2025 Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition Award Winners Announcement

Since its inception in 2015, the Golden Pinwheel International Young Illustrators Competition has become one of the world's most influential original illustration competitions for young people. This year's competition featured two categories: Book Publishing and Commercial Application. It received 2,828 valid submissions from 78 countries and regions across six continents, ultimately selecting 69 shortlisted entries: 50 in the Book Publishing category and 19 in the Commercial Application category. The judging panel consisted of eight authoritative experts from different countries and fields.

The judges for the Book Publishing category included A Geng (China), Namjung Kim (South Korea), Alessandro Sanna (Italy), Leo Timmers (Belgium), and Wei Ling (China); the judges for the Commercial Application category were Steven Guarnaccia (USA), Li Min (China), and Birthe Steinbeck (Germany).

Chinese illustrator Zheng Feng's The Oriental Jewel: Crested Ibis and Iranian illustrator Pavin Heidalizadeh's I am a Hero won the Domestic and International Gold Awards respectively in the Book Publishing category, showcasing the cross-border charm of art. Spanish illustrator Simo Abadia's May It Never End, Mexican illustrator Amanda Mijangos's My Tree's Braids, and Chinese illustrator Zhu Ruoge's Beware! Darkness received special nominations in the Book Publishing category. American illustrator Kang Yuncong's Our Lake won the Popular Choice Award in the Book Publishing category after online voting.

Italian illustrator Jacob Riccardi won the Gold Award in the Commercial Application category for his work We Are All Sinking. Chinese illustrators Jia Mengqian's The "Dazi" Culture, Su Xiaoci's Aranya Theatre Festival Poster Series, and Wang Dafu's Hot Pot received special nominations in the Commercial Application category.