovenia each year:

Slovenian National Festival of Kamishibai/Slovenski festival kamisibaja

organized by the Slovenian Association of kamishibai. 

1.     Every year in September

2.     Duration: 3 days, ca. 40 performances

3.     Every 2 years we change of the host city

4.     Round table included (e.g., Kamishibai as a way of communication among Cultures)

5.     Performances are selected by a selector with 2 years appointment

6.     The Golden kamishibai prize for the best performance of the year, and the few special recognitions, awarded by the 3-member, expert jury

Biennial festival of dialectal kamishibai in Štanjel

1.     In autumn (October/November)

2.     30 performances in different dialects of Slovenia

3.     Invited performances

4.     No awards or recognitions

Slovenian children kamishibai festival,  different locations

1.     Different places around Slovenia

2.     Every year

3.     Children (from preschool period to teenagers) performances from all around Slovenia

4.     Duration: 1 day, 20 – 30 performances in two program parts

5.     Important criteria: creativity, originality, motivation, performance …

Regional kamishibai festivals

1.     Organized: from March/April to July every year

2.     8 – 9 festivals all around Slovenia

3.     Organized by the regional kamishibai centres

4.     Selector of the National Festival invites the best performances to participate in the program of the Slovene national festival of kamishibai 

5.     selector gives feedback on the performances after the presentations

5.     Duration: 1 day on each location 

Kamishibai performances are organized also in the libraries, theatres, clubs, parks, castles, camps, kindergartens, schools, special events, markets …

 Kamishibai in Slovenia is a cultural movement. We’ve succeeded to organize it and formally treat on the level with puppetry (which is historically recognized as one of important traditional and cultural properties of our heritage). Today hundreds of kids and adults enjoy it daily. 

We always underline the importance of creating authors’ kamishibai – within the artistic context, as well as for educational and therapeutic purposes.

Educatiion

1.     Every year we conduct at least 5 – 7 basic courses (mainly 10 – 20 attendants) done by the best of our authors and educators. Beside that also among Slovenians in Austria and Italy, also with some attempts in Hungary), and for interested public in Croatia and Serbia. 

2.     We organize a research-educational camp (every June, on different locations) where we develop our skills and deepen our understanding of the form (mainly) for the members of the Slovene Kamishibai Association 

3.     Masterclass, an international educational meeting which is meant to enlarge and deepen our approach to kamishibai (included to the White Dolphin Festival in Piran).

We teach and use kamishibai on all levels of education from kindergarten (2 years on) to university and for all public, including old-age population and the ones with special needs.

We work with care on good relationship among the kamishibayas, and build friendship and cooperative spirit within our members and community in general.