The University of Gloucestershire's Illustration department have been running the internationally renowned Cheltenham Illustration Awards for over a decade and produce an annual, each year, alongside the subsequent exhibition. The theme for 2023’s Exhibition and Annual was 'Interconnectivity'.
The focus of the Awards is narrative. Visual storytelling, whether sequential or single image, gives scope to the imagination and opens up possibilities beyond the present moment; what happened before? What happens next?
There are two sections of the Awards: 'Student' and 'Emerging and Established'. The Student category is open to all students over 18 years of age worldwide. The Emerging and Established category is open to any practising illustrators who wish to gain exposure of their work and to those who are more established and are already a part of the illustration world.
The 60 most highly commended entries entered are chosen by a professional industry selection panel for this inclusion in the annual and, from these, for the 2023-2024 exhibition. The Illustration awards receives over 800 entries each year from all over the world and is sent around the globe!
This year the Judges were:
Jasjyot Singh Hans: https://www.jasjyotjasjyot.com
Monika Forsberg: https://www.walkyland.com
Here at The Museum in the Park we are always delighted to show this new selection of curious, intriguing, and inventive visual stories and hope you enjoy seeing work by talented young students and emerging illustrators from different countries around the world.
You can also see three cabinets full of delightful sketchbooks by Stroud-based illustrator Martha Lightfoot.
Copies of the Illustration Annual are on sale at reception (£15). This year the ingenious design means you can buy a book, collection of small prints and postcards all in one!
