WIA2022 Judges’ Highlights from the New Talent Shortlist

Read on for some judges’ highlights from the WIA2022 New Talent Shortlist, alongside their thoughts on what made these particular projects stand out!

Honie Beam: Mockingjay, shortlisted in the New Talent Book Covers Category

I think this piece does a wonderful job of evoking the mood and action of the book, it’s a well executed and professional quality piece.

John Fontana, SVP, Creative Director, Dubbleday, US

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Zhenyi Zheng: Home Phrases, shortlisted in the New Talent Alternative Publishing Category

I think this comic is really innovative in the use of panels and page designs, and is a brilliantly creative expression of the lockdown experience and the way people’s relationships with their spaces changed during the pandemic. The use of collage and texture and colour make these illustrations really rich and interesting.

Katriona Chapman, Head of Marketing, Avery Hill Publishing, UK




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Yiran Xia: Women Evolution, shortlisted in the New Talent Science & Technology Category

This is refreshingly unique. I love the combination of futuristic iconography paired with the illustrated panels.

Elena Lacey, Art Director, WIRED, USA




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Xiaomu Zhao: Dangerous Garden, shortlisted in the Book Covers Category

I find this piece charming, I love the little world this illustrator has created. The artist has a beautiful style.

John Fontana, SVP, Creative Director, Dubbleday, US

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BOX WORLD

Jiayang Chen: The Box World, shortlisted in the New Talent Exploration Category

The piece works very well as a whole in this image. The characters are tactile and, although varied in style, brought together through use of the same materials and intention. The wooden boxes make it feel like a fantasy land and remind me of a child’s dream or toys but rendered in a mature and interesting way.

Abel Reverter, Director at Cabeza Patata

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Rin Jirajakkavan: Lockdown in a Strange Room, shortlisted in the New Talent Exploration Category

The stress of the small space, isolation and daily routine comes through very well. The narrative reads very well without needing explanatory text.

Thoka Maer, Art Director, Google Doodle

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Charlotte Bownass: Crystal, shortlisted in the New Talent Alternative Publishing Category

Expressive sequential art, full of feeling. I like the visual storytelling in this piece – the artwork is expressive and the way the words and illustrations work together to tell the story of the family is great. The lighting and small moments on the final page are lovely, and the page with the girl looking at things out of the window and growing sleepy while the dad is talking is beautifully done. It perfectly captures the mood of long childhood car rides

Katriona Chapman, Head of Marketing, Avery Hill Publishing, UK





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Cecilia Cairo: L’abominevole mistero shortlisted in the New Talent Alternative Publishing Category

These are absolutely stunning, highly detailed, soft pencil illustrations. The colours used are superb. A great deal of skill has been demonstrated through the use of mixed media here. I appreciate that the text was required to be digitally added later, and I think they have done so seamlessly. A stand out project.

Allison Colpoys, Designer and Illustrator, Australia


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Raven Zhou: The Lin Brothers, shortlisted in the New Talent Children’s Publishing Category, sponsored by Walker Books

These illustration combine use of subtle empty space found in Chinese traditional painting with the whimsical anthropomorphism in Andersen’s fairy tales and Grimm’s fairy tales.

Mingzhou Zhang, President, IBBY, China





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