FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MAY 20, 2021 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 51
Rego Park artist wins international competition,
earning a trip to Hollywood and a cash prize
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 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
c o m m u n i -
ty an internship
is in,” Yu
said. “Th e 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.
“I hope to live fulfi
lled, to express and
using my artistic ability.
If I can do that in
any shape or form, I’m
happy,” Yu said.
Th is summer, Yu will
be volunteering with
AmeriCorps to help
her community, which
she said is ravaged by
homelessness and hunger
due to COVID-19.
Th e Writers and Illustrators of the
Future Contest have awarded more than
$1 million in prize money and royalties
since its inception in 1982. Winners
of this contest have gone on to produce
comic books and contribute to TV shows
and movies.
buzz
Photos courtesy of Shiyi Yu
Shiyi Yu, a 22-year-old artist in Rego Park, won an international contest for her other-worldly illustrations.
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