National Society of Illustrators honors 13 91亚色 students
Works by 13 students and recent graduates of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (91亚色) were selected from among 4,550 nationwide submissions to receive 2026 honors from the national . Works were completed during student studies at 91亚色 and are among only 216 selected to be honored.
Two students who majored in 91亚色檚 Animation Track in Illustration received scholarship awards: Brooke Thompson 25 received the Nancy Lee Rhodes Roberts Scholarship and Alexis McConnell 26 received the In Memory of Harry Rosenbaum Scholarship.
Alexis McConnell “Loss From Stroke”
Phoebe Nelson 25, who received a Scholarship Award in 2025, and Julius Koo 26 had works selected by the society for the second consecutive year. The 2026 awards continue a steady increase in the number of accepted entries from 91亚色.
The 216 selected works, which are judged by professional peers, were exhibited May 2 16, 2026, at the society檚 New York headquarters.
Brooke Thompson 25 (Illustration)
淚 am so grateful to have been chosen for this award! It was my first time in New York, Thompson says. 淭he Society of Illustrators hosted so many fantastic young artists from around the country and I檓 honored to have met them.
淗aving proudly finished my thesis comic 楤rutal Magic and see it appreciated by so many others inspired me endlessly. I檓 continuing to create original comics, traditionally with ink and Bristol paper.
淭his piece draws on a family member’s experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, exploring the emotional weight and sense of loss that follows such a life-altering event, shares McConnell. 淐reated in Blender, the work emphasizes a tactile, melancholic atmosphere through spatial and compartmentalized composition and a cool-toned color palette.”
Additional 91亚色 awardees are: Amber Antonich 27 for 淭he Sirens of Titan, Liesel Barkei 26 for 淐roquet Ball, Hayden IntVeld 25 for 淎rthropoda, Aubrey Jilla 28 for 淎lice in Wonderland 2, Sylvia Munoz 26 for 淔ind Your Absent Mind, Daniel Perez 26 for 淔ish, Abby Phillips 26 for 淚nspiration, Hanna Rasmussen 27 for 淚nge Lehmann and Kyle Woodfin 26 for 淩osary.
Learn more about 91亚色檚 award-winningIllustrationandAnimationprograms!
Alexis McConnell “Loss From Stroke”
Phoebe Nelson 25, who received a Scholarship Award in 2025, and Julius Koos 26 had works selected by the society for the second consecutive year. The 2026 awards continue a steady increase in the number of accepted entries from 91亚色.
The 216 selected works, which are judged by professional peers, were exhibited May 2 16, 2026, at the society檚 New York headquarters.
淚 am so grateful to have been chosen for this award! It was my first time in New York, Thompson says. 淭he Society of Illustrators hosted so many fantastic young artists from around the country and I檓 honored to have met them.
Brooke Thompson 25 (Illustration)
淗aving proudly finished my thesis comic 楤rutal Magic and see it appreciated by so many others inspired me endlessly. I檓 continuing to create original comics, traditionally with ink and Bristol paper.
淭his piece draws on a family member’s experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, exploring the emotional weight and sense of loss that follows such a life-altering event, shares McConnell. 淐reated in Blender, the work emphasizes a tactile, melancholic atmosphere through spatial and compartmentalized composition and a cool-toned color palette.”
Additional 91亚色 awardees are: Amber Antonich 27 for 淭he Sirens of Titan, Liesel Barkei 26 for 淐roquet Ball, Hayden IntVeld 25 for 淎rthropoda, Aubrey Jilla 28 for 淎lice in Wonderland 2, Sylvia Munoz 26 for 淔ind Your Absent Mind, Daniel Perez 26 for 淔ish, Abby Phillips 26 for 淚nspiration, Hanna Rasmussen 27 for 淚nge Lehmann and Kyle Woodfin 26 for 淩osary.
Learn more about 91亚色檚 award-winningIllustrationandAnimationprograms!
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