Judges' comments

Scarlett Yang chose a very complex piece of writing for her illustrations. I respect and admire this choice. It seems inappropriate to me to discuss the plot of the novella and the fate of its author here. But for those who find the strength and want to read, the writer is Lin Yi-han, and the title of the book is "Fang Si-Chi's First Love Paradise." Now to the artist's works. They are done unusually delicately and sensually, filled with symbolism, purity, and depth of images. Those are the best words to describe them. These illustrations are just wonderful.

Ekaterina Borodacheva

Yang’s series really stood out to me with its soft yet intense storytelling. I like how she used delicate colors and symbolic elements—like butterflies, flames, and closed doors—to build an emotional narrative. The compositions feel cinematic, and her digital painting style has a very smooth, painterly quality. It’s subtle, but full of feeling, and leaves a strong impression.

Max Liu

The two illustrations echo each other like the beginning and end of a story, leaving the events in between — and what lies behind the central door — open to the viewer’s imagination. The first image shares a subtle resemblance to Gyoshu Hayami’s Enbu (Dance of Flames), as if one could almost feel the air in motion.

Moon Q

Scarlett Yang’s illustrations are poetic and emotionally charged, combining symbolic surrealism with a refined visual style. Her works create an intimate atmosphere through carefully staged compositions, recurring elements like doors, chairs, and books, and the subtle interplay between softness and intensity. The restrained color palettes and layered imagery invite the viewer to slow down and interpret the quiet tension between vulnerability, transformation, and inner strength.

Nadiia Zhelieznova

For readers familiar with the event in its entirety, appreciating this group of works cannot be confined to a purely aesthetic exploration, although the visual composition of the images remains key to deciphering them. The artist deliberately uses a staid, symmetrical and stagnant composition, replacing textual descriptions with an intense visual narrative that accurately conveys the background of the family in which the protagonist grows up. More noteworthy still is the way in which the metaphorical colour language and the almost 'paranoid' (meticulous) level of detailing together give the picture a profound space for multiple interpretations.

Yimin Wang

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