ARU graduates win prestigious illustration awards
Vannysha Chang and Baljinder Kaur scoop top prizes at V&A Illustration Awards
Vannysha Chang, left, and Baljinder Kaur at the V&A Illustration Awards
Two recent Anglia Ruskin University graduates, Vannysha Chang and Baljinder Kaur have won top prizes at the prestigious V&A Illustration Awards.
Vannysha won the Emerging Illustrator category for her submission Process, which tells the story of an afternoon making music with friends. Process was inspired by Vannysha’s teenage years living in Indonesia, and her paintings depict each step in the process of making a song, utilising square canvases and thoughtful composition suggestive of vinyl record covers.
Vannysha wove in personal motifs and memories unique to her childhood and the judges were particularly impressed by her intuitive brushstrokes and use of colour, remarking on the nostalgic feel of the pieces.
Baljinder won the Illustration for Children category for her work The Sleeper Train, written by Mick Jackson, which tells the story of a little girl travelling overnight through India with her family. Wide awake in the carriage, the girl journeys in her mind’s eye to places she has slept before.
Baljinder drew on her own memories and experiences for The Sleeper Train, as much of her work explores and celebrates her global Sikh Panjabi identity. She created her vibrant illustrations using a hybrid process of sketching by hand using pencil, then adding colour digitally.
As well as success for Baljinder and Vannysha, eight other ARU graduates were also shortlisted across three categories.
One of them, Kaori Tokunaga, was runner-up for the Emerging Illustrator award with her work Boris and the Stolen Tomatoes. Kaori, Baljinder and Vannysha all now have their work on display at the V&A Museum in London.
The success at the V&A Illustration Awards comes just days after ARU graduate Kate Rolfe won the Carnegie Medal for Illustration – an award Baljinder Kaur was also shortlisted for – for her book Wiggling Words.
The Carnegies are voted for by librarians and are the UK’s oldest book awards. Previous winners include Quentin Blake, Lauren Child, Janet Ahlberg and Raymond Briggs.
Shelley Jackson, Course Leader for the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), said:
“It was absolutely thrilling to see so many of our students and graduates recognised at this prestigious awards event! Baljinder’s book, The Sleeper Train, is colourful, detailed, and meaningful. Vannysha’s work is painterly, expressive and full of life. And Kaori’s is characterful, atmospheric and charming.
“They’ve each worked incredibly hard to develop their own artistic voice and ideas, and this award recognises their success in these areas. Having their work displayed at the V&A Museum is such an achievement.”
The V&A Illustration Awards are held every two years. In 2024, ARU graduate Aditi Anand won the Emerging Illustrator of the Year Award.