The Society of Illustrators, a nonprofit organization founded in 1901 in New York City, has held an annual Student Scholarship Competition every year since 1981. This year, Ringling College of Art and Design Illustration students have taken home a record number of scholarship awards; thirty students winning thirty-seven awards to be exact, more than any other art school in the nation. This year’s competition saw 2,278 entries submitted by 74 participating institutions from across the country. Art students submitted their strongest, most creative and original artworks under the guidance of their professors and mentors, for selection by a jury of professional peers including illustrators and art directors.

The award-winning Ringling College illustrations were created using a number of different mediums including digital illustration, Z Brush and Photoshop, acrylic, gouache, scratchboard, and mixed media. On the result of this year’s competition, Illustration Department Head, Scott Gordley says, “The success of our students is a testament to their hard work and the dedication of our wonderful faculty — both are second to none. We all feel blessed by our experience here!”

Over the last thirty years, the Society of Illustrators has awarded over $1,500,000 in scholarships to deserving students, made possible by their endowment, generous contributions from private and corporate donors, and proceeds from an annual auction of member-donated work. This year, Ringling students, Jamie Green and Emelie Thomas won both the $1,000 Lila and Ben Dryer Scholarship Award and the $300 The Howard Koslow Memorial Award for Excellence in Illustration, respectively. Although the format may look different this year, the Student Scholarship Exhibit is traditionally held in the galleries of the Museum of American Illustrators at the Society of Illustrators which was established in 1981. Award winners, as well as Distinguished Educators in the Arts, are honored at the annual spring event.

For a list of Ringling College’s award winners