Judith Eyal
Illustration Prize winner: The Michael Marks International Greek Bicentennial Poetry Pamphlet Prize
Prize: £5,000, and publication in the winners’ pamphlet, which will soon be available to preorder internationally from Broken Sleep Books
Judith Eyal is an Art Director, designer and illustrator. She was born and works in Tel Aviv, Israel. A graduate of the Bezalel Art & Design Academy, Jerusalem, she undertook further studies in England on a British Council scholarship. She is a co-founder and former chairperson of The Israeli Association of Illustrators.
Her present and past activities include general and book cover design, editorial and children’s’ illustration, self illustration and art projects, art direction at leading advertising agencies, fashion art director and editor, design and illustration teaching, and editorial design critique. She regularly participates in illustration and art exhibitions.
Judge’s Comments
To celebrate in graphic form 200 years of Greek independence is far from easy, and becomes even more difficult when the weight of more than 2000 years of Greek history as the birthplace of European civilisation is added in. Many of the entries for the illustration prize not surprisingly found it difficult to manage this feat. There were other submissions that were well drawn, charming or visually exciting, and were fully worthy of the prize on grounds of their graphic quality. But I had stated that the prize was for illustration, and that I was interested in how competitors had approached the theme. For this reason I asked them to state what each drawing was about, and how it related to the theme of the competition. It was evidently impossible for them to relate to the winning poems, as the two prizes were judged in parallel, but they did need to illustrate the set subject. After reflection, it seemed to me that this portfolio achieved this best and most successfully. I was impressed by its willingness to take on great themes, and to find an original graphic form for them. It manages to bring the past and the present together visually, and to maintain a Greek focus throughout while widening its references to the effects of Greek ideas and ideals on subsequent eras. Each composition is an original creation, but there is a consistent graphic language throughout. I think this is a remarkable achievement.
— Antony Griffiths
