An Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) lecturer and two former ARU students have been named on the shortlist for this year’s £5,000 Klaus Flugge Prize.
Lecturer Kate Winter is joined by Angela Vives and Bia Melo on the six-strong shortlist for the 2024 award, which recognises the most promising and exciting newcomers to children’s picture book illustration.
All three are graduates of the MA in Children’s Book Illustration course at ARU’s Cambridge School of Art and will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow ARU alumni Mariajo Ilustrajo, who won the award last year.
Kate, who lives in Cambridge, completed the MA in Children’s Book Illustration in 2019 and has since returned to ARU to teach on the BA (Hons) Illustration course.
Kate is shortlisted for her book The Fossil Hunter (Puffin Books), which tells the story of Mary Anning, whose 19th century work discovering fossils in the cliffs of the Jurassic Coast paved the way for modern palaeontology.
Angela Vives is shortlisted for her illustrations for Bright Stars of Black British History (Thames and Hudson), written by J. T. Williams, which shines a light on the lives of Black British people through history, through a series of fascinating biographies highlighting the likes of Ignatius Sancho, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Claudia Jones.
And East London-based Bia Melo, who is originally from Brazil, is shortlisted for The Dream Book (Templar), which is a book for young readers all about Nina and her attempts to capture her amazing dreams through illustration.
Kate Winter, Lecturer in Illustration at ARU, said: “I’m thrilled to be shortlisted for this award and I’m absolutely delighted that The Fossil Hunter and the story of Mary Anning’s life have struck a chord with so many readers.
“ARU has often had a strong presence at the Klaus Flugge Prize and it’s an honour to be shortlisted this year alongside Bia and Angela. It would be lovely if one of us is able to follow fabulous ARU illustrators such as Eva Eland, Flavia Z Drago, Joseph Namara Hollis and Mariajo Ilustrajo, who have all won this prize in the past.”
Shelley Ann Jackson, Associate Professor and Course Leader of the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at ARU, said: “It’s thrilling to see many talented graduates once again on the Klaus Flugge Prize shortlist, being lauded for their debut books. Each of them entered the industry with a remarkable project that represents their unique voices and strengths as illustrators. We have our fingers crossed for Angela, Bia, and Kate!”
Chair of the judges Julia Eccleshare, Director of the Hay Children’s Festival, said: “From another strong longlist, our judges have selected a shortlist that fully represents the extraordinary variety of picture books on offer to children today.
“At a time when computers and software are as important tools for illustrators as brush and pen, our six shortlisted illustrators demonstrate exceptional skill at drawing, painting and observation. In a crowded market, they have developed their own style, creating characters and scenes we haven’t encountered before.
“When it is so hard for new talent to break through, Klaus Flugge’s generosity in sponsoring the Prize and his lifelong support for authors and illustrators is vital.”
Established in 2016, the prize was set up to honour Klaus Flugge, founder of Andersen Press and a leading light in the world of children’s publishing and illustration. The winner, who will receive a cheque for £5,000, will be announced at a ceremony in London on Wednesday, 11 September.
Meanwhile, eight ARU students and graduates have been shortlisted for the Batsford Prize 2024 – all from the MA in Children’s Book Illustration course. Charlotte Durance, Rose Grover, Fatima Ordinola Guerra, Aditi Anand, and Katie May are shortlisted in the Children’s Illustration category, while Naomi Tipping and Keiko are in the running for the Illustration award. Yu-An Xie has been shortlisted in both categories. The winners of the Batsford Prize will be announced on 29 May.
