LONDON.- The winning work from the AOI Illustration Awards 2014 will be exhibited at Somerset House in London from 2 October – 2 November 2014.

The AOI Illustration Awards Exhibition presents highlights from this year’s shortlist of contemporary illustration, entered by emerging and established talent to the Association of Illustrators’ (AOI) annual competition.

The shortlist includes illustration from across the world, recognising the exceptional work produced by illustrators internationally and promoting illustration as an essential contributor to global visual culture. The exhibition will thus feature a unique range of work from the UK to USA, and South Korea to France, covering a wide breadth of practice, including books, design and editorial, to reflect the diverse disciplines within the industry.

The AOI Illustration Awards is the only independent jury-selected illustration competition in the UK and this year’s winning work was chosen by a panel of esteemed judges from all aspects of the industry including commissioners, publishers and artists.

12 category winners have been chosen, from which two overall award winners will be announced in the classification of Professional illustration, which is open to all practicing professionals, and New Talent, which is open to students and recent graduates.

Category winners include children’s book illustrator Chris Haughton, self-taught Brazilian artist Laurindo Feliciano, Brooklynite Aaron Meshon, Berlin based moving image-maker Thoka Maer and Falmouth University graduates David Doran, William Grill and Katie Ponder.

The awards will feature in the next edition of Varoom Magazine published by the Association of Illustrators. This issue will celebrate the AOI Illustration Awards at Somerset House and spotlight image-makers and work that has shaped the editorial and cultural agendas and won specialist awards in 2014.

After Somerset House, the AOI Illustration Awards Exhibition 2014 begins a national tour, continuing into 2015.