The World Illustration Awards 2019 have been announced by The Association of Illustrators (The AOI), with the Directory of Illustration.
More than 3,600 submissions from 68 countries were judged to create a shortlist of 200 in eight categories. This year’s jury of 24 industry professionals and commissioners included Jim Stoddart, art director of Penguin Press, London; Connie Lam, executive director, Hong Kong Arts Centre; and Leyla Reynolds, art director, gal-dem.
Kirstie Johnstone, creative production partner and board director of AMV BBDO, commented, “The best thing about judging awards is the opportunity to discover new artists. Being able to see work and talent that I might otherwise not have the chance to see in illustration is my absolute favourite.”
Each of the eight categories has a New Talent and a Professional winner, each of which will be given their awards at an awards ceremony held at Somerset House on July 10. The Overall New Talent and Professional winners will be announced for the first time at the ceremony and awarded cash prizes.
The Category Winners are:
Advertising New Talent – Yang Illustration / Community Art Poster: Arts in the Three Lamps District
Advertising Professional – Sonja Stangl / RAU – nature based cuisine
Books, sponsored by NoBrow, New Talent – Sua Balac / Illustre Bilder – an illustration collection
Books, sponsored by NoBrow Professional – Anna Mill / Square Eyes
Children’s Books, sponsored by Walker Books, New Talent – Dani Choi / Where is My Baboon Hiding? (left in cover image)
Children’s Books, sponsored by Walker Books, Professional – Fiona Woodcock / Look
Design New Talent – Fruzsina Fölföldi / Tale Trail: An Illustrated Sightseeing Kit
Design Professional – Tim Easley / Modified Man
Editorial New Talent – Lin Chen / ADD in Women
Editorial Professional – Eleni Debo / When to stop
Experimental New Talent – Patrick Dias / Connectivity
Experimental Professional – Magoz / Distortion
Research New Talent – Muto / In a landscape
Research Professional – Kathryn Martin / Isadora Duncan (right in cover image)
Site Specific New Talent – Jinhwa Jang / NYC Streets
Site Specific Professional – Astrid Jaekel / If These Walls Could Talk
As well as the 16 Category Award Winners, three new cross-category awards this year – an AOI Members Award, a Directory of Illustration Award, and the Society of Artists Agents Award for New Talent – will be announced on July 10. Also new this year are 16 Highly Commended awards (a professional and new talent award in each category), recognising the increasingly high standards of entries into the World Illustration Awards.
Judge, Simon Khalil, Global Creative Director, Arab News, stated, “Illustration plays a key role in visualising stories, especially when the subject is abstract or specific visuals do not immediately come to mind. Illustration adds colour, vibrancy and energy to stories and can grab attention in ways a photoshoot or stock shot can’t.”
All 200 shortlisted entries will be displayed at an exhibition at Somerset House from 11 – 28 July, with in-depth presentations of each of the category winning projects.
