Judges' comments

What a wonderful graphic story! Despite the conventionality of the forms, each character is unique, emotional, and has its own nature. For me, this series of illustrations by Qinzi is like a breath of fresh air. I especially liked the lightness, humor, thoughtful compositional solutions, and professional work with color accents.

Ekaterina Borodacheva

Clean, readable, and nicely dynamic compositions. I like how Qinzi illustrated the birds in a stylized way—full of character and energy. It might help to pay more attention to the overall form and bird placement, maybe group them more or push the big-medium-small hierarchy. Also, I love the textures on the birds—would be great to see some of that carried into the backgrounds, which feel a bit empty right now.

Max Liu

The birds are rendered in black and white, naturally drawing the viewer’s attention to the red ball of yarn — which also guides the flow of the story. The birds’ expressions are vivid and playful, and the treatment of textures is both creative and distinctive.

Moon Q

A lively and humorous visual narrative. The composition is dynamic and expressive, with great rhythm and interaction between the characters. The red thread works excellently as a visual anchor across the spreads, guiding the viewer’s eye and unifying the story. The mix of techniques creates rich textures while keeping the overall look cohesive.

Nadiia Zhelieznova

The artist uses printmaking to preserve the unique marks left by the printing process as part of the picture's texture, and the reconstruction and remodelling process through collage is very distinctive. Additionally, the bird's expression is rich, and the black-and-white colour scheme evokes the silent comedies of Chaplin. Despite the absence of sound, the witty and humorous atmosphere and childlike fun conveyed in the picture are palpable.

Yimin Wang

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