The third year of the AWARD has received 4,321 entries, far more than last year. Thank you to everyone who participated in the COPIC AWARD 2020.
2020 Winners Announced!
It was extremely difficult to select the nominations from over 4,300 unique pieces, but the five judges each selected 10 pieces from among the entries. The final round of judging took place with the originals of the selected entries lined up next to each other.
The works that attracted the most attention were those that conveyed the artist's love of drawing and those that showed a careful and cumulative creative process.
Grand Prize: silk hat cat
The colors were not mixed but used various blends of color with thought to spacing. When you look at it from a distance, you can see it is a complex piece. However, when you get a closer look, you will notice that each color stands out and is actually very well planned. Each (Silk Hat Cat, Humedo, and vielfalt) were wonderful pieces of work and worthy of the Grand Prize. But I had to evaluate them, and I chose this piece because it was technically superior.
Key Colors
V07: Violet
B37: Antwerp Blue
YR04: Chrome Orange
Second Place: Vielfalt
When I saw the actual artwork in person, it conveyed so much enthusiasm, it made me wonder why I had overlooked it in the first round. Many works focus on cute female characters, but in this piece, the artist gives his best effort to draw each detail. The detailed textures of the bark of the trees and the way the plants were depicted, it really conveyed the sincerity and power of the artist's work.
Key Colors
R46: Strong Red
100: Black
B23: Phthalo Blue
Second Place: Humedo
This piece evokes some bizarre imagination, just like surrealism and science fiction movies. The finely detailed wall tiles are not drawn evenly one by one but instead are colored with different shades. When I saw the actual piece, I found it to be a finely detailed, outstanding artwork that combines unique ideas and skills.
I didn't really look at the profiles of the artists when I was judging but did I notice that this piece is from a 20-year old in Argentina. I kind of felt like I wanted to meet him! I imagine he is interested in Asian/Japanese culture, so I think it would be interesting for him to have the opportunity to show his work in Japan.I find his art interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing more pieces in the future.
Key Colors
Y11: Pale Yellow
BG72: Ice Ocean
YG67: Moss
Future Generation Art Prize: Don't Believe Everything At
The contrast between the indescribable expression of the tiger and the indistinct expressions of the herbivorous animals intrigued us and sparked our imagination as to what kind of story was there.
The bird's-eye view composition is impressive, and the coloring is also excellent, down to the smallest detail such as the glossy surface of the pottery and the warmth and coldness of the tiles. The cohesive tones of orange, mint blue, and brown are wonderful.
Key Colors
YR04: Chrome Orange
E44: Clay
B00: Frost Blue
Meet the Judges
Obata is a very popular Japanese manga artist. He made his debut in 1989 with his first major series Cyborg Jii chan G in Weekly Shonen Jump. After this series, he began collaborating with other writers. Obata gained international attention for Hikaru no Go with Yumi Hotta as well as DEATH NOTE and Bakuman with Tsugumi Ohba . In addition to manga works, he is active in various fields such as character design work and illustrations.
Sekiya graduated from the Graphic Design department of Tama Art University in 2010. Creating characters with big and shining eyes, she has developed her own set of the Japanese "kawaii culture" in her illustrations, represented by fans' favorite "Pero Pero ★ Sparkles". Sekiya is working in a wide range of areas including apparel and design for character merch.
Tsumori studied fashion at Tokyo's Bunka Fashion School. Since 1977, she has been working tirelessly as the designer for iconic brands such as I.S.. She started her own line TSUMORI CHISATO in 1990 and has joined Tokyo Collection and Paris Collection since then. Tsumori keeps the focus on making clothes full of creativity and her signature "fun and happy" style has been greatly appreciated all over the world.
Matsushita graduated in general design from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music followed by completing his postgraduate studies between 1985 and 1987. Currently he is a professor at the same university. Matsushita has been awarded a number of prizes including JAGDA New Designer Awards, TOKYO ADC Awards, Education Minister’s Award and the Good Design Award.
Iwabuchi is the chief editor of the prestigious Japanese art magazine Bijutsu Techo . He commenced his engagement in the Editorial Department of Bijutsu Techo in 2002 and chief editor since 2008. He is also serving as a board member of Bijutsu Shuppan Sha Co., Ltd. and launched OIL by Bijutsu Techo in 2019. Iwabuchi has been involved in a wide range of roles in today’s art scene.
