After long deliberation, the jury decided not to give out a grand award in the first year, issuing the following the statement:
The jury was impressed with the wide stylistic range of the work, which also reflects the heterogeneity of this creative genre. Many of the submitted pieces showed a high level of creativity and quality. This is the first time the prize is being awarded, and since the number of submitted works exceeded initial expectations, the jury was unable to reach a clear and unequivocal consensus on any one outstanding accomplishment in the time available.
For this reason, the jury has chosen to forego awarding a Grand Prix.
This decision is in no way intended to minimize the achievements of the winners, but rather above all to underscore the high standards of the competition in order to enshrine it as an international yardstick in the illustrator scene in the future – with a particular focus on original non-computer-assisted illustrations, to promote less well-known talents as well as to recognise renowned illustrators. This decision should be viewed as an encouragement and invitation to participate in next year’s Global Illustration Award.
Instead, for this time only, the prize money for the grand award will be used to support the work of a larger number of illustrators, by way of training and