Gray’s graduate reflects on success after winning National Design Award

A graduate from Gray’s School of Art has won the prestigious national Kelpies Prize for Illustration. Ramune Kregzdyte is a Lithuanian artist who graduated in Communication Design from Gray’s this year. As well as receiving a £500 cash prize, Ramune will now embark on 9 months of mentoring with the Floris Books design team. RG View caught up with Ramune, to find out more about her success.

"My work focuses on the contemporary stories of Scottish festivals and celebrations. I use digital illustration techniques to bring new atmosphere and feeling to everyday scenes.

As part of the selection process for the Kelpies Illustration Award, I had to submit a selection of illustrations suitable for a children’s book. My winning illustrations focus on the ancient tradition of common riding which dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, during the continual land border wards with England and against other clans.  It was a Border Country custom to plunder and thieve cattle, and commonplace amongst the major Borders families.

My work highlights the inequality problem prevalent in Common riding and I illustrate a girl's linear journey from falling behind to succeeding once encouraged by the public. I explore symbolism and metaphor and include hidden details for viewers to discover.

I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the Kelpies Prize for Illustration. It is such a prestigious national award and really supports children’s illustrators across Scotland. I can’t wait to take part in the mentoring programme with the experienced design team from Floris Books. I’m looking forward to building on the skills I have learnt at Gray’s and to enhancing my portfolio."

Communication Design Course leader, Iain Morrison, said: “It is fantastic that Ramune has won the Scottish Kelpies Award. This is the third time a student from BA (Hons) Communication Design course has won the illustration prize which is a great achievement and demonstrates the wealth of talent we have at Gray’s School of Art.”

Upon choosing the winner, the Kelpies judging panel said how much they appreciated the sophisticated textures and colour palettes, strong compositions and movement in Ramune’s entry. They particularly liked her reimagining of the Common Ridings, which added a touch of magic to the much-loved Borders festival.

The Kelpies Prize was first awarded in 2005 with support from the Scottish Arts Council, now Creative Scotland, and seeks to encourage and reward Scottish writing for children. Previous winners include Scottish Children’s Book Award winners Janis Mackay and Alex McCall.

Illustrations by Gray's graduate and Scottish Kelpie Design winner 2023, Ramune Kregzdyte, The Common Riding and Burns Night