The World Illustration Awards Longlisted Stop the Genocide in Gaza

Quite incredibly my illustration Stop the Genocide in Gaza has been longlisted for the 2026 World Illustration Awards in the "New Talent" editorial category.

I wish I'd never had create such a piece and that the ongoing situation was not happening - I'd much rather that - but I'm proud to announce that it has been recognised and that it will raise more awareness for this systematic destruction of the Palestinian people.

The piece was used to support Coffees for Gaza's campaign raising funds for families trapped in Gaza and it was selected for the May issue of Wildscape, a US-based literary journal.

I created this work as a reaction to my feelings around the horrific nightmare that kids - and adults - are experiencing in Gaza. Unicef reports that more than 50,000 children have been killed or injured since October 2023 while Doctors Without Borders reports at least 66,000 killed and 118,000 wounded with 1.9 million displaced.

As a mum of four, I wanted to create an image that stopped to make people think about how alone these children must feel, while using colour to emphasise that nature and life is there waiting to grow - if it is allowed, which it must be.

Stop the Genocide in Gaza by Frances Marcellin

Working digitally in Procreate, I combined hand-drawn pen-and-ink techniques with textured surfaces, including True Grit textured 'paper', to create expressive editorial imagery. My work has been influenced by artists such as Molly Crabapple, whose politically engaged illustrations helped inspire my interest in using viusal storytelling to explore contemporary social issues.

Over the last three years I'be been studying for a BA (Hons) Illustration with the Open College of the Arts along with a plethora of professional illustration training courses, daily drawing and further creative training. Being longlisted for the World Illustration Awards feels like a major milestone - which I am so excited about and grateful for - amidst a scary, but essential reinvention at 50.

Along with illustrating children's books and editorial titles, I'm seeking more work that sits at the intersection of journalism, activism and illustration - and which have the visual power to communicate ideas that might otherwise require many words.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the jury at the World Illustration Awards for this huge honour. To be considered as 'New Talent' in these awards after three years of intensive training feels incredible.

To any editors reading this, an official press release and low res images can be found here (secure Google Drive link) and high res images are available on request.