About Artist

Mahsa Hedayati is an art director and children’s book author/illustrator based in UAE. She was born in 1983 in iran. She primarily works in the fields of management, design, and illustration, with a focus on the psychology of childhood development and mental health.
Her children’s books are illustrated with a  blend of fantasy and realism, often inspired by her culture, family relationships, and observations of people, nature, and animals. Her works have been featured in numerous international exhibitions across France, Estonia, Ukraine, Serbia, China, Italy, and Iran. She was selected for prestigious accolades such as the Munich White Ravens List Award, the Children’s Book Council (CBC) Best Book Award, and various illustration festivals, including Bratislava 2023, Belgrade 2023, Ukraine Cow Festival 2020, the Bologna Children’s Audience Competition 2021, and the Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators competition in China, 2016.
Within Iran, she has received the first prize in the Brightness Illustration Festival (2020) and the Rushd and Shahid Ghanipur Festival (2021), as well as the second prize in the Third Picture Book Competition “Dastan” in 2017.
In addition to her children’s picture books, she has focused on promoting cultural diversity and understanding, particularly through a book titled “Behind the Kitchen” that explores the connections between food and culture. This understanding has strengthened her motivation to develop this issue in the cultural context of various societies
She holds an M.A. in Illustration and a B.A. in Graphic Design from Tehran University.