Inaugural Post Wave Goldsmiths Award presented to Children's Book Illustration student
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Meiling Wu is the first to receive the Post Wave Goldsmiths Award for a student on the MA Children's Literature: Children's Book Illustration who has shown a fresh approach to visual storytelling.
Meiling Wu, winner of the inaugural Post Wave Goldsmiths Award
On the opening night of 'Once Upon a Line', the MA Children's Literature: Children's Book Illustration Degree Show 2026, Meiling Wu was presented with the award. This new £500 prize is given to a student who has shown originality, and entries from this year's cohort of students were judged by Avni Patel (Design Director) and Myrto Dimitrakoulia (Art Director) at Post Wave Children's Books and Bruce Ingman, Head of the MA Children's Book Illustration course. Congratulations also go to Hana Lin and Can Cui, who were highly commended.
The winning work stood out for its originality, visual confidence and storytelling.
Avni Patel, Design Director at Post Wave Children's Books
"I was honestly in disbelief when they announced the winner. I wasn’t sure I had heard correctly until they said the title of my picture book, 'Gigi'," Meiling said. "I’m also very grateful to Post Wave Children’s Books. I’m very thankful for their support," she added.
The winning book, 'Gigi'
Meiling's book 'Gigi' is a story about a shy giraffe who constantly admires what makes other animals special while not believing there is anything good about herself. But everything changes when Gigi meets Poco, a confident, little mouse. Poco helps Gigi to realise that she has many wonderful qualities of her own.
The illustrations combine gouache, acrylic paint, and charcoal. "Since much of the story takes place in a forest, I created a wide variety of plants and foliage to make the environments feel rich and immersive," Meiling explained. "I also exaggerated the distinctive features of each animal because the story is told from Gigi’s perspective, and she notices what she believes makes everyone else special. As Gigi gradually stops comparing herself with others, she learns that she doesn’t need to be like anyone else to appreciate who she is," she added.
The plot of the book reflected Meiling's own journey of creating it: "While creating Gigi, I often felt just like the main character. I doubted my illustration style, my compositions, and whether my character designs were good enough," she said. But Meiling was encouraged by tutors and reflected that "their support gave me the confidence to continue telling this story."
Through making Gigi, I realised how important it is not to compare ourselves with others. I wanted to create a picture book that could encourage children and even adults to be kinder to themselves and recognise their own strengths instead of constantly measuring themselves against other people.
Meiling Wu, winner of the Post Wave Goldsmiths Award
Bruce Ingman said: "We are thrilled that Post Wave is sponsoring this award. They have made a hugely significant impact in children’s publishing in a very short time. Their commitment to developing new picture book makers of the highest quality is evident in their fantastic list. This investment in emerging authors and illustrators is extremely encouraging and we are proud to have forged this relationship with them."
Avni Patel, Design Director at Post Wave Children's Books, said: "Post Wave is delighted to sponsor this award and support Goldsmiths in recognising emerging illustration talent."
Post Wave Children's Books is the children's imprint of Post Wave Publishing UK. Post Wave Children's Books' 2025 list included A Song of the Seasons, the debut picture book from Goldsmiths graduate Yibing Deng.