The 2021 illustration exhibition of the Chen Bochui International Children's Literature Award was held at Shanghai Baoshan International Folk Art Pavilion on Nov 18.

After seven years of intensive work, the exhibition has gained increasing reputation and influence, attracting artists and illustrators from home and abroad to contribute. The professional group of this year's competition received nearly 600 works of more than 160 illustrators from more than 30 countries, including China, South Korea and the Philippines. The number of participants, countries and works reached a record high. Among the more than 2,500 entries submitted by the public group, many small artists stood out in areas such as graphic storytelling, painting techniques and imagination.

At the opening ceremony Lan Yu, president of China Welfare Institute Publishing House, announced the winners.

Journey to the Mysterious World, a series by German illustrator Sonja Danowski, won the annual prize. The work depicted a mysterious world with exotic plants, craggy stone houses and a group of magical creatures. Despite their varied sizes and abilities, these creatures work together to create a wonderful, interesting and livable home. Sonja has illustrated books by famous Chinese children's literature authors such as Wenxuan Cao and Suzhen Fang.

Second prize went to Shuai Yue from Nanning, Guangxi province, whose series He and His Night Journeydrew inspiration from traditional Chinese culture and illustrated the story of Divergence, a traditional Peking Opera military play. The night in the work was not just black. As the fight between the protagonists becomes increasingly intense and the final misunderstanding is resolved, the background color of the night changes into warm red and pink, making the narrative of the work more three-dimensional and rich.