Our curated list of the 2025 Longlist continues, inspiring the next generation of young readers.
Children’s publishing is more than just vibrant colours and heart-warming stories. Our WIA 2025 Longlist showcases this with carefully crafted compositions, character design and innovative materials.
This year’s New Talent and Professional illustrators highlight the wide variety of work in Children’s Publishing industry globally. For many young readers around the world, illustration is the very first time they see themselves represented. We’re thrilled to bring you a curated list of some of this year’s 2025 Longlist.
Get to know more about our 2025 Longlist with this curated list of category highlights.
Lucy Salmon – The Bedtime Circus
New Talent
The layers of traditional mediums wrap the viewer up in this heart warming story. Combining acrylic gouache, watercolour, coloured pencils and wax pastels to create a cosy warmth.
The Bedtime Circus captures the wonder in which children see the world at bed time. Using stark contrasts of light and dark to give the pages a magical glow.
The playful repetition of stars thoughout add a nostalgic touch emphasising childlike freedom.
Lucy Salmon is an illustrator studying at Cambridge School of Art in the UK.
Click here to see the full project.
Sojung Kim-McCarthy – Binna’s Dalgona
Professional
This book pays homage to the illustrators own experience of immigration and the power of connecting beyond words.
By sharing the homemade Korean sweet, dalgona. This allows our main character to connect beyond a language barrier and share their Korean culture.
This deeply personal story is taken to new heights with sprawling landscapes across double page spreads, capturing all encompassing new environments.
Sojung Kim-McCarthy is a Korean author-illustrator living in Bournemouth.
Click here to see the full project.
Tessa Cobb – The Bird That Wants To Boogie
New Talent
Celebrating the freedom to be yourself, this book captures the joy of dance!
The movement is brought to life with loose, fluid watercolours. Combined with blended overlayed colours to capture the spontaneity of dancing.
These joyful illustrations use birds as a metaphor to encourage readers to dare to dance when everyone is watching!
Tessa Cobb is an Illustrator from Bath.
Click here to see the Full Project.
Jennifer N. R. Smith I Wonder Theory – LIFE: The Wild Wonders of Biodiversity
Professional
Combining informative infographics with detailed illustrations this non-fiction book educated readers on the biological systems that are vital to our eco system.
The book is the third book in the children’s natural history series ‘wild wonders’.
Using rich texture, to create tactile, Illuminous illustrations. Combining both digital drawing with print making techniques. Along with collage and hand-marbled paper.
Jennifer N. R. Smith is an award-winning illustrator and the director of WonderTheory Studio, based in Bristol.
Click here to see the Full Project.
Xinyue Zhang – Bus Stop
Professional
Inspired by a love of observation, captured in sketchbook pages whilst travelling. This illustration brings to life the many characters across different cities across the globe.
The chaotic busy composition, carefully crafted to capture the energy of transport, with each character telling their own story. The illustrations are so striking they tell a story without any need for words. The wordless picture book, telling a story through sequential illustrations.
Playing into the childlike imagination of what do people while waiting for the bus and the worlds that collide.
Xinyue Zhang is an illustrator from China.
Click here to see the Full Project
Pintachan – Spring Street All About Us: My Day
Professional
This early years board books combined simplified bold shapes with primary colours to introduce children to the idea of friendship.
Playing with pattern and printed texture to create bold impactful, graphic illustrations that young children can enjoy.
Pintachan is an illustration studio based in Spain.
Click here to see the Full Project.
View the Full WIA 2025 Longlist here.
Want more 2025 Longlist content? If you enjoyed reading this curated list, head over to our socials where we’ve been sharing the incredible longlisted projects from each category. Be sure to keep an eye on our website where you can see the full WIA Longlist as it’s announced. All curated category announcements can be found in our News section.
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