Ukrainian Illustrators Earn International Recognition at 2025 World Illustration Awards
Two Ukrainian artists, Yuliia Gwilym and Jenya Polosina, have been honored at the prestigious World Illustration Awards 2025.
The Gaze reports this, referring to the World Illustration Awards.
According to the statement, this year’s competition drew more than 4,700 submissions, with only 200 works making the shortlist. Both Gwilym and Polosina were awarded Highly Commended distinctions in separate categories.
Polosina was recognized in the Book Covers category for her striking design for The Country of the Blind, a short story collection by H.G. Wells, published by One More Page.
Gwilym, meanwhile, was honored in the Children’s Book Illustration category for her playful artwork in Kryak! (Quack!), published by The Old Lion Publishing House.
The recognition marks another milestone for Ukrainian illustrators making their mark internationally. Earlier, three other Ukrainians were included on the longlist for the 2025 awards.
Among them is Viktoriia Kienko, who reimagined the iconic cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as part of her studies at the Lviv National Academy of Arts.
Also featured were Iryna Babanina’s illustrations for Gelsomino in the Country of Liars by Italian writer Gianni Rodari, created as her graduation project at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, and Mariia Tikhanova’s The Story of a Rabbit, a poignant visual narrative capturing the devastation of war from the perspective of a small animal.
This is not Polosina’s first international success. She previously earned top honors at the 44th American Illustration Awards for her collage Four Scenarios for Ukraine’s Endgame, originally commissioned by The New York Times.
The recognition of Gwilym and Polosina, alongside their peers, highlights how Ukrainian illustrators are carving out a strong international presence. Their art blends originality with a powerful reflection of national identity, reinforcing Ukraine’s cultural influence on the world stage.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukrainian photographer Igor Babiy (creative pseudonym VarrIng) has been awarded an honourable mention in the BLACK & WHITE SP category at the prestigious Paris International Street Photo Awards (PISPA).