A recent university graduate has won a major illustration prize for her series of creative sustainability awareness posters.

The Comet: Tabitha Wall from Letchworth won a major illustration prize for the sustainability posters she created at Anglia Ruskin UniversityTabitha Wall from Letchworth won a major illustration prize for the sustainability posters she created at Anglia Ruskin University (Image: Tabitha Wall)

Tabitha Wall, who is from Letchworth and graduated from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Cambridge last month, was one of two ARU winners at the World Illustration Awards 2021.

Tabitha, who completed the BA Illustration degree course collected the 'Science and Technology New Talent' prize, while MA Children's Book Illustration graduate Dide Tengiz won the 'Children's Publishing New Talent' award. Both entries featured work undertaken as part of their university courses.

The Comet: Tabitha Wall from Letchworth won a major illustration prize for the sustainability posters she created at Anglia Ruskin UniversityTabitha Wall from Letchworth won a major illustration prize for the sustainability posters she created at Anglia Ruskin University (Image: Tabitha Wall)

To create her posters, Tabitha took inspiration from the work of environmental group Stop Ecocide, who gave her permission to enter her posters for the award.

She said: “These posters came from a brief set on my Illustration degree. I stumbled across the work of the organisation Stop Ecocide at a protest and was really inspired by their work and the solutions-based approach they had to the climate crisis.

The Comet: Tabitha Wall from Letchworth won a major illustration prize for the sustainability posters she created at Anglia Ruskin UniversityTabitha Wall from Letchworth won a major illustration prize for the sustainability posters she created at Anglia Ruskin University (Image: Tabitha Wall)

"Their campaign focuses on protecting ecosystems using international law, which I felt offered real hope.

“For my posters, I focused on the emotive relationship between storytelling and the parental desire to protect.

"The final pieces were all destroyed at the final stage of the production process to represent the destruction of each ecosystem. For the melting ice image, I froze the book and then broke up the ice with a hammer. The oil scene involved dribbling the book with molasses.

“As I was using natural materials, once photographed I was able to completely recycle the final pieces, and the physical work is now biodegrading on the compost heap!

“I am absolutely delighted to have received a new talent WIA category award. It means so much to me as a recent graduate and it is such a lovely way to start my career.”

Tabitha has now secured a full-time job in the art department of a London film and advertising company.

Meanwhile Dide Tengiz's fellow Children's Book Illustration graduates Daniela Sosa and Rosie Haine were both highly commended in the 'Alternative Publishing' and 'Children's Publishing' categories respectively.