Overall review of the competition
This is the announcement of the award-winning works of the "JIA Illustration Award 2023", a global illustration competition.
Examination method
The judges are consisted of 5 artists, Ms.Sigal Caspin Segal (Israel), Mr.Yidong Cai (China), Mr.Jose Sanchez (Cost Rica), Ms.Eunbi Kang (South corea), and Ms.Mayuko Utanishi (Japan).
Points are given to each judge, 10 points for the 1 best applicant, 8 points for the 2nd best applicants, 6 points for the 5 applicants, 4 points for the 9 applicants, 2 points for 15 applicants,and 1 point for 20 applicants.
The points put in by the five judges were totaled, and the winners of each award were decided in order of the artists with the most points.
Overall review
Sigal Caspin Segal
As an illustrator, I'm honored to be a judge for the JIA competition, a prestigious event that showcases illustrators from all over the world.
It was a really wonderful visual journeyto my yes and heart!
It was exciting and challenging to see the diverse and talented entries and to give my opinion.
It was hard to compare and choose among them, as they all had different angles, styles, nationalities and cultures.
I congratulate all illustrators, even those who didn’t win, and encourage them to keep creating and beautifying the world with their work.
I also thank the JIA and Mr. Takahiro Kanie for their efforts to give illustrators a chance to shine.
Yidong Cai
It is an honor to serve as a judge for the 2023 JIA Illustration Awards.
The judging process not only exposed me to many exceptional works but also highlighted JIA’s global influence. This platform has provided a remarkable opportunity, and I congratulate all the awarded illustrators. Both you and I are fortunate to have encountered so many talented artists from around the world through JIA.
Jose Sanchez
I am very grateful to have the opportunity to be part of the jury members of this illustration contest, not for the fact of having the difficult task of having to select works among so many talented artists but rather for the fact of having the opportunity to take my time to analyze, understand and learn about the work of many artists, which at the end will serve as reminder and inspirational fuel for my own work.
I want to take this moment to say that it is extremely rewarding to see the personal and authentic way that illustrators use to communicate their ideas. To see how the reality of their experiences and their social and physical environments help to shape the unique visual language of each artist is amazing, it represents for me a sea of hope about the future of illustration in times of artificial intelligence.
If we are clear that both identity and authenticity in communication are our main contributions to society, we should not worry about the narratives of big tech companies. When you see an artwork, and you see that its brush stroke, its color approach and its themes tell you that the artist had fun doing his work, that is identity. When you see that an artist delimits the scope of his work based on his own human limitations and strengths, that is identity. When a person generates images with AI and jumps from one style to another without any real link to the style, what we find is an image producer not committed to his work, and unable to explore a visual language in its deepest form, that is AI.
I want to express my congratulations to all the participants of the contest, both to the winners and to those who were not chosen this year, because with their participation they all make the community of illustrators bigger and united. This is a special year because there is a tendency to be authentic, to be united, to be empathetic, to be vocal and to share with all our fellow artists. Keep sharing you work, keep participating in contests that take care about real human art, and let’s keep growing as a healthy community.
My sincere admiration and respect goes to all the participants of this JIA 2023!
I leave you with this quote from Edward Hopper
“If you could say it in words, there would be no reason to paint.”
Eunbi Kang
It is a huge honor for me to be a judge for the JIA Illustration Award 2023.
This is a unique experience for me to look at all of the participants’ work from all around the world and deliver my opinions to their amazing artwork.
I want to congratulate all the participants and winners for this year's JIA illustration competition. It was an indescribably amazing and humble experience to look at every talented artist and their art pieces.
Each piece had overflowing techniques, styles, messages and stories which are full of inspiration. As an artist, it was inspiring for me to look at all of the talented shining artist’s artwork, but it was hard for me to judge all of the art because everyone had different charming ideas and techniques.
What artists make is not just beautiful pieces. I believe they are artists’ life, passion, insight and their stories. I am glad to have this honorable chance to observe everyone’s artistic passion and life through art pieces.
I want to encourage and say “excellent work!” to every artist and illustrator. Thank you everyone for showing your artistic passion!
Mayuko Utanishi
It was a great honor for me to serve as a judge for the JIA Illustration Award 2023.
I feel that the level of award-winning works is getting higher every year as more and more applicants from overseas enter the competition.
I judged the entries based on their technique, originality, and how they expressed the theme of the work and the artist's thoughts,
The judging process was extremely difficult, as many of the entries were highly individualistic and of high quality.
I was also very much inspired by seeing so many world-class works.
Congratulations to all the award winners.
I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that you will continue to create wonderful works of art.
There were also many wonderful works by those who unfortunately did not receive awards. We look forward to seeing your entries again next year.
Takahiro Kanie (Chairman of Japan Illustrators' Association)
We received a lot of entries from all over the world, with 344 applicants and 941 works.
Continuing from last year, At Design Co., Ltd will hold an exhibition of award-winning works in China. And the number of entries from China has increased significantly.
On the other hand, I feel sad that the number of applications from Japan has decreased.
Judging from their names, there are many Chinese artists, but they actually live in various countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan. So, from this time, it will be displayed by the place of residence instead of which country they belongs to.
This time I was not a member of the Judges.
The first impression is very important in the competition. The judges look at a lot of works at once, so if the first impression is weak, it won't stay in their mind. It's whether their heart moves the moment they see it.
Then, what kind of work moves their heart?
It requires that you have your own world view and that you have the technique to express it well.
When choosing, if an artist has only 1 item and the other has 5 items, there is a high probability that the 5 items will be selected. I feel an overwhelming amount of heat from a large number of works.
However, there is a condition that all works must have the same style and level.
If the style of each work is different or there is a difference in level, it may work negatively.
I get the impression that the overall level is steadily rising as the number of exhibited works increases.
I feel that the winners of this competition are definitely the people who should become first-class illustrators or first-class artists.
Our mission is to let people all over the world know about such talented artists.
The Judges' bio
Sigal Caspin Segal（illustrator and a painter）
My name is Sigal. I'm an artist.
A lover of colors and shapes.
An open-water swimmer and an adventurous hiker.
I am a freelance illustrator and a painter, and I LOVE what I do.
I am passionate about giving visual shape and interpretation to words, ideas and emotions, to stories and tales.
My specialty is hand-made illustration. My fortes are watercolors, color pencils and inks.
The world of nature inspires me in all its forms: from shells to seeds, from whales to insects, from oceans to sand dunes.
My work is also rooted in ancient cultures and mythologies, in science fiction, steampunk and the fantasy world.
I create imaginative art, whimsical and sometimes humorous.
magical worlds and cute creatures. I love detailed artworks in watercolors and quirky narratives.
I'm a graduate with distinction from the "Avni Institute of Art and Design" in Tel-Aviv ISRAEL.
My work has been published in solo, group exhibitions, and in Book fairs around the world.
I have published two children’s books, two artist books and more illustration projects in limited editions.
AWARDS:
-I JUNGLE merit award 2018. -ISRAEL IWS [ International watercolors society] 3rd place
2019. -Fabriano in Acquarello 2020, selected artist for the exhibition.
Honorable Mention winner 3x3 illustration annual 2020.
Brightness publishing illustrators award 2020 Teenager’s book category.
Merit Three X Three international illustration award 2021.
Pardespublishing illustrating imagination contest, First place.
JIA Illustration Award 2022 First place GRAND PRIX.
Site and shop: https://www.sigalsegal.com/
Portfolio: https://www.sigalsegal.com/portfolio-1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/segalsigal/
Behance: https://www.behance.net/SEGALSIGAL
Yidong Cai (Designer, illustrator)
Designer, illustrator, advertiser.
Currently residing in Changsha, China, and the founder of Rifling.
Proficient in geometric artistry, with a penchant for unique and distinct forms of expression.
A recipient of the JIA and 3X3 Gold Awards, their illustrations have also garnered recognition from ADC, D&AD, TOKYO TDC, and others.
Jose Sanchez (Illustrator and Concept Artist)
Jose Sánchez was born in Costa Rica, a small country with a unique beauty thanks to its exuberant nature. Jose has a BFA in Fine Arts from the University of Costa Rica, majoring in graphic design, however his real passion is illustration and animation which he has studied in a self-taught way. As part of his formal studies he also completed a one-year diploma in Concept Art at Vancouver Animation School. His work was initially related to the advertising field mainly as a motion designer, though after a while, his career took a decisive turn towards the animation industry for which he moved to Japan to work as a Concept Artist.
Parallel to his work in the animation studio and due to his passion for art, Jose has always kept producing personal pieces of art and illustrations which have allowed him to experiment with various styles, as well as themes ranging from science fiction to fantasy for both adults and children, giving him the chance to work as freelancer illustrator with clients in Costa Rica, United States, England, Egypt and Japan.
His illustration work is really influence by the exuberant natural environment of his country and the inevitable global influence of technology where he puts a special importance on the use of color and lighting as a fundamental storytelling skill.
His work in illustration had given him the chance to have several accomplishments like: the official selection in Illustration West 61 SILA 2023, winner of a 3rd quarter contest in the L. Ron Hubbard's Illustrators of the Future 2022, and a silver award from the Japan Illustrators Association in 2022. Currently he keeps working in the animation industry while doing illustration for a series of picture children’s books.
Website : http://www.perrotrope.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrotrope/
Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/perrotrope
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jose-sanchez-chaves
Eunbi Kang (Artist and illustrator)
Hello, I am Eunbi Kang, a Korean visual development artist and illustrator.
As for my experiences, I have participated in JIA illustration 2022 and won the silver award, and also won the Excellence in Independent Environment category in the 2022 Concept Art Awards held in LightBox.
In addition, I love to share my stories about my art, so I have been featured in famous entertainment magazines such as ImagineFX and Character Design Quarterly and have collaborated with Wacom to share my ideas and insights for art.
I have worked in the U.S. and participated in projects for art, concept and illustration for studios and clients.
I am specialized in using Adobe programs and Blender to create illustration, background painting, character art, concept art and visual development for the art and entertainment industry.
I have professional experiences for studios, but what I most like is working on my own project and visualizing illustrative scenes.
I have a fascination for vibrant color palettes, fantasy themes and dynamic shapes of buildings. What I paint is what I love and passionate about. Art is a part of my life and myself.
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/ekang9/
Mayuko Utanishi(Illustrator, Web & Graphic Designer)
[As a designer]
After graduating from a technical college, worked at a design production company, where he was in charge of design and production of paper media such as posters, flyers, magazine advertisements, catalogs, and pamphlets.
Since 2021, he has been working as a freelance designer.
[As an illustrator]
While selling illustrations on the street and participating in group exhibitions, I gained experience in creating commercial illustrations for advertisements, pamphlets, CD jackets, etc. at a design production company.
Currently, he mainly works on "illustrated MAP" projects.
[Awards]
Jia Illustration Award 2019 Bronze Prize
Luxembourg Art Prize 2022 Certificate of Artistic Achievement
Artmajeur: https://www.artmajeur.com/bei-xi-jian-zi-mayuko-utanishi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utatane.design/
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