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University-led Illustration awards attract high-quality entries from around the world

University of Gloucestershire is bringing work by an international selection of illustrators to the county as organiser of the prestigious Cheltenham Illustration Awards.

The Awards receive more than 800 entries each year from all over the world, with the 60 most highly commended works being included in an exhibition and accompanying printed annual designed by the University’s Illustration team.

Among this year’s entries selected for inclusion in the annual awards by judges Martha Rich and Jack Teagle,  is work by University students Isabella Hughes (BA (Hons) Illustration) and Luciana Chion (MA Illustration).

In celebration of the awards, the University is hosting the Cheltenham Illustration Awards Open Evening at The Wilson Art Gallery and Museum, in Cheltenham, on Wednesday, 22 February between 5pm and 7.30pm. Tickets for the event are free but must be booked in advance.

The evening will provide guests with opportunities to meet illustrators and to enjoy the University’s annual exhibition showcasing the best illustration work by students and emerging illustrators.

The Awards are administered by the University under the auspices of Pittville Press, which is run by the Illustration department to promote, publish and celebrate work by Illustrators of all kinds.

Kimberly Ellen Hall, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the BA (Hons) Illustration programme within the University’s School of Arts, said: “The Illustration department at the University has been running the Cheltenham Illustration Awards for more than a decade and the standard of the work we receive from around the world remains as high as ever.

“This year’s highly commended entries represent many cultures and dig deep into a wide variety of subjects and themes – it’s a real coup for the University to host this array of work.

“As well as at The Wilson, which is hosting the Open Evening for the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the work will be exhibited around the Gloucestershire region and at the London Book Fair in April.”

The exhibition is running at The Wilson until 28 February, at the Museum on the Park. Stroud, from 4 March to 16 April and at the London Book Fair from 18 to 20 April.