Mason Matak is an illustrator based in Iran. His works have appeared on the pages of children's books, beside Old Iranian folktales, as tattoos on people's skin, and also exist online as NFTs. As an artist, Matak is concerned with hedonism — making work that produces happiness in his audience.
Zealous Stories Illustration winner, Jie Gao, is a London based visual artist and graphic designer. Her winning series, Oasis, uses digital art techniques to express deep-seated loneliness, as the main character gradually looses herself, paralysed by the modern world.
Zealous Stories: Illustration winner, Sonia Alins, is focused on the creation of art with a poetic narrative. Sonia's aim, is that through the relationship between the figures and aquatic medium, the viewer can experience the soul, emotion and energy of the character.