The picture book is an art form that speaks to all ages. The Snöbollen (The Snowball) award for the best Swedish picture book of the year recognises the picture book as an artistic medium. The winner is awarded at Littfest, Umeå International Literature Festival. In conjunction with Littfest, the book's original pictures are showcased in an exhibition at Bildmuseet.
The national picture book award is an initiative by Krumelur – Association for Young Words in the North in collaboration with Umeå Municipality, Kulturföreningen Pilgatan, the Regional Library of Västerbotten, Littfest – Umeå International Literature Festival, the Association of Swedish Illustrators and Graphic Designers, and Bildmuseet at Umeå University.