Macmillan Prize for Illustration
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Celebrating 30 years of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration and announcing the winners of 2015 Macmillan Children’s Books is delighted to announce the winners of the Macmillan Prize for Illustration 2015. First prize has been awarded to Shu-Ti Liao from Anglia Ruskin University. The judges praised Liao’s “bold use of composition allied to a clever use of the page to tell her tale of an explorer’s Adventure at Night”. Anglia Ruskin students were also awarded second prize for Sarah Finan’s Yankee Doodle Stanley and joint- third prize for Silje Nilsen’s City Break. The third prize is shared with Yu Ying Chen’s Chair of Life, a student at Kingston University. Chair of Judges, Picture Books Art Director at Macmillan Children’s Books, Chris Inns, says: “With 245 submissions, once again the entries for the Macmillan Prize have shown there is a wealth of new talent out there showing a passion for illustration and storytelling. The winners all showed that they could weave words and images together elegantly to put their visions across.” Stephanie Barton, Publisher Under 6s at Macmillan Children’s Books, adds: “Today, more than ever, it is incumbent on us as a children’s publisher to nurture links with the specialist creative Arts Universities where new talent abounds; the Mac Prize, in its 30th year, is testament to Macmillan’s long term and unwavering commitment to that ideal.” Martin Salisbury, Professor of Illustration at Anglia Ruskin, says: “Our staff and students are passionate about picture books and the Macmillan Prize is a wonderful opportunity for them to have their work assessed by the industry.” The Macmillan Prize was established thirty years ago, in 1985, to stimulate new work from young illustrators in art schools, and to help them to take the first steps in their professional lives. This coveted award has discovered such talent as Sara Fanelli, Lucy Cousins, Emily Gravett, Catherine Rayner and Gemma Merino amongst many others. The Macmillan Prize also awards a prize to the entrant who shows the most promise as an illustrator of books for babies or very young children, awarded in memory of Poppy Cat creator Lara Jones. Mark Nicholas, also of Anglia Ruskin, won The Lara Jones Award for his entry Wellies has lost his boot.