Society of Illustrators’ 49th Illustration West Competition SCAD reception

Paula Wallace, the Dean of SCAD, put together a little party for all the illustrators who got into Society of Illustrators’ 49th Illustration West Competition. It was a nice little get together and I brought my friend and photographer Megan Jones along. Everyone had very nice things to say and they told us that SCAD had the highest amount ever of students and work to get in from any one school, 9 times higher than the second highest school. This is an article written up on the occasion.

http://www.scad.edu/news/2011/illustration-students-021711.cfm

SCAD illustration students take competitions by storm

SCAD President Paula Wallace this month celebrated SCAD students' stellar showing in the Society of Illustrators’ 49th Illustration West Competition.

Article By: Travis Walters
Published: Feb 17, 2011

The Society of Illustrators' 49th Illustration West Competition is one of the largest in the nation. This year, out of 900 student entries, 150 works from SCAD students were lauded for their exceptional creativity, receiving certificates of merit and a gold and bronze medal. SCAD swept the competition with more student entries than any other institution. To celebrate their unprecedented success, SCAD President Paula Wallace congratulated the student winners with a reception in their honor in the SCAD Student Center on Friday, Feb. 11.

SCAD illustration professor Mohamed Danawi deemed the SCAD student's performance in the competition "an extraordinary accomplishment."

Allan Drummond, chair of the SCAD illustration department, agreed. "Winning these kinds of competitions is a tribute to the fact that we encourage our students to speak their individual creative voice. You can't win without originality," Drummond said. "On top of the professionalism that is required to win these competitions, you need to show an individual voice. That's what sets SCAD students apart."

Tran Nguyen (B.F.A., illustration, 2009) from Hephzibah, Georgia, won the Gold Award and a $1,000 scholarship; Adela Kang, B.F.A. illustration student from Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada, won the Bronze Award and a $500 scholarship. All the work is eligible for display on the SILA website, a valuable resource for potential employers.

On the heels of this celebration came news of another major coup for SCAD illustrators. Out of more than 7,000 submissions to the New York Society of Illustrators annual competition from 73 colleges and universities, 200 works were accepted. Of these, 18 pieces were accepted from 15 SCAD students, ranking SCAD in the top two illustration programs in the U.S.

"Illustration exists, really, to illuminate, entertain and inform and is looked to by the creative industries as a source for originality," Drummond said. "This is probably the biggest news the SCAD illustration department has had in its lifetime."

For more on SCAD's premier illustration program, visit scad.edu/illustration and view winning work at si-la.org/49/.