Top Winners Announced by the Associazione Autori di Immagini

I was honored to have been invited to be a part of the jury for the 2019 Annual Associazione Autori di Immagini awards. Other members of the AI 2019 jury included President, illustrator Arianna Papini, and Creative Director Vicky Gitto, Comics Artist Ratigher, Lecturer Ada Natale, Artist Rep Debbie Bibo, Graphic Designer Clara Bolduri, Author Livio Sossi and Character Designer- Story Artist Marco Zanoni.

We viewed nearly 700 images in nine categories and selected 320 illustrations for publication.

Special awards include the Toppi, Wacom Digital Award and Fine Arts Award.

Toppi Award 2019 - Marco Soma

Marco Soma is a children’s book illustrator who works for publishers in Italy and abroad and as a professor of illustration at the Cuneo Fine Arts Academy and the Illustration School for Publishing Arts in Fabula. His work has received recognition from the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Bratislava Biennial of Illustration, The Original Art Exhibit at The Society of Illustrators the Nami Concours.  In 2015 he received the Emanuele Luzzati Award and first prize for a children’s book written by Bruno Tognolini and published by Rizzoli. In 2017 he received the second prize at the Sharjah Children's Reading Festival International Competition. The Toppi Award is for his work for Kite Edizioni.

marcosoma.blogspot.com

Winner of the Wacom Digital Award 2019 - Alessandro Ferraro


Alessandro Ferraro is an illustrator and painter, a graduate of the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan he is a freelance illustrator based in Rome. As an illustrator he works with visual communication for companies, editorial and publishing.His work has been exhibited in Shanghai, Rome and New York. The Wacom award is for his work for Corsiero Editore.

alessandroferraro.it

Winner, Fine Arts Award Signed by Lyra - Sergio Olivotti

Sergio Olivotti is a graphic designer, illustrator and author of children's books and former architect and current adjunct professor at the Politecnico di Milano. He is an author and illustrator of a number of children’s books and has received recognition in numerous illustration competitions. He is the creator of the Italian Poster Biennale and his work has been selected by the Mexican, Finnish, Polish, Bolivian, Ecuadorian and Russian poster biennials. His winning image is showcasing the Unicycle as part of The Magnificent Journey exhibit.

www.olivotti.net

From top left: Marco Zanoni, Vicky Gitto, Ratigher. Second row: Debbie Bilbo, Clara Bolduri, Livio Sossi. Third row: Ada Natale, Charles Hively, Arianna Papini.