Middlesex University hosts exhibition of world’s top illustrators

Graduate’s work among over 40-award winning competition entries on display

Middlesex University is hosting a free exhibition of illustrations from a host of successful UK and international artists including a recent graduate.

Visitors to the University can see the World Illustration Awards (WIA) 2025 touring exhibition, which features the work of the very best new and established illustrators from around the globe, until 2 April.

It highlights 44 Award-Winning and Highly Commended projects selected by an independent global jury from over 4,500 entries in 85 countries across 10 industry-relevant categories such as advertising, design, children’s publishing and editorial. Now in its tenth year, the WIA is presented annually by the Association of Illustrators with the US-based Directory of Illustration to support, promote and celebrate excellence in contemporary illustration.

Taking pride of place in the Middlesex show will be the work of Lotte Siu who graduated from the University in Illustration last year. Her artwork titled The Sound of Cinema, from one of her degree projects, won the New Talent in Advertising category.

Lotte, who lives in Barnet, said: “It’s an honour to receive this recognition. The awards highlight the power of illustration to communicate stories across cultures and borders, and it’s been fantastic to share my work with wider audiences and connect with other illustrators and art lovers around the world.”

An illustrator focusing on advertising, packaging and book and magazine covers for clients in the UK and South Asian market, Lotte was thrilled to be exhibiting her winning illustration at Middlesex University and praised the course and its tutors for giving her the skills to develop a successful career. At a private view launching the exhibition last week (12 March), Lotte gave a talk about her time on the Illustration BA Hons course, her creative journey post-graduation, winning awards and working in the industry. She described her style as whimsical and story-telling driven, developed by learning different styles and techniques at Middlesex.

The exhibition celebrates illustration in its broadest sense, with examples from packaging, book covers, magazines and newspapers, brochures and posters, and showcases innovative styles and techniques. 

Lotte, who grew up in Hong Kong, won her award with designs for a brochure and marketing materials for an imaginary new season of London Philharmonic Orchestra concerts of film music. Students were instructed to listen to a BBC Sound of Cinema series for ideas and Lotte’s visuals were inspired by soundtracks from wildlife documentaries. She drew her image of an orchestra conductor with a flock of birds in the background in pencil, then used digital tools to perfect the design and add colour.

She said: “I love watching animal documentaries and listened to the music more than 30 times to inspire my illustration. It was a fantastic project because we were given an industry-style brief and had to work to a professional standard and tight deadlines.”

Louise Weir, Senior Lecturer in Illustration, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting such an important exhibition at Middlesex and proud of Lotte’s achievement. She was a stand-out student who made the best use of our excellent facilities and benefited from the realistic industry-level briefs and competitions that we run at the University. 

“She was shortlisted in a competition for Penguin Publishers, won a live brief that we ran with Phoenix magazine, got an Adobe creative apprenticeship, as well as winning in the World Industry Awards. She is an example of someone who has really benefited from our course at Middlesex.”

The exhibition coincides with a display entitled ‘Animalia’ of poetry by the University’s current illustration students inspired by animals and nature, which runs until 9 April. “It includes some really beautiful work,” added Louise Weir. “As an illustrator, you must respond to text and words and have a good understanding of nuance and language. It’s fantastic to see our illustration talent at Middlesex on display in two excellent exhibitions.”

The World Illustration Awards exhibition runs until 2 April and the Animalia exhibition until 9 April at the Grove Building, Middlesex University, 79 The Burroughs, London NW4 4AX

Find out about studying BA Illustration at Middlesex University