Judges' comments

Everyone knows the feeling when you are physically present in one space but mentally hundreds of thousands of kilometers away. This happens especially often when a person is separated from loved ones, far from home. Snowy's illustrations are just about this. Her characters are close, but not nearby. And the mobile phone screen glows like the window of a home where you are always welcome. I really like the color scheme that the artist chose. It resembles the setting sun. A shade of light melancholy.

Ekaterina Borodacheva

Really poetic and emotionally grounded. I love the soft gradients and the warm palette—it sets a nostalgic, almost dreamlike mood. The storytelling is subtle but powerful, and the framing through the phone screen adds a thoughtful layer. Feels very personal.

Max Liu

The use of color tones and light and shadow gives the work a memory-like atmosphere — somewhat unreal, yet just like how fragments of memories surface in our minds: beautiful, nostalgic, and tinged with a touch of sadness. Through the small rectangular frame of a smartphone, the artist skillfully expresses the abstract concept of longing.

Moon Q

Snowy’s works tackle an emotionally complex theme with remarkable delicacy and care. Through soft textures, warm tones, and symbolic visual language, the illustrations create an atmosphere of quiet reflection. Despite the light palette, the images convey a deep sense of emotion, showing how illustration can express subtle psychological states. It's powerful to see an artist addressing such a theme with this level of sensitivity and artistic control.

Nadiia Zhelieznova

This series of works will resonate with readers who have studied abroad or are experiencing loneliness and homesickness. The bright, rounded, rectangular frame in the painting resembles a mobile phone screen held during a transoceanic video call. It is also a metaphor for the lonely, one-sided mirror in the artist's heart. The faint sadness in the protagonist's heart which stretches to the faraway place through the gauze-like curtains, like a flitting bird passing through her mind, creeps alongside the projection of the setting sun on the wall. Additionally, the granulous texture of the images resembles a collective imprint in the hearts of those who have had similar experiences.

Yimin Wang

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