pixiv's High Schoolers Illustration Contest 2021 Results - A record edition with 1,100 entries!
Awards of Excellence
Encouragement Awards
夢の帰り道 by らず
无题 by 子吟
屋根裏の発表会 by あかぎ
鹿鳴 by 遺灰
踊 by こふろ
starting here by 凰ライ
朝焼けに舞う by miluha
デビュー by 適当緑
雨上がりのタップダンス by ハジッコネコ
ステージ裏の誓い by あの日のサカノスケ
merry painful death for us by 黑貓頭
雨の中で by なわせつつ
Shall we dance? by 山菜
ドーム帰り by 森小子
夜の公演 by 低糖質
眩耀 by いたがく
ねこふんじゃった by KUROBEKO
憧れ by しかこ
踊 by 雀白なずな
魂踊る -こころおどる- by 橘シキ
魔法は解けない by kiki
🌟 by ゆきうさぎ
貴方を見ていると心が踊るの。けれどそれと同時に切なさが溢れていく
by lulu
返り咲きの梅 by 雅。
DANCE by ゆーむぎ
であい by ZEN
サクラサク by ききのき
とんで、謳えば by ぬむへ
花の天使 by 日
メイドのダンス by チョコトロフィー
「bright」 by スカイん
台風の目 by Puku
広葉ノ花簪 by 赤松悠里
見えなくても音で心は踊る by 彩莉わらび
社交ダンス by 祝く月
Neo・Bon dance by らの
花形 by 森小子
まほろば by Temus
手の舞 by んのめ
ここから by 佐久
teatime by 纓瀬
full moon by ねおん*
魅せる by ひつじマン
踊らないで by Kjito
ニルヴァーナ by 凍え
海のプリマバレリーナ by ユカシ
笑顔が好き by 雨美あかね
踏み外せば終わってしまう by faPka
机の上で by ANCHOBI
berries by ふじしろ1
視線 by 石田
愛 by なわせつつ
この一瞬 by ゆきうさぎ
飛躍 by 米木
前途踊々、幼から蛹 by 格子城_
今日も明日も踊り踊らされ by ムスビ
踊り子 by 砂唐シオ
烏の舞 by saba-kann
何してんの? by めんだこ
舞踏会に憧れて by 銀鏡 姫美
君が笑顔で踊ってくれるなら、 by ティーカ
その目に焼きつけてやんのよ by いたがく
暁まで by かの湯
Isolation ~ 隔離 by 雨美あかね
ちょうちょも踊るよ by じゃんぴい
筆が by ゆずぽんず
風の凪ぐ街で踊る by 杉本春
僕たちはハコニワで踊らされていた?! by みひろ
窓辺の舞踏会 by 峻
てのひらで、 by 倉隠
「踊るように歩くのがコツさ!」 by さりゅー
パレードが来る by gaku
今のうちに by はる
かきねを超えて by なーや
明けないでこのまま by KUROBEKO
fleeting.. by 瀬
自由で誇り高き、 by nanana14
Melody by 余渡
海鳥とダンス by さとさと
邂逅 by うにざとう。
てあそび by 茄子わらび
DANSANT! by 山葵
Final comments about this contest


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.
Final recap
Once again, thank you very much for participating in this contest.
This contest is our way to support all aspiring illustrators. If you missed out on this year's contest, or if you're going to attend high school starting next year, stay tuned!
We're looking forward to seeing you take on this challenge!