Silver Talent Award 2025

Artwork title: Still Becoming
Medium: Graphite pencil, watercolor, and colored pencils
Size: 23.4 × 33.1 in (A1)
Submission ID: 99 (Japan)
Category: Drawing & Painting
Group: Middle/High

Artwork description: This artwork represents my ongoing process of self-discovery. I portrayed myself in a sketch-like style because I feel that I am still in an early, unfinished stage, much like the first rough drawing before an artwork takes shape. I chose to render the figure in grayscale to express my desire to add color only after I discover my own identity and “personal hues” throughout my life. In the sketch stage, many possibilities remain open, and I feel the same sense of freedom and potential when I imagine my future. The floating betta fish symbolizes something I love, while the colorful plants reflect the influence of the Blue Earth Project, an environmental program I joined due to my interest in environmental issues. I also incorporated intentional empty spaces, inspired by a text we studied in Japanese class that taught me the beauty and meaning of thoughtful gaps. Through this piece, I express my belief that incompleteness is also a form of possibility.

Award name: Silver Talent Award
Awarded to refined, skillfully executed works showing depth and artistic clarity.