pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021 Results - A record edition with 1,100 entries!

Looking through all the works, you can tell that many of them are built on brilliant ideas, and still many artists weren't confident enough to fully express them. I'd like to tell these people that they should be proud of what sets them apart from others. In everyday life, people often reject what's different, but nowadays, being different is becoming something valuable. I believe that recognizing the value of your ideas and believing in their beauty can do wonders for the quality of your work. Maybe you think people will laugh at your illustrations, but I'll tell you this: many entries made me think that if the artist just had a bit more confidence, they would've been able to create something way better.

I've been part of the jury for a few years now, and I feel that the technical level of this contest has increased a lot. The ability these people have to analyze what kind of things show high technical skill and what kind of things people will like is extraordinary. Remarkably, they can perform this kind of crucial analysis at such a young age.

However, I have the impression that the range of designs has decreased by about half compared to last year. It's not that I don't like these entries, it's just that they seem to be drawn very objectively: I found myself praising the incredible lighting, the good composition, the accurate poses. I was expecting to see a little more individuality — for example, works that portray one's vision of dancing or the suppleness of the human body.

When wondering what "dancing" means, there's a difference between drawing a picture while objectively looking at a photo of a person dancing and drawing a picture by moving your own body and understanding what dance is about. The body shapes and poses in each artwork would look different if everyone just drew them out of what they feel. But this time, everyone looks like a ballerina. It means everyone drew what they saw, not what they felt. I thought there should be more diversity. There were many beautiful pieces, but only a few that were truly developed by the artist themselves — and I think this was due to the way the subjects were broken down. The technical skills of many participants are as good as those of professionals, so it might be a good idea to practice incorporating your feeling into your own pictures.

I also got the feeling that everyone feared being disliked. Instead, you should have the courage to be disliked, and be bold enough to draw what you like, even if other people don't.

Last year's grand prize winner, Ishida, commented about how they thought their work would never get picked because only artworks with beautiful girls would get a prize, and yet they won the contest by drawing a boy. Indeed, illustrations of cute girls may actually be more popular and get better numbers, but there is something more important than that. If you find what you like and manage to convey it in your works, your art will be positively affected too.

Sometimes we tend to chase after what's popular or what's hot, but in the end, the most popular creators are those who make up their own trends. Contests are a great way to find those creators, so don't be shy to show off what you like, and your drawings will become even better. You should make an effort to mindfully come into contact with as many things as possible and dig deeper into what you like.