The Biennial of Illustrations Bratislava is a prestigious international competition and exhibition of original illustrations of children’s books that was established in 1967. Slovak illustrators have been regularly participating in the Biennial ever since it began. Numerous awards received by Slovak illustrators in international exhibitions, including the Bratislava Biennial itself, prove that the school of Slovak illustration has always been among the best on the international scene. Up to now, seventeen Slovak illustrators have been given awards at the Biennial and altogether, they have received twenty-eight awards as many of them have been awarded several times.
Since 2013, the Prize of the Mayor of the Capital City, Bratislava to a young Slovak illustrator has been awarded. Peter Uchnár was the first to receive this prize and in 2015, the prize was received by the young illustrator Veronika Klímová (April 13, 1989). She studied in the Department of Printmaking and Other Media at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. The quality of her work is also attested to by the fact that her first book - Hlbokomorské rozprávky (Deep Sea Fairy Tales) was released before she finished her studies and it immediately attracted the attention of both experts and the general public. She was the only Slovak author whose illustrations, from this book, were exhibited in the Bologna Book Fair in 2013 and she also received an award for these illustrations in the competition, the Most Beautiful Books of Slovakia. Her illustrations are generous and airy. They are created using a classical linocut technique which she lightens by digital processing and the use of pen drawing. Sometimes, she also uses text inputs, which make the individual scenes livelier. Her fairy tale world is poetic, lively and joyful and the illustrator combines real beings with fantasy mystification. In her work, she uses classical graphics, especially screen printing and linocut, drawings and she also likes to experiment with other techniques. In her illustrations, she strives for a clean, non-congested design expression which should not lack humorous elements. Beside illustration, she also does commercial graphics.
                                                                                                                                                                                 Viera Anoškinová