Feng Li and Zdravko Mićanović, recipients of the Little Prince Lifetime Achievement Award

The International Festival of Children's Theatres – Subotica (its 32nd edition taking place from September 21 to 26, 2025), organized by the Open University Subotica, will award this year's Little Prince lifetime achievement award for outstanding contribution to the development of culture and performing arts for children to Feng Li from China (in the category of foreign artists) and Zdravko Mićanović (in the category of domestic artists).

The Little Prince Award will also be posthumously awarded to Dr Zoran Đerić, the festival’s long-time director/selector and the original recipient of the Oton Tomanić Festival Award, who passed away in November last year. The festival’s council has appointed Vladimir Lazić as the new director and actress Prof. Dr. Marijana Prpa Fink as the new festival selector.

Boris P. Goldovski from Russia will receive the Oton Tomanić Award - an recognition for theoretical contribution in the domain of theatre for children and youth.

Dr Feng Li, born in 1966, is a prominent Chinese writer and playwright. Since 1983, she has been active and awarded in various artistic fields. Since joining the China National Theatre for Children in 2014, Feng Li has dedicated herself to children's theatre. As a playwright, she has seen 9 out of her 11 plays for children and youth staged, with each play garnering at least two national awards. Beyond her playwriting, Feng Li is also a scholar, having published numerous papers on children's and youth drama. Feng Li is a driving force in the development of theatre for young audiences, evidenced by her pioneering work: establishing the Seed Program to support theatre initiatives nationwide; creating and staging performances specifically for rural children; and launching a national children’s theatre incubation program that, over four years, has fostered the development of over 40 theatre works from nearly 600 submitted concepts.

Currently, Feng Li serves as President of China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater and a Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Her leadership extends to various national arts organizations, including her roles as President of the China Children’s Drama Society, Chairman of ASSITEJ China (the China Center of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People), Council member of China Theatre Association and China National Arts Fund, and Vice Chairman of the China Drama Association. A recognized expert in her field, Feng Li is an Outstanding Expert of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and holds the position of Visiting Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Department of Dramatic Literature of the Central Academy of Drama. Previously, she served as President of China National Theatre for Children.

Dr Zdravko Mićanović, born in Lopare (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska), has graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts (Department of Painting) in Sarajevo in 1977. Mićanović has received his MA in 1998 and PhD in 2020 from the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. Mićanović has designed a large number of posters, branding identities, books and printed media. For his work in graphic design and poster design, Mićanović has received numerous awards, most notably at ULUPUDS’ May Exhibition (1995), at the October Salon (1995), at the Festival of Market Communications in Sarajevo (1989), the Theatre Festival in Brčko (2004).

Beside graphic design, Mićanović is actively pursuing interest in drawing, caricature, illustration and comics. He has won several awards for cartoons - most notably the 1st prize for the portrait of Branislav Nušić at the 6th International Cartoon Exhibition Golden Smile in Belgrade, 2008. Throughout his professional career, Mićanović has been consistently involved with illustration, primarily illustrating books intended for younger audiences. He has won two Yugoslav awards for illustration at the Jugodidact exhibitions (1986 and 1988). Comics have been significantly present in Mićanović’s work, especially in recent years. In 2023, he celebrated 20 years of collaboration with the magazine Bijela pčela with exhibitions in Subotica, Belgrade and Lopare, followed by Trstenik and Bijeljina in 2024. During his tenure at several universities, he has developed a specific type of activity: organizing around 60 student-created poster exhibitions, often in cooperation with culture institutions. The most notable place in these activities holds the collaboration with the International Festival of Children's Theatres Subotica, which has been going on for 15 years. For his work, he has received more than thirty awards and recognitions.

Dr Boris P. Goldovskii, born December 7 th 1948, Moscow, is a doctor of arts, historian and theatre theorist, theatre critic, playwright, and pedagogue. Since 2014, he is the artistic director of the State Moscow Puppet Theatre. He is also a director of the Moscow International Festival of Puppet Theaters, a member of the Executive Committee of the Russian Center UNIMA (Chairman of the Research Commission), a member of the Russian Theatre Union and a member of the PEN International Club. he is a founder of the S.V. Obraztsov Memorial Apartment Museum, a founder of the S.V. Obraztsov International Puppet Festival (2001–2011), the International Moscow Puppet Festival (since 2014) and the Russian puppeteer journal Theatre of Miracles (since 2000). Goldovski is an honored Cultural Figure of the Russian Federation, a laureate of the Moscow City Prize, a cavalier of the Golden Badge of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia, a laureate of the International Festival of Children’s Theatres – Subotica award Little Prince.

Last year, the Little Prince Award was presented to Luka Kecman (professor of history of Serbian theatre, theatre expert, playwright for children and youth and stage director) and Jaroslav Antonyuk of Poland (director, author and theater expert). Previous recipients of the award - which the Festival has been presenting since 2000 - were Branka Veselinović (2019), Zoran Hristić (2016), Minja Subota (2015), Timothy John Byford (2014), Branko Milićević-Kockica (2007), Ljubivoje Ršumović (2006) and many other renowned authors for children.

This year's edition of the festival will take place from September 21 to 26 at several locations throughout Subotica. The main competition program will feature 14 plays from around the world, curated by the festival's new selector, Dr. Marijana Prpa Fink. Also, the Research Forum for Children and Youth Theatre Art will also take place, focusing on the topic of Different Approaches to Aesthetics in Theatre for Children and Youth.

Traditionally, the International Festival of Children's Theatre - Subotica is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial Secretariat for Culture, Public Information and Relations with Religious Communities and the Municipality of Subotica, whereas The Vojvodina Theatre Museum is acting as a partner in the festival's production. The executive producer of the festival is the Open University Subotica.