Nicoletta Costa

Nicoletta Costa (; born 1953) is an Italian writer, illustrator and cartoonist, famous for her works of children's literature. She is the creator of characters Olga the Cloud and Julian Rabbit. Costa is renowned for her distinctive drawing style, distinguished by "characterized forms and bright colours." She is the recipient of many awards, including three . After Julian Rabbit, another TV series by Costa is currently in production. Nina & Olga, centred on Costa's Olga the Cloud, is set to debut on RAI in the spring of 2021.

Biography Costa was born in Trieste, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, in 1953. She enjoyed drawing ever since her childhood, and at twelve she illustrated her first book, titling it Il pesciolino piccolo.

She earned a degree in architecture from the University of Venice in 1978. Upon earning her degree, she started working in the study of her father. Costa said that she liked her job, but she soon found out that her true passion was writing and illustrating children's books, so, after publishing a number of children's books, she decided to pursue her passion.

A TV series based on Costa's character Julian Rabbit debuted on Rai YoYo in 2017. The character was already well known to Italian children and in the Italian literary world, and it was created by Costa several years earlier. After the release of the TV series, the character became the "beniamino dei bambini." The production debuted in 2010 and was warmly received. Olga the Cloud appears in Costa's sketches dating from the time she was studying at the university. Olga is described as a cloud who lets go of rain that she can't hold.

After Julian Rabbit, another TV series on Costa's characters is currently in production at RAI. The series, titled Nina & Olga, centred on Costa's character Olga the Cloud, is set to be released in the spring of 2021.

Awards Costa has received several awards, including the 1989, 1994 and 2010 Andersen Prize. Her awards include: