The SCBWI Australian Picture Book Illustrator Awards recognise the talent of PAL published Australian children’s illustrators, in visual narrative for picture books and graphic novels from early childhood to young adult. The Award is managed by SCBWI Australia East and is funded by the Copyright Agency.
There are two categories – Established and Emerging Illustrator Awards for Australian Illustrators with prize money to assist an illustrator with the creation of a new visual narrative picture book or graphic novel.
Judging Criteria
Originality of the intended project
Creativity of the intended project
Artistic and literary merit of the applicant’s body of work (assessed on grounds of stylistic and thematic achievement as demonstrated by portfolio and support material)
Ability of applicant to create an excellent narrative with a significant visual component (as demonstrated by portfolio and support material) which may be textual and visual, or visual alone (wordless).
Our stupendous judges are:
Helen Weir—Senior Commissioning Editor, Two Hoots, an imprint of Pan Macmillan UK
Laura Sieveking—Publisher, Scholastic Australia
John Rudolph—Literary Agent, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret
SCBWI is so excited to have such wonderful and hugely talented publishing professionals for this incredible award. So let’s get to the winners!
SCBWI Judges’ Report 2023 by Helen Weir, Laura Sieveking and John Rudolph
Established Category
FIRST PRIZE
Emma Quay – A Little Creative
The panel is so pleased to award first prize to Emma Quay for A LITTLE CREATIVE. In her Project Description, Emma makes a convincing case for the importance of creative play in the lives of young readers. We were particularly taken with how she described her own experience with difficult childhood emotions, and how she used her Fuzzy Felts to let her frustrations melt away. She has an impressive research plan in place that involves a number of different resources, and her supporting materials show a clear and coherent vision for her project. Her samples reveal a strong grasp of composition and line, her layouts are busy without feeling crowded, and collage elements are deftly and strategically deployed, again without crowding her spaces. We can't wait to see how A LITTLE CREATIVE turns out!
Moreover, Emma's portfolio reveals the depths of her talent. She clearly understands the picture book format and makes great use of color to draw in readers. Her figures are exuberant and playful without feeling posed or static. Design is another strong point for Emma, with compositions that breathe and seamlessly work in the text. She has a masterful facility with both animals and people, nailing the cute factor in both cases.
SECOND PRIZE
Judy Watson – William’s Tent
Judy Watson’s project William’s Tent was selected for its creativity and originality. The concept of a homemade tent as a place of refuge from the overwhelming nature of social gatherings is a topic that will resonate with many children. The themes of community and family are beautifully represented through the garden setting.
The panel enjoyed Judy’s interest in materials and textures in this project. The use of light and colour against a night garden backdrop gave it a magical quality. The art style in representing the textures of the fabrics is something the panel thought could be developed beautifully in the final project.
Judy’s body of work is whimsical and full of character. Her wistful sketches carry a lightness to them which evoke a nostalgia for classic books of the past. Some of her other work playfully explores bright colour and dark lines, as well as textures and dimensions to create a collage style work which is visually intriguing. Her pitch and supporting documents clearly explained her project with excellent supporting documentation of her inspiration and intention.
THIRD PRIZE
Anna McGregor – Spiro
The judges enjoyed Anna McGregor’s quirky and hugely appealing story about a hard-working spider. Her characters are sweet and appealing, and there is a jaunty feel to her artwork that conveys movement and joy in a very effective way. Even the fly has an infectious grin. Anna’s portfolio work shows she has a highly developed sense of composition, a vibrant and varied colour palette, and is able to confidently balance sharp lines and soft textures.
The story also carried an important message about persistence and not giving up, but without any hint of preachiness. The humour in Anna’s work is abundant and the unexpected ending to the story will delight mischievous young children. Her supporting material was clear and easy to understand.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Matt Shanks – Philip and Crane
The concept for Matt Shanks’s project is delightfully novel. Described by the panel as quirky and surprising, we enjoyed the playfulness of the relationship between the man and bird, which mirrored that of the relationship between humankind and nature, and how we care for the environment. There is also a deeper metaphor to this story, grappling with themes of loneliness and sacrifice; inclusion and adoption.
The graphic novel style is a unique choice for this flavor of work, which makes Matt’s project unique and intriguing.
Matt Shanks’s body of work is delicate, expressive and emotional. There’s a simplicity to his work which is delightful and engaging. He makes excellent use of negative and white space to give his body of work a clean aesthetic. His watercolour illustrations are particularly beautiful and would be very appealing to a young reader.
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Lucinda Gifford – Thora the Barbarian
THORA THE BARBARIAN is an ambitious project with a lot of kid appeal. The characters are well designed, with distinctive features that can easily be manipulated over the course of a graphic novel. The comparison to Asterix and Obelix feels particularly relevant here, and the panel could easily see this as a steppingstone for younger readers to those books. One of Lucinda's strongest points is her sense of humor, which shines through in little details like the frog with a scarf and hat on a "miserable misty morning." The "thoughts of Colic" sample is wonderfully silly as well.
Needless to say, Lucinda's publication history is quite impressive. Her portfolio showcases her use of humor and gesture, as well as a delightful energy that infuses her illustrations with child-friendly details. In particular, Neil the Sea Cucumber is a clever creation, and the panel admired how Lucinda used horizontal panels to amplify the humor of Neil's long journey to rescue Sandra. Line and movement combine in Who Took the Nuts to suggest a squirrel almost leaping off the page, an impressive feat.
Emerging Category
WINNER
Annabelle Hale – The Dress Aunty Joy Made
With one simple idea – following the life of a homemade dress as it is passed through the generations – Annabelle manages to explore a wealth of emotions and personalities. Annabelle cleverly uses the dress as a way to paint a portrait of a family full of children with their own thoughts and identities, and beautifully shows how there can be many different expressions of femininity among many different girls. The story is about these girls and the ways they express themselves, but also about the strength of family bonds, and the love that can be shared via a handmade gift.
Annabelle’s artwork is sweet and warm, pairing well with the emotions in her story, and it is clear from her supporting material that she has put a great deal of thought and heart into this project. It was a pleasure to see her begin to experiment with traditional media and to start to bring more freedom, looseness and joy into her work. Her use of texture, her characters’ expressions and the lush bright colour palette are all impressive. She is capable of creating an engaging visual narrative with varied compositions and moments of space and calm to allow the story and the emotions room to breathe.
The judges felt that families and children alike would be able to see themselves in this story, and that it could become a book to be handed down from one generation to another, just like the dress.
HIGHLY COMMENDED:
Ross Morgan – Shadow Rabbit
The panel were intrigued by Ross’s wholly unique project about a lonely rabbit conversing with a shadow rabbit on his wall. This highly creative piece elegantly deals with the themes of loss, loneliness and isolation through strong metaphors of light and shadow; time and memory. Ross Morgan’s work deftly uses light and darkness to explore these very human themes in an animal character. He blends the real with the imaginary and opens up the conversation about ageing and isolation in a gentle and beautiful way. His pitch document was strong, clearly outlining his intentions with this narrative.
Ross’s wider portfolio is a beautiful body of work which captures heavy subjects with beauty. The theme of light and dark is masterfully used across his whole body of work, with highly refined skills in his chosen medium.
Congratulations to all the winners!
