The Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design (RMCAD) shares a fascinating history and overview of editorial illustration, the art that accompanies the written text in a newspaper, magazine or and online news sites. Illustration isn’t just a companion to writing, it plays a pivotal role: “At a time when readers have a shorter attention span than ever before — with more distractions swirling around them — it has never been more essential to be able to capture their interest and pull them into a piece of editorial writing.”

The Alberta Magazine Publishers Association has long recognized the importance of illustration, with an award category dedicated to the most “compelling and unique illustrations that work in the magazine context.” Let’s take a closer look at the most recent winners in their original context with the story, and the accompanying judges’ comments.

The 2023/24 gold recipient in the Illustration category is for Byron Eggenschwiler’s “Cherries Bar Cherries” in an Alberta Views story about a gambling addiction. The piece is “simply beautiful and smart, incorporating many subtle details. It’s nicely executed, relates well to the mood of the text, and uses a great palette,” according to the judges.

The silver recipient in 2023/24 went to James Lee Chiahan for his title image to “Kenny Yeung: Evening the Playing Field in ATA Magazine,” about an educator’s advocacy for equitable access to extracurricular activities for students. The image is described by judges as “a great hybrid and a lovely portrait. The style and colours are beautifully chosen to create a mood matching the words.”

The accompanying image for “The Abbreviated Life of Lane Mandlis,” created by Robert Carter, received gold for Illustration at the 2022/23 awards. This EDify Magazine story is about one man’s fight for access to MAID (medical assistance in dying) following his life-altering disability. The judges explain the power of the piece as “simple, compelling and eye-catching…the white figure on a black background, the sense of movement, and the negative space, perfectly set the mood and capture the tone of the story.”

And finally, the silver recipient at the 2022/23 awards went to Gela Cabrera Loa “Michelle Ranger: Creating Space for Indigenous Education” for ATA Magazine, a vibrant portrait of the first principal of the Niitsitapi Learning Centre. As one judge states, the illustrator “takes this portrait to a new level by imbuing it with a sense of optimism and positivity and conveying a feeling and spirit of a space, community, and culture.”

As the RMCAD explains, and as seen here in these examples created for Alberta’s magazines, successful narrative illustrations will “provide valuable information and will capture the attention of the reader.” You can appreciate many years of award-winning magazine illustrations featured on the AMPA website!