Illustrator Valerie Sokolova, a professor in the art department at Kingsborough Community College, has been selected as a finalist for the 2025 Golden Pen of Belgrade International Exhibition and Competition, one of the oldest and most respected illustration events in the world. She is one of 83 international illustrators chosen from thousands of submissions worldwide for this year’s Golden Pen, which showcases both established and emerging artists in the field of visual storytelling. Her work will be included in the exhibition opening in November in Belgrade, Serbia.

“For this year’s competition, I submitted two illustrations from the book “Fox Mykyta”: the cover and an interior illustration,” Sokolova said. The book is a classic Ukrainian tale written by internationally renowned writer and poet Ivan Franko. “It is a satirical and philosophical story of an anthropomorphic fox who relies on intelligence to achieve his aims. It can be compared to Aesop’s fables but imbued with the particularities of Ukrainian wisdom, culture, and folklore.”

The project has been one of her most ambitious undertakings. “My illustration work is very elaborate and thus time-consuming,” she explained. “The “Fox Mykyta” book project, consisting of 84 pages, required nearly a decade of work to complete.”

Sokolova described the challenge of staying true to the culture while making the story accessible to modern readers. “Since my family is from Ukraine, I have made it my life’s mission to understand the origins of my culture,” she said. “I wanted to undertake this project to recreate the visual specificities of local Ukrainian identity in the face of globalization, to build bridges between cultures, and through illustration to transform the categories of the past for the modern reader.”

The Golden Pen competition, founded in 1959 by the Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia (ULUPUDS), is held every two years to elevate the status of illustration in the art world. Finalists are included in the official catalogue, and the exhibition travels throughout Serbia and Europe. They are also eligible for top prizes such as the Grand Prix, plaques, and diplomas.

This is not the first time Sokolova has been recognized in Belgrade. “I first won the Grand Prix in 2017,” she said. “This year’s invitation from the curator as a past laureate feels like a meaningful continuation of my dialogue with Serbia’s cultural space. I am deeply drawn to Serbia’s unique blend of traditional and contemporary art, where icon painting and illustration naturally intersect.”

Her participation is also part of a broader academic interest. “Iconography and iconology are among my professional research interests, and I have frequently incorporated insights from this field into illustration,” she said. She recently took part in a conference and iconographic tour in Serbia and Montenegro, calling it “a valuable opportunity for my professional development.”

Her list of accomplishments extends well beyond this award. She has received honors such as the Best Book Award from Publishers Forum XXIII, the Golden Feather Award as Best Children’s Illustrator of the Year, and the Mom’s Choice Gold Award for “My Royal Birthday Adventure.” Her illustrations have been recognized at the London and Hollywood Book Festivals, earned a Creative Child “Book of the Year” Gold Award, and were featured in “Highlights Magazine for Children” as Illustrator of the Month. She also received a PSC CUNY Research Award for her project on Ukrainian folklore and fairy tales.

At Kingsborough, she shares her expertise with students in design, typography, and illustration. Under her art direction, the college’s literary magazine “Antheon” earned a Columbia Scholastic Press

Association Silver Medalist Certificate and multiple American Graphic Design Awards in the “Student Work” category.

Sokolova sees competitions like the Golden Pen as an opportunity to connect with peers and expand her reach. “Competitions of this kind often broaden an illustrator’s creative opportunities with publishers and galleries worldwide, since the exhibition catalog allows them to discover new artists,” she said. “Following my first win in 2017, I was invited to illustrate a children’s poetry anthology published in Spain in 2018.”

Looking ahead, Sokolova said she hopes her Belgrade exhibition will contribute to a larger dialogue. “As this exhibition travels, many people will have the chance to see the selected illustrations, and my contribution will serve as a small but meaningful part of universal cultural exchange.”

Valerie Sokolova's cover illustration for “Fox Mykyta” was selected as a finalist for the 2025 Golden Pen of Belgrade International Exhibition and Competition.