Sebastian Walker Award

The Inaugural Sebastian Walker Award for the Most Promising Student 2012 was awarded at a private view of the MA Children’s Book Illustration Graduation Exhibition at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, London. The award, run in collaboration with the MA course in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art at Anglia Ruskin University, was hotly contested with the £500 prize being jointly awarded to
graduates Heidi Deedman and Becky Palmer. Both will also have their MA project considered on a first option basis by Walker Books.

Deirdre McDermott, Walker Books Picture Book Publisher comments:

“The high standard of illustration from the Cambridge MA students is recognised worldwide, and the students' work this year is no exception. Walker Books are so pleased to be collaborating with Cambridge School of Art’s MA and extend admiration to Martin Salisbury, Professor of Illustration and Pam Smy along with their band of tutors - Alexis Deacon, James Mayhew, Salvatore Rubbino and David Hughes - for enabling the exceptional standard of work on view at this year’s exhibition. Heidi Deedman is a joint prize winner because we think that her art is very original and her characters are amusingly expressive. Heidi also has a unique colour sense but, most importantly for a budding picture book maker, she draws funny pictures! We also chose Becky Palmer as a prize winner because we think that her draughtsmanship is simply extraordinary – it's so refreshing for us to see a student who can really, really DRAW! Becky also writes very well; her storytelling is witty and the keen observation and characterisation of people in her art is perfect for picture book publishing.”

The Sebastian Walker Award was established in 2011 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Sebastian Walker’s Death.