Stella Dreis was born and raised in Bulgaria, but lives in Heidelberg, Germany. She graduated in fashion design in Hamburg and now works as a freelance illustrator. Her first book was published in 2008 in the Netherlands. In 2012, Phoenix Yard Books published her authored book Happiness is a Watermelon on Your Head in a verse translation by Daniel Hahn. The book was enthusiastically received by critics and readers alike. Numerous publications by both German and international publishing houses followed (Thienemann, Nilpferd, Kunstanstifter, cbj, Leykam, Aladin). Among the awards she has received are the Troisdorfer Bilderbuchpreis for an illustrated book, the Hasselt Publication Award, the Golden Plaque at the Bratislava Illustration Biennale, and the City of Vienna Award. Her latest illustrations are for the books Wie ich die Welt mir träume (Melanie Laibl, Nilpferd, 2023) and Was macht die Nacht? (Dirk Gieselmann, Aladin, 2023), awarded the Deutscher Kinderbuchpreis, 2023, Sonderpreis Illustration. 

In 2024, Stella Dreis was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (ALMA).