9 International Illustrators to portray the 9 finalists’ countries competing for the 6th Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award

Trieste, November 25th 2021 – On the occasion of the 6th Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award, illycaffè is renewing its special digital project that showcases creativity to depict coffee culture in a brand-new way, with 9 international artists entrusting them with the task of giving a visual identity to the nine finalists’ countries.Through this initiative, illycaffè aims to use beauty and art to highlight a fundamental, major aspect of the company’s culture and ethics, the core values underpinning the world of coffee farming and coffee producing countries.

Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Nicaragua and El Salvador are the nine finalist countries for the Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award, the prize dedicated to the visionary leader of illycaffè – the son of the company’s founder and a pioneer of virtuous collaboration with farmers for the production of high-quality sustainable coffee – that serve as nine stops along an artistic journey. Each with their own style, the nine artists will each create an artwork that symbolizes the colourscape of their assigned country and recalls the flavour profile of their coffee.

Depicting Brazil is Medeline Kate Martinez, an illustrator and graphic designer with a strong passion for photography; the penmanship and style of Sebastian Curi, an Argentinean illustrator and animator based in Los Angeles will portray the colours of Colombia. Costa Rica is depicted by the Irish artist and illustrator Mark Conlan; while the riotous colours of Ethiopia are assigned to Yukai Du, a Chinese illustrator and animator. A visual tale of Guatemala will be told by the surrealist graphic designer Marcos Guinoza. Honduras and its coffee, with its chocolate and caramel notes, will be drawn by the colorful and bold pen of Maggie Stephenson, a Polish artist and illustrator. The Canadian illustrator and artist Myriam Van Neste, who is also a former sculptor, is tasked with bringing India’s charm and mystery to life, while Nicaragua has been entrusted to the British illustrator and artist Kit Agar, with her trademark geometric style. Finally, Charly Clements, a British designer and illustrator, will help us discover El Salvador. From November 25th until December 1st, the nine artists’ artworks will be unveiled on the artists’ own Instagram accounts and on illycaffè’s Instagram account.


Countries and artists:
Brazil: Medeline Kate Martinez @madelinekate_illustrate
Colombia: Sebastian Curi @sebacuri
Costa Rica: Mark Conlan @markconlan
Ethiopia: Yukai Du @yukai_du
Guatemala: Marcos Guinoza @marcosgunoza
Honduras: Maggie Stephenson @_maggiestephenson_
India: Myriam Van Neste @myriam__vanneste
Nicaragua: Kit Agar @kitagar
El Salvador: Charly Clements @charlyclements