Emma Chadwick wins Templar illustration award

Freelance illustrator Emma Chadwick has been revealed as the winner of the inaugural Templar Illustration Competition.

Templar launched the competition in December to mark its 40th anniversary and asked entrants to submit materials on a dragon-related theme. Submissions could be either fiction or non-fiction and aimed at pre-school children up to 12-years-old.

Chadwick won the prize with her entry entitled ‘Douglas in the Land of Faraway’, which is about a dragon called Douglas who longs to visit the magical lands he reads about in his stories.

“The judges loved the way Emma has subverted a trope in children’s publishing to show us a young dragon escaping his own world in order to have a ‘fantasy’ adventure with a human child on earth,” said Lisa Edwards, head of children’s publishing.

Emma Chadwick (centre) with judges and Templar authors/illustrators (left-right) Samuel Usher, Emma Dodd, Duncan Beedie and Jane Foster

“We were surprised at the number and quality of the submissions, from illustrators of all ages and backgrounds – it shows that there is an awful lot of talent out there, and it was difficult for our judges to narrow the field down to three. Emma has a very bright future ahead of her in children’s books and we are excited to have discovered her, along with the other shortlisted candidates.”

Chadwick was presented with her £750 prize at last night’s party to celebrate Templar’s 40th birthday.

Student Brittany E Lakin came in second place with 'The Dragon that Swallowed the Moon' and retail assistant, Ann MacLeod, came in third with 'Danni and the Dragons'.