A 2005 University of Michigan alum was chosen as a winner for the 2017 Illustrators of the Future quarterly — an international contest where a panel of renowned artists decides on three winners out of thousands of submissions. Art & Design graduate Bruce Brenneise will have his artwork published alongside a winning writing piece from the sister contest Writers of the Future. The illustration grand prize winner will be announced in March.
Illustrators of the Future, founded in 1988, aims to bring exposure to unpublished artists and authors. Brenneise earned $500 in prize money and an all-expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for a week-long art workshop.
Brenneise has illustrated for the computer gaming industry in Seattle and other freelance work for companies and authors. He drew inspiration for the three works he submitted to the contest from places he has visited and his interest in fantasy and landscape illustration. He hopes that with this contest, he will gain more opportunities to showcase his work.
“I believe it will be a great networking opportunity because a lot of very well-known science fiction and fantasy authors have actually come up through the writing side of that contest,” Brenneise said.