The Pokemon Company has officially revealed the winners of the Illustration Contest 2024, with multiple runner-ups and special prizes awarded, after an intense period of judging. As announced, the winner of the grand prize is Kazuki Minami, who submitted an artwork of Pikachu mid-yawn and scratch. The artwork is a lovely, yellow-hued work set within a forest, and according to Minami, it was inspired by watching their dog.
Minami will receive USD $5000 for this winning entry, and it will be turned into a trading card. Acorviart, who drew a Feraligatr idling through a lilypad-filled river, won the prize for the Best Standard Card Illustration, and will receive USD $3000 for their artwork. Artist Anderson will also get USD $3000 for their electric-infused Best ex Card Illustration of Toxtricity.
In addition to celebrating these winners, The Pokemon Company has also awarded cash prizes for a range of runners-up, with other artworks spotlighting Absol, Eevee, Flygon, Bidoof, and more. There’s a particularly lovely illustration of Pikachu by satoutubu in the bunch, and that’s our personal pick for winner of our hearts. Notably, this year’s Pokemon TCG Illustration Contest was plagued by controversy as it kicked off, due to some entrants cheating by using AI to create images for them.
After rampant complaints online, and many folks pointing out how unfair it was to accept “top 300” entries from non-artists who put in zero effort, The Pokemon Company eventually disqualified many candidates, and ruled AI use was not acceptable. “We are aware that select entrants from the top 300 finalists of the Illustration Contest 2024 have violated the official contest rules,” reads a statement on the official . “As a result, entrants in violation of the rules have been disqualified from the contest.
” “We’re committed to upholding the integrity of the Illustration Contest and appreciate fans’ continued support as we celebrate the artistic abilities of the talented community.” Going forward, the judges will pay closer attention to the use of AI, as it will be banned entirely from future contests. While it is getting more difficult to spot AI and AI-assisted artwork, it will remain a priority of the TCG Illustration Contest to celebrate human ingenuity and talent.
We congratulate the winner’s of this year’s contest, and look forward to seeing the winning artworks make their way into the ..
