Awards
2025
Bologna BRAW „Amazing Bookshelf” (
Ita and Squeak)
2024Good Children’s Book (Ulla Saar.
Ita and Squeak)
Good Children’s Book (Priit Põhjala.
Dr. Tindiplekk’s Workshop)
2023
Edgar Valter Illustration Award, nominee
The White Ravens (Liis Sein.
Mona's Dad Has Some Ideas)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit (Kairi Look.
Herring Disco)
Good Children’s Book (Kairi Look.
Herring Disco)
2022
Good Children’s Book (Liis Sein.
Mona's Dad Has Some Ideas)
20215 Best Designed Estonian Children's Books, special prize of the jury (Aino Pervik.
The Kite Spreads Friendship)
2020International Illustration and Book Design Competition ‘Image of the Book/Obraz knigi’, Moscow, laureate
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit (Urmas Reinmaa.
Where Did You Find it?)
201925 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Kristi Piiper.
The Lovesick Basement Monster, the Vegan Blood Sausage, and Other Stories)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit, Special Prize of the Estonian Graphic Designers’ Association (Kristi Piiper.
The Lovesick Basement Monster, the Vegan Blood Sausage, and Other Stories)
Edgar Valter Illustration Award nominee
2018, 2019, 2020 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award candidate
201825 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Helvi Jürisson.
What Letters Say)
201725 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Kätlin Vainola.
The Boy Who Drew Maps)
201625 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Indrek Koff.
I Am Doing Well)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit, Special Prize of the Estonian Graphic Designers’ Association (Indrek Koff.
Nice)
Good Children’s Book (Indrek Koff.
Nice)
201525 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Grigori Oster.
Mischievous Mathematics)
5 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit, Tallinn (Kätlin Vainola.
Sonya and the Cat)
Good Children’s Books (Contra.
Everyone’s the Smartest; Kairi Look.
Piia Biscuit Moves In; Grigori Oster.
Mischievous Mathematics; Anti Saar.
Urmas the Maintenance Man)
2014The White Ravens (Kätlin Vainola.
Lift)
Karl Eduard Sööt Children’s Poetry Award (Contra.
Everyone’s the Smartest)
25 Best Designed Estonian Books, Certificate of Merit (Contra.
Everyone’s the Smartest)
20135 Best Designed Estonian Children’s Books, Certificate of Merit, Special Prize of the Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Estonian Graphic Designers’ Associations’ Special Prize for a young artist (Kätlin Vainola.
Lift)
Good Children’s Book (Kätlin Vainola.
Lift)
Exhibitions
2025Estonian illustration exhibition “Hello! Tere!”, Bologna International Children’s Book Fair, Italy
Illustration exhibition “City of Stories”, Bologna Palazzo d’Accursio, Italy; Estonian National Museum, Estonia
International exhibition of illustration "Magical Forest", National Library of Latvia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators "A Sound Mind in a Sound Body”, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn
2024International exhibition of illustration "Magical Forest", Estonian Children’s Literature Centre; Jõhvi Art School Gallery
TIT 2023 and TIT 2020 Estonian illustrators, Płock Art Gallery, Poland
Exhibition of Estonian and Spanish illustrators "Reflections", Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators "Tell Me a Fairy Tale!", Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
2023
VII Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT 2023), Estonian Museum of Architecture
Solo exhibition "Tötterman and others", Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB 2023)
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Fox Spirit. Fox Charm”, Nadbałtyckie Centrum Kultury
2022
International exhibition of illustration "Fox Spirit. Fox Charm", Estonian Children's Literature Centre, Estonian National Museum, Latvian National Library
Exhibition of Baltic illustrators "Running with Wolves. Werewolf", Italy and Latvia
Tallinn Illustration Triennial TIT 2020, Centrum Kultury Dworek Białoprądnicki , Poland
2021Exhibition of Baltic illustrators "Running with Wolves", Napoli, Rome, Frigento, Italy
Tallinn Illustrations Triennial TIT 2020, Moscow; Krasnoarmeysk, Russia
Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB 2021), Slovakkia
TIT 2020 & "Leafing Through Estonian Children's Books IV", Mytishchi, Russia
Sharjah Children’s Book Illustrations Exhibition, the United Arab Emirates
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Fox Spirit. Fox Charm”, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Central Library of Lääne County, Haapsalu
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Tapa Public Library
2020Tallinn Illustrations Triennial (TIT), Estonia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators "Once Upon a Time" (Grimm's Fairy Tales), Tapa Public Library, Estonia; Gallery Deák17, Budapest, Hungary
International illustrations exhibition "It's Always Tea-Time", Vyborg, St. Petersburg, Russia; Kondas Centre, Viljandi
Joint exhibition of nominees for Edgar Valter Illustration Award, Estonian Children's Literature Centre, Tallinn; Central Library of Saare County, Kuressaare
Midsummer spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children's Literature Centre
"Picture World of Tales and Fairy Tales", Central Library of Lääne County
2019Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB, Slovakia
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn
International illustrations exhibition "It's Always Tea-Time", Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Russia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators "Once Upon a Time" (Grimm's Fairy Tales), Opole, Gdansk, Poland; Tapa Public Library, Estonia
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Leafing Through Estonian Children’s Books II”, Moscow, Kolomna, Russia
2018–2020 Exhibition of Baltic illustrators “Running with Wolves”, London, the United Kingdom; Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn (”Wolf Run“); Gdańsk, Wrocław, Białystok, Warsaw, Płock, Szczecin, Poland; Pordenone, Italy; Vilnius, Lithuania
2018Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Running with Wolves”, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators „Tra ghiaccio e fuoco“, Rome, Pesco Sannita, Italy
2017Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava (BIB), Slovakia
Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
Group exhibition of Estonian illustrators “Leafing Through Estonian Children’s Books I”, Moscow, Kolomna, Russia
Exhibition of Estonian illustrators “A Window into the Fairy Tale World”, Haapsalu Cultural Centre, Haapsalu Children’s Library
2016Spring exhibition of Estonian illustrators, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre
Travelling exhibition of Estonian illustrators, “A Walk on the Path of Fairy Tale Together with Charles Perrault”, Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Russia
2015–2020 International illustration exhibition, “It’s Always Tea-Time”, Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Riga, Latvia; Uusikaupunki, Finland; Gdansk, Wrocław, Toruń, Elbląg, Poland; Berlin, Germany; Szczecin, Płock, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; Oxford, the United Kingdom; Moscow, Krasnoarmeysk, Mytishchi, Vyborg, St. Petesburg, Russia
2015–2019 Exhibition of Estonian Illustrators, “Once Upon a Time...” (Grimm’s Fairy Tales), Aosta, Anagni, Lagonegro, Bernalda-Metaponto, Corato, Matera, Roma, Lacco Ameno, Irsina, Siracusa, Sassari, Roma, Bologna, Italy; Estonian Children’s Literature Centre, Tallinn; Minsk, Belarus; Kraków, Łomża, Białystok, Szczecin, Płock, Warszaw, Elbląg, Gdańsk, Opole, Poland
2013–2014 Solo exhibition “Majahoidja” (Housekeeper), Tallinn, Mooste, Estonia
2002Exhibition of drawings and photographs with Lauri Saar, Tallinn, Estonia
2001Annual exhibition of artists’ group Ydi, Tallinn, Estonia
Exhibition of the Estonian Academy of Arts’ (EAA) Finno-Ugric expedition, “The Water-Bird People”, Belgium
1999–2001 Exhibitions of the EAA Finno-Ugric expeditions, Tallinn, Tartu, Estonia
Ulla Saar (1975) is an illustrator and graphic artist. She graduated from the Estonian Academy of Arts in product design. Her first illustrated book Lift achieved immediate widespread recognition and was listed in the 2014 White Ravens catalogue. Since then, every one of her books has received international attention. Saar practices a contemporary, design-like approach to book illustration: her spirited and playful art is often more a part of the work’s overall design than free-standing pictures.
