4 MAY 20, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Rego Park artist wins international illustrator competition
BY JULIA MORO
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
A young Rego Park artist won the Illustrators
of the Future Contest, a competition that
receives thousands of applications a year
from across the world.
Shiyi Yu, 22, is one of 12 illustrators picked to fl y
to Hollywood for a week in October, where they will
attend professional workshops and an awards ceremony.
On top of that, Yu’s artwork will be published
in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future
Volume 37, a bestselling collection of science-fi ction
short stories and illustrations.
Yu submitted three watercolor illustrations, all of
which combine her fantasy world with reality.
“I like watching anime movies, all kinds of fantasy
elements,” Yu said. “And I also take inspiration from
real life, and the people I meet. I put dreams into
reality. It makes life a lot more interesting.”
John Goodwin, president of Galaxy Press, the
agency that runs the contest, said Yu stood out for
her unique vision and inspirations from nature and
fantasy worlds.
“Anyone can submit and win if they’re creative,
they got talent and they can tell a story,” Goodwin
said. “This competition acts as an encouragement
for artists to keep on going.”
Yu attends the Fashion Institute of Technology in
New York City. She said winning this competition
will help her stand out among others her age when
Shiyi Yu, a 22-year-old artist in Rego Park, won an international contest for her other-worldly
illustrations. Photos courtesy of Shiyi Yu
applying to internships in the future. Right now, Yu
doesn’t have any internships lined up but knows
that she has many paths she can choose.
“I’m looking more for the community an internship
is in,” Yu said. “The people around me is very
important.”
Yu said that the people and community in Queens
have played a big part in her inspiration. Yu and her
family came to Rego Park aft er immigrating from
China when she was 11 years old.
“Queens is a very culturally diverse place, very
open-minded, open to all races and ideas,” Yu said.
“Queens, and New York City in general, is a very
artistic place. People are very creative and full of
hot blood. I identify with this kind of personality.”
Wherever Yu’s career takes her, she hopes to
always express her creativity in everything she
does.
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