Welcome and Awards Presentation

Welcome and Awards Presentation

After a warm welcome from Sarah Baker, we dove right into Awards! Congratulations to all of the winners!

BIPOC Scholarship: For Black, Indigenous and People of Color

Henna Ahmed

Fareeha Nawaz

Student Illustrator Scholarship 

for full-time university students studying illustration 

Kadin DiStefano

Sable Spellman

2025 Narrative Art Award Winner

Jen Betton

Kate Dopirak Craft and Community Award

Maureen Tai

Winners of the Portfolio Showcase 

OVERVIEW OF WHAT THEY GET

Bronze 

Keiko Hayner

Words from the Judges:

This portfolio includes strong compositions with fully realized characters. There are Charming and Consistent voices with strong storytelling.

Bronze 

Kristin Makarius

Words from the Judges:

Characters full of expression. They had a strong sense of movement, strong character design, the work was technically powerful, and they used color in a fresh way

Silver 

Josh Abraham

Words from the Judges:

This artist uses refreshing linework. They have cute character designs, with expressive emotions, and a strong, consistent MG style.

Gold 

Cancan Jin

Words from the Judges:

This portfolio has a strong sense of color displaying a knowledge of the medium. They have adorable character design that is  technically wonderful. The book dummy shows knowledge of the age group.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!

Can't make it to the In-Person Winter Conference in New York City, join us online at the Virtual Winter Conference featuring inspirational talks, industry panels and deep-dive Creative Labs,taking place in February of 2026. Videos of all sessions are available to watch for approximately 30 days after the event.