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During 2021 BCBF Online Edition, Anastasia Arkhipova - president of the Jury - announced the winning illustrators of “Image of the Book” - Annual Contest for Book Illustration and Design, now at its XIV edition.
Here's an article by Anastasia Arkhipova herself about the current illustration market, and how the Image of the Book contest is always in search of new talented artists from all over the world.
Some time ago to be appreciated the illustrator had to be published, the way to get a published book was long, needed much time and will. Now it is much easier to declare oneself, one can just post his or her illustrations somewhere in Internet – Instagram, Pinterest or any other platform, and many people will see the pictures and the author will have fans. There are thousands of images and it is so difficult to find something that is really talented and worth supporting.
Internet makes any information available for everyone. So the young artists can find what other illustrators are doing, what books are published all over the world, which of them are more successful. As a result the tendencies expand very quickly. But what distinguishes book illustrators from those who design and illustrate periodic issues, magazines, is that it is not so necessary to follow the popular new trends, to depend upon the today fashion. The quality book lives for a very long time. The best, the most talented artists stand above any trend. Their work can influence others, but it can't be copied. One can copy a manner, a technique, but not the personal view, fantasy, image of the artist. They are very different, but each of them is unique and sincere.
All this make professional contests and exhibitions more and more important, experts make their selection from the big quantity of submissions to find real talents, gifted young artists or appreciate professionalism in masters' work, the jury takes responsibility for the decisions. The most difficult task for a juror is not to follow his or her taste, to judge objectively, it's hard work. The result of the contest must show not only what is in fashion, in the latest trend, but the variety of existing styles, different schools, views, national peculiarity.
The International contest “Image of the Book” exists for 14 years already. In our jury we have highly professional and well known artists from Russia and other countries. We are always happy to see talented artists, new illustrators and book designers, to show and promote their work.
Katrin Ehrlich, Estonia
Piret Paar “The Happy Man's Shirt”
Fabrizio Di Baldo, Italy
Ludovico Ariosto “Orlando Furioso”
Rozi Bekes, Hungary
H.C.Andersen “The Wild Swans”
Laureates
Luciya Mrzljak, Croatia
Indrek Koff “Palavikulilled”
Justina Sokolowska, Poland
“The Book of Genesis”
Sebastian Krupinski, Poland
Niccolò Machiavelli “The Prince”
Ana Ines Castelli, Italy – Argentina
Kahlil Gibran “The Prophet and the Garden of the Prophet”
Ali Boozari, Iran
“The Wolf and the Goats”, Iranian folk tale
Diploma
Kristin Raidloo, Estonia
Emanuele Bergamaschi “Winter”
Vanda Cizmek, Croatia
Silvija Sesto “The Alphabet of Unloved”
Martynas Pavilonis, Lithuania
Indre Pavilonite “The Marmies. Where is the Love?”
Adriano Moneghetti, Italy
Irene Zanello “Gon the Van”
Ana Laura Alvaregna, Brasil
Ana Rapha Nunes “Ela Nasceu Clarice”
Mohammad Hossein Matak, Iran
Afsaneh Shabannejad “Tippler and the Crow”
Donya Maghsoudlou, Iran
Mansoureh Arab Khorasani
“Cathy Long Cat”
Joanna Bartosik, Poland
Malgorzata Swedrowska “My Grandma, My Grandpa”
Laureates
Caterina Dubovik, Belarus
Sacarius Topelius “How Paarvo the Smith Shoed the Locomotive” retold by M.Vizel
Rodrigo Visca, Brasil
Jorge du Peixe “A Nave Vai”
Marja-Liisa Plats, Estonia
Triinu Laan “Luukere Juhani Juhtumised”
Wang Hanping, China
Hao Zhou “My Beloved Cattle”
Josephine Birch, UK
Emma Bettridge “Goodbye Hobbs”
Roger Ycaza, Ecuador
Volnei Canonica “Tanta Chuva No Ceu”
Liuna Virardi, Italy
Cristina Bellemo “Pleno Vuoto”
Elisa Talentino, Italy
Sara Gamberini “Quando il Mondo Era Tutto Azzurro”
Sylvia Bello, Italy
Eiham Assadi “La Prima Neve”
Puck Koper, Netherlands – Italy
Federica Iacobelli “Giulietta e Federico”
Salimeh Babakhan, Iran
Hadi Mohammadi “18+2 Woodpeckers”
Ghazal Fattolahi, Iran
Shahrazad Shahrjerdi “You Are an Explorer”
Diploma
Sandy Horsley, UK
“Unseen Suffolk, Libraries in a Year”
Ivan Ferrara, Italy
“The Farting Wife”
Laureate
Francesco Chiacchio, Italy
“World Concert”
Diploma
Sara Stefanini, Switzerland
“Me &You”
Ami Shin, South Korea
“My Favorite House”
Alejandro Rocio, Argentina
“I Don't Want Vegetables!”
Kun-Sen Chiang (Mori), Taiwan
“Taste of Lunar New Year”
Mohsen Damandan, Iran
“Friendship With Secret Taste”
Pegah Derakhshan, Iran
“Rokni-jacket for Llia”
Maryam Yektafar, Iran
“Worry Monster”
Liu Xun, China
“Children Under the Moonlight”
Wang Shyin, China
“Moonrise”
Li Qingyue, China
“Magic Cloth”
Laureates
Natalia Mirzoyan, Armenia
“Cinque Minuti”
Yael Frankel, Argentina
“Bird's Woman”
“Excursion”
Claudia Preziozo, Uruguay
“Ama”
Manica Musil, Slovenia
“Two Little Architects”
Denise Gallagher, USA
“Moonsong”
Hadi Baghdadi, Iran
“Mr Charlie and Oliver”
Hale Ghorbani, Iran
“Dutak”
“The Moon Fish”
Wen Dee Tan, Malaysia
“Someone Watches Over Me”
Bao Yijia, China
“The Great Fish”
Jin Er, China
“Blackcrane's Animal Novel”
“The Moose of Evenki”
Lorenzo Megni, Italy
“In a Silent Way”
Veronia Neascu, Romania
“Piter Blue"
Diploma
Giorgia Larosa, Italy
“Open Your Eyes”
Victoria Tentler-Krylov, Russia – USA
“Building Zaha”
Laureates
Gioia Marchegiani
“In un Seme. Manuale per Piccoli Collezionisti di Meraviglie”
The artist gets an extra Diploma from the Russian State Children's Library and is offered to have an exhibition of her illustrations there.
Virginia Elena Patrone, Italy
Sara Mostaccio “Alma Karlin. (Girls at the End of the World)”
Rosanna Bossu
Paola Vitale “The Jellyfish Garden”
Irene Penazzi, Italy
“Dans la Montagne”
“Maison Eliza”
“Voci dal Mondo Verde”
Diploma
Vendi Vernic
E. Ionesco “Price 1,2,3,4”
Jule Wellerdiek, Germany
“Holger's House”
Hannah Detterbeck, Germany
“We're Going on Adventure”
Hana Valibek, Iran
“Amu Nowruz and Nane Sarma”
Laureates
Agata Lucic, Croatia
“Dorta Jagic “Three Travelers in the Land of Nut”
Dominik Vukovic
“The Fly in the Atelier of Ivan Kozanic”
Clarissa La Viola, Italy
J.D.Sallinger “The Catcher in the Rye”
