The Speculative Literature Foundation has selected “Star Thief” by Flore Picard as SLF’s 2025 Illustration of the Year. See the artwork at the link.

Picard commented on her work: “‘Star Thief’ is a story about creating freedom. In a futuristic world of glass and metal, she made herself wings out of her prison, a harness out of her shackles, and flew up to seek out the stars. Inspired by the myth of Icarus, but her story will have a different ending: here, it is night and there is no sun. Flying into the sky, the Star Thief is daring but wise beyond her youth; rather than getting burned, she will embrace and befriend the stars.”

Flore Picard is a French artist with a passion for patterns and systems, for the beauty at the edge of chaos and the complexity of being human. Fascinated with words and languages for as long as they can remember, they have found ways to express their inner world through both linguistics and the grammar of visual art.

Picard will receive a cash prize of $750. The winning artwork will be featured throughout 2025 on the SLF’s website, newsletter, social media accounts and other materials. “Star Thief” is the SLF’s eighth annual Illustration of the Year. Learn more about the annual Illustration of the Year contest here.

The Speculative Literature Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literary quality in speculative fiction. They encourage promising new writers, assist established writers, facilitate the work of quality magazines and small presses in the genre, and work to promote a greater public appreciation of speculative fiction.

The Speculative Literature Foundation is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park; the Illinois Arts Council; and the National Endowment for the Arts.

[Based on a press release.]