Cheltenham Illustration Awards Selected Entry 2021

Last year I entered the Cheltenham Illustration Awards for the 'I Am Many Stories' theme for which my entry was selected and published in the 2020 annual. With everything that happened last year, the exhibition was postponed and they said it would be a larger show tied in with the 2021 exhibition. This Summer, when the new theme came out, I decided to enter again as it would be amazing to have two entries in the Cheltenham exhibition. 

The 2021 theme was 'The Story of a Better Tomorrow' which linked to the 2020 theme, continuing to think about the impact current events have had. I thought this theme would be a great opportunity to show my personal experience and how little things like countryside walks helped me get through the lockdowns. A few weeks ago I found out that my illustration had been chosen so I'm very excited to have two entries showcased! I think this will be a great networking opportunity as I've never had my work on display anywhere; the annual also gets sent out to publishers and agents worldwide so it could lead to further possibilities.

The illustration was inspired by walks I frequently went on with my mum and dog around the fields where I live. We live close to the airport so it is usually altered by the noise of planes landing and taking off- this all stopped over lockdown. It was so quiet and peaceful, an escape from the stresses of work and figuring out what to do next. I realised how much I appreciated the natural world and this was something I wanted to capture through my illustration. While I captured the stillness, it also incorporates the world opening up again and the endless possibilities to travel when this is all over. 

To conclude, I'm excited to receive the annual next year and find out more about the exhibition. In a recent email they confirmed that after the exhibition in Cheltenham, it travels to the London Book Fair, one of the biggest fairs with global publishers and over 25,000 people attending each year.

'As the Skies Open Up'

I've always felt at home surrounded by nature, finding quiet country tracks not far from the airport near where I live. For months, this was undisturbed, a place to draw and observe the world from a distance. As things start to open up, the prospect of returning to normal almost seems daunting. But then again, who knows what normal is anymore. 

References- 

Cheltenham-illustration-awards.com. 2021. THE BRIEF. [online] Available at: <http://www.cheltenham-illustration-awards.com/p/about.html> [Accessed 27 October 2021].

Londonbookfair.co.uk. 2021. Who Will You Meet? Visit LBF | The London Book Fair. [online] Available at: <https://www.londonbookfair.co.uk/en-gb/visit.html> [Accessed 27 October 2021].