2021 Chesley Awards Finalists

Best Cover Illustration: Hardcover

• Tommy Arnold for Harrow the Ninth, Tamsyn Muir (Tor Books)
• Iris Compiet for The Dark Crystal Bestiary: The Definitive Guide to the Creatures of Thra, Adam Cesare (Insight)
• Jason Mowry for Red Dragon, Thomas Harris (Suntup)
• John Picacio for Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
• Corinne Reid for Encounters with the Imaginary Vol. 3, Jeszika Le Vye and Kira Night eds. (Boneshaker)

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback or Ebook

• Rovina Cai for The Fourth Island, Sarah Tolmie (Tordotcom)
• Scott Discher for Ashes of the Sun, Django Wexler (Orbit)
• Madolyn Locke for Valian Styrke: Knight of Fate, Reiter (Sylver Quill)
• Charles Urbach for Ghost Riders in the Sky, Timothy Zahn (Swallow’s End)
• Ben Zweifel for The Thousand Deaths of Ardor Benn, Tyler Whitesides (Orbit)

Best Magazine Illustration

• Arjun Amky for Clarkesworld #170
• Evan Cagle for Stranger Things: Into the Fire #4 (Dark Horse)
• Tithi Luadthong for Lightspeed #123
• Tim O’Brien for Time (August 2020)
• Francesca Resta for Clarkesworld #169
• Rodion Shaldo for Clarkesworld #168

Best Interior Illustration

• Audrey Benjaminsen for Hearts in the Ground, G.V. Anderson (Tordotcom)
• Iris Compiet for The Dark Bestiary, Adam Cesare, Brian Froud, Wendy Froud, Iris Compiet (Insight)
• Ejiwa Ebenebe for “Boundless Unrivaled” (FIYAH #16)
• Micah Epstein for The Case of the Somewhat Mythic Sword, Garth Nix (Tordotcom)
• Sija Hong for Monstrous Tales: Stories of Strange Creatures and Fearsome Beasts from around the World (Chronicle)
• Michael Komarck for The Crippled God, Steven Erikson (Subterranean)
• Jason Mowry for Red Dragon, Thomas Harris (Suntup)

Best Color Work: Unpublished

• Marcela Bolívar, “Hothouse” (Digital)
• Bruce Brenneise, “Garden of Solitude” (Digital)
• Kai Carpenter, “The Selkie” (Oils)
• Amelia Leonards, “Melody of Shattered Bars” (Watercolor/Ink)
• Rachel Quinlan, “Luminous” (Watercolor/Ink)
• Danny Schwartz, “Lily court” (Acrylic on Board)
• Charles Urbach, “Chapters Infinite” (Color pencils)

Best Monochrome Work: Unpublished

• Daria Aksenova, “? (Yáng)” (Pen and Ink on hand-cut, suspended, layered paper in a hand-built, gilded Italian frame)
• Ashley Hankins, “Unmasked” (Digital)
• Julia Lundman, “Spring Ghosts” (Graphite)
• Gary Villarreal, “Romantic Storyteller” (Graphite)
• Marta Witkiewicz, “Enchanted” (Graphite)

Best Three-Dimensional Art

• Sara Felix, “Air Tiara” (Mixed media, resin and metal patinas)
• Thomas Kuebler, “Black Widow” (Mixed Media)
• Tach Pollard, “Wind Walker” (burnt hawthorn)
• Leia Powell, “Flight into Fantasy” (Stained Glass)
• Forest Rogers, “Dream of Quan Yin” (Clay / Mixed Media)
• Karl Deen, Sanders “Siren” (Bronze upon an Onyx base)
• Lisa Sell, “The Birdcage Bandit” (Mixed Media)

Best Gaming-Related Illustration

• Joanna Barnum, Overlight: The Lost Spire of Tziuhquatl (Renegade Game Studios)
• Lindsey Look, “Sublime Epiphany” (Magic: the Gathering Core Set 2021 )
• Seb McKinnon, “Cuombajj Witches” (Magic: the Gathering Commander Legends)
• Christian Piccolo, “Roswell Skateboard” In-game and real world skate board deck art for Tony Hawk Pro-Skater 1 & 2 (Vicarious Visions)
• Charles Urbach, “The Whispering Heart” Tabletop RPG Solo Gaming Adventure Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye), Ulisses Spiele
• Jabari Weathers, Dissident Whispers cover (Whisper Collective)

Best Product Illustration

• Wylie Beckert, “A Clockwork Orange” (MONDO poster)
• Jason Edmiston, “The Invisible Man” (MONDO poster)
• Te Hu, “Nine songs” (Mural for the 14th China International Comic Festival in Guangzhou)
• Heather Kreiter, Genevieve Plush Mascot Plush (Licensed for Gen Con)
• Vanessa Lemen, “Psyche” (Promo for Reckless Deck: PSYCHE)
• John Picacio, La Maceta / The Flowerpot Loteria card (Lone Boy)
• Greg Ruth, “Ad Astra” (MONDO poster)

Best Art Director

• Neil Clarke
• Rebecca Dornsife
• Irene Gallo
• Lauren Panepinto
• Nadine Schäkel
• Megan Walker

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award

• Richard Corben
• Gregory Manchess
• Iain McCaig
• Wendy Pini
• William Stout
• Allen Williams

The awards are given by the Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists (ASFA). Voting (for ASFA members only) opens October 29, 2021 and ends November 19, 2021.

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