From over 700 entries, the judges – Folio Art Directors, Sheri Gee and Raquel Leis Allion, Folio Publishing Director, Tom Walker and FBIA 2023 winner Cristina Bencina are pleased to announce this year’s winner is Zack Rock.  
 
Folio Publishing Director, Tom Walker, commented ‘Zack’s is such a visceral and skilful illustration: I still feel the bite of the thorn in my mouth. It’s beautiful and haunting.’
 
Also shortlisted are captivating illustrations by runners up Xinyue Chen, Jacob Courtney, Esteban Sanchez, Tomislav Torjanac and Jens Maria Weber.

 

 

 

Winner of Folio Book Illustration Award 2024

Zack Rock

Zack Rock is an American illustrator based in Berlin. Since graduating from the Cambridge School of Art with an MA in Children’s Picture Book Illustration, he’s authored and illustrated several titles for young readers, while also creating art for magazines, album covers, national parks, and board and video games. His digital and watercolour work have been exhibited in museums and galleries across the globe and is part of the prestigious Les Maitres de l’Imaginaire (“Masters of the Imagination”) collection of picture book art. His work has also earned a place in nearly every major illustration competition, including the Society of Illustrators, American Illustration, Communication Arts, 3x3 and Spectrum.

 

 

Runners-up for Folio Book Illustration Award 2024

 

 

Xinyue Chen

Jacob Courtney

Jens Maria Weber

Esteban Sanchez

Tomislav Torjanac

About Xinyue Chen
Xinyue Chen is a Chinese illustrator and book artist based in New York. Since receiving their BFA from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and their MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York, they have provided editorial illustrations, book illustrations and designs for AARP, Asia Society, Future Islands, China Machine Press, HAZE Sounds Beijing and etc. Their works have also gained recognition in the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition, World Illustration Awards, 3x3, Communication Arts, Society of Illustrators, AI-AP and other international competitions

About Jacob Courtney
Jacob Courtney is an illustrator, artist and animator based in the UK. He studied Illustration at Cardiff School of Art and Design, and then went on to study Visual Communication: Illustration at the Royal College of Art. He utilises both traditional and digital media in his work, and creates detailed illustrations with a strong sense of place and atmosphere. While his work is often inspired by everyday life and leans towards a more realistic aesthetic, it often includes elements of the uncanny, adding a surreal and dreamlike feel. He has created work for The Big Issue, Breathe Magazine, London Transport Museum, The Foundling Museum, Firewords, Shelf Heroes, and AWW Magazine, and his work has been featured in online magazines such as Creative Boom and Porridge Magazine.

About Jens Maria Weber
Jens Maria Weber is a German illustrator and visual artist. He is best known for his pencil explorations into the realms of the surreal and sinister.He works with publishers, studios and film producers on a variety of illustration and conceptual assignments. Beside doing commissioned design and artworks, Jens loves to turn out paper statues, drawings and his own books. He teaches drawing at the University of Applied Sciences in Dortmund, Germany.

About Esteban Sanchez
Esteban Sanchez is an illustrator based in New Mexico. Using a blend of traditional and digital techniques, he produces engaging covers and indie game key art. He is inspired by 70’s and 80’s science fiction and fantasy, independent comics, and classical representational draftsmanship.

About Tomislav Torjanac
Tomislav Torjanac is an award-winning Croatian illustrator. Internationally, his best-known work is the 2007 illustrated edition of Yann Martel’s novel Life of Pi, which has been published in eleven countries, including the UK, US, Canada, and China. The same edition won first prize at the British Book Design and Production Awards in 2008. Tomislav has participated in a number of group exhibitions in Croatia and abroad and had solo shows in London, Croatia, and Slovenia. He has also held lectures and presentations in fourteen US cities. In Croatia, Tomislav has been lauded for his work with several awards for best illustrated children’s book, as well as best music packaging art. In 2012, he was awarded the Grand Prix at the Fourth Croatian Biennial of Illustration.

 

 

Longlist for the Folio Book Illustration Award 2024

 

 

Jared Boyer

Xinyue Chen

Merran Coleman

Jacob Courtney

Charlie Dixon

Joseph Edwards

Anke Eissmann

Akhran Girmay

Julia Griffin

Maria Luiza Tejerina Gauerio

Jens Maria Weber

Norberto Perez

Zack Rock

Esteban Sanchez

Kristin Siegel-Leicht

Nikki Smetters

Deena So Oteh

Alana Tedmon

Tomislav Torjanac

Mariella Vee Villalobos

2025 Folio Book Illustration Award

 

Opens Tuesday 1 April

Illustration is at the heart of Folio. We work with incredible artists from around the world and love discovering new talent, whether they paint in oils, carve wood engravings or create digital masterpieces.

The Folio Book Illustration Award is back for 2025, offering aspiring and established illustrators the chance to breathe new life into the iconic Brothers Grimm tale Rapunzel.

Our judges are Folio Head of Editorial, James Rose, Folio Fiction Editor Sophia Schoepfer, and FBIA 2024 winner Zack Rock. Plus this year, we have a very special guest judge joining the panel. Bestselling author Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus, The Starless Sea) will be bringing her unparalleled imagination and eye for storytelling to the judging table!

The winner will receive a £2,000 cash prize, plus £500 of Folio vouchers, and a chance for their work to be featured in an upcoming Folio book. Five runners-up will also receive £500 in Folio vouchers.

Important: Artwork must be based on the set text—submissions inspired by other sources will not be accepted. AI-generated artwork is inadmissible.

There’s no entry fee, and the competition is open to anyone over 18 who hasn’t been commissioned by Folio before.

Key Dates:

  • Entries Open: 2pm (UK time), Tuesday 1 April 2025
  • Entry Deadline: Midnight (UK time), Friday 23 May 2025
  • Longlist Announced: 15 July 2025
  • Winner & runners-up announced: 29 July 2025

Rapunzel is available to read below. Then simply click the link below to enter – submissions must go through Zealous.


 

 

Loading...
6068b3791aed352b80e414b5ceef5f4d2e15323b4d10dc893681f9599a533264 3.141.40.160
PrevNext
MoTuWeThFrSaSu
   1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031