At every IWS tournament there is a permanent panel consisting of 3 x experienced judges for the duration of any given event, (see our tournaments page to find out more). Most recently at the UK Illustration Championships 2020 our permanent panel was made up of:
Each tournament day we welcome a new guest bringing their fresh insight and expertise while bolstering our daily panel upto a full complement of 4 each of whom need to complete their score cards across the following criteria:
> 0-10 Personality - Points awarded based on the injection of energy, dynamism and charisma into your finished piece.
> 0-10 Interpretation - Points awarded based on how well the title headline is portrayed, witty, clever, original interpretations all secure high points.
> 0-10 Narrative - Points awarded based on your ability to communicate the title/headline effectively, points also awarded for ‘on-paper narrative’ between characters and other elements etc …
> 0-10 Technical - Points awarded based on your dexterity with a pen, understanding of light, composition, natural ability and talent.
> Social score - This also makes up part of each competitors overall final score, for more information on this see our tournaments page.
Guest judges at the UK Illustration Championships 2020 included:
Day 1: Nicola Thorp - As a fan and supporter of the visual arts Nicola Thorp (@missnicolathorp) is an English actress born in Blackpool famous for playing Nicola Rubinstein (daughter of cobbles serial killer Pat Phelan, in Coronation Street).
Thorp has now become most recognisable for her appearances as a television personality on both Good Morning Britain and This Morning. Championing women's rights and female empowerment she discusses a range of issues and also writes a weekly column for metro.co.uk
In 2016, she was thrown into the spotlight after she shared her experience as a temp worker for PriceWaterhouseCoopers where she was fired for refusing to wear high heels. An online petition was then signed by around 110,000 people and Thorp was invited to Parliament to discuss the issue.
Day 2: Chris Lambert - Founder of Scrawlrbox (@scrawlrbox) Chris is a designer, doodler, creative and pen addict! Lover of art supplies, give him a new pen, pencil or eraser and watch his eyes light up as he gets a rush of inspiration while frantically searching for a sketchbook and try it out!
Chris sums things up nicely: “You can never have enough drawing tools and this is the reason I wanted to start ScrawlrBox. Providing a monthly box of pens, pencils, paint and any other mark makers to artists of all abilities, helping inspire that flow of creativity. I want ScrawlrBox subscribers to open their box of art supplies and feel that impulse to create”.
Check out their website: https://scrawlrbox.uk/
Day 3: Ella Johnston - Mitsubishi Pencil Company brand ambassador Ella Johnston (@ellajohnstonart) is a practicing artist, illustrator, illustration workshop leader and creative consultant. She has been an exhibiting artist for 20 years and her illustrations have featured in The Guardian, St Martin’s Press, Crafts Beautiful and more.
An experienced magazine editor, Ella has led magazine direction both editorially and visually, including commissioning illustrators. She is also creative director of independent publishing company Dunlin Press (dunlinpress.com). Check out her website ellasplace.co.uk
Day 4: Sara Farrell - Sugar For My Soul (@sugar4mysoul) was founded by Sara to support, celebrate and collaborate with independent artists, creatives, brands and story tellers. With integrity and collaboration at the heart of everything they create, they strive to be the cherry on the top, the icing on your cake, the Sugar For Your Soul! Check out their website.
Day 5: Si Mitchell - Welcoming back 2017 UK Illustration Championship winner, 2019 guest judge and pro-illustrator/graffiti artist (@si_mitchell). Based in Cambridgeshire he's produced artwork for Green Day, Mcfly (Mcbusted!), The Midnight Beast, BBC, E4 and many more! His artwork is comical and colourful with loads of character.
illustrated World Series (IWS) is the world’s premier Art-Sports ecosystem, the global leader for competitive creativity.
