Ernesto Illy International Coffee Award

Zebu


The illustration draws inspiration from the vibrant vibe of Costa Rica. Infused with the colors of its national flag. It showcases a composition inspired by the forest and coastline of Costa Rica. With the iconic illy cup at this heart, the illustration invites the viewers to savour the rich flavours and warmth of the country. ZEBU is a visual arts duo from Berlin, founded in 2015 by Lynn Lehmann and Dennis Gärtner. Together they developed a visual language which is reduced, bold and characterized by strong compositions and colors. The duo's creative vocabulary rambles between the figurative and the abstract. Creating at the intersection of illustration, graphic design and painting, ZEBU’s work is applied in print products, murals and exhibitions.

Liv Lee


The artwork is a frame by frame animation which depicts the coffee beans being roasted and turning into a coffee which creates and fills the illy cup. The experience of drinking the fragrant, bold coffee is depicted in the colorful explosion of the flowers of El Salvador. Liv Lee is an artist and illustrator, living and working on the mid-north coast of Nuovo Galles del Sud, in Australia. Her signature style features wonky interpretations of plants, flowers and fruit, that inspire happiness and evoke nostalgia. Working mostly with gouache, Liv draws inspiration from her local surroundings and the interesting forms, textures and shapes of Australian native flora.

Alice Hoffman


The illy cup is at the heart of the illustration. The coffee aromas that rise from the cup are filled with ethiopian flavours, the colorful landscape and its people. Alice Hoffmann, also known as Bureau Alice, is a Munich-born illustrator based in Zurich, Switzerland. With a background as an art director in European advertising for 15 years, she now specializes in illustration. Her experience covers campaign development, packaging, corporate design, and fair trade projects. Alice's style is characterized by minimalism, unique graphics, and a bold color palette.

Miranda Sofroniou


The artwork depicts a coffee harvesting scene surrounded by the vegetation of Guatemala, with the backdrop of a majestic Guatemalan volcano. The predominant colour palette is the light-blue and white of the country's flag. Miranda Sofroniou, a British illustrator in northern Italy, creates vivid, immersive art that sparks curiosity and nostalgia. She blends vibrant colors and expressive strokes to explore the relationship between figures and their surroundings. Her work, inspired by nature and travel, combines paints, colored pencils, and crayons to convey mood and promote environmental awareness.

Alex Khabbazi


The artwork features a toucan holding the national flower of Honduras beak and an illy cup in its foot. Although Honduras is very green, the artist wanted to represent both the animals of Honduras and the coffee's caramel and acidic flavour palette with the colours. While his creative career began in architecture, UK based artist and designer Alex Khabbazi now explores art in two dimensions. Through a process that combines analogue and digital techniques, his work pays close attention to the shared rhythm of illustration, typography and texture. His recent projects have seen this recurring theme applied to more naturalistic subjects, from slithering serpents to strange plants.

Abbey Lossing


Inspired by the atmosphere of India, the illustration depicts an Indian woman enjoying a coffee. On the woman's dress are depicted the Indian landscapes and the notes of its coffee. Abbey Lossing is an illustrator based in Austin, TX. Her work is bold, colorful and weaves together patterns and figures with a playful energy. She loves crowd scenes, cityscapes and intimate portraits. When she’s not in the studio you can usually find her enjoying the great outdoors, rock climbing, hiking, or standing in line at a taco truck.

Marina Ester Castaldo

For the artwork, the artist was inspired by the many volcanoes in the country, alongside which beautiful national parks have been created, surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. Marina is an Italian artist currently living and working in London, UK. Born and raised in Naples, she finds herself inspired by folklore, the hospitality of people, the warm weather and contrasting and strong colours. She is fascinated by nature, daily life and all types of emotions, expressed in her art with abstract shapes and vibrant colours. She describes her work process as being very spontaneous, natural, and ever evolving.