Five Ukrainian nominees on World Illustration Awards list 

The list of nominees of the prestigious World Illustration Awards 2025 was published on the website of the Association of Illustrators (UK). Ukrainian artists Iryna Babanina, Jenia Polosina, Yuliya Gvilym, Viktoria Kienko, and Mariia Tikhonova were included on the longlist.

The award categories included advertising, animation, book covers, and children’s publishing.

Among many artists, the competition jury selected these works of Ukrainian illustrators to participate:

• A series of illustrations by Iryna Babanina for the book “Gelsomino in the Land of Liars” by Gianni Rodari, which she created as a diploma project at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture

• An illustration by Jenia Polosina for the cover of H.G. Wells’s collection of short stories “The Country of the Blind” (One more page publishing)

• Illustrations by Yuliya Gvilym for a children’s book scheduled to be published in 2025 (The Old Lion Publishing house)

• The cover by Viktoria Kienko for the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling 

• Illustrations by Mariia Tikhanova for the children’s book “The Story of the Little Hare”

An illustration by the artist of Ukrainian descent Anna Do was included in the longlist.

The World Illustration Awards, presented by the Association of Illustrators (AOI) in partnership with the Directory of Illustration (DI), showcase great work being made by illustrators all over the world today.

WIA focuses on supporting and celebrating creativity by connecting illustrators with their peers and the global illustration industry.

RELATED: Ukrainian illustrator won the 2025 Bologna Children’s Book Fair

Images: Association of Illustrators website

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn