The Pokémon Company has announced the winners of the 2024's Pokemon Trading Card Game Illustration Contest 2024, a competition giving artists around the world the chance to have their work printed on a real Pokémon trading card. The contest ran from October 2023 until January 2024, with the theme "Magical Pokémon Moments."
As revealed on the official Pokémon Illustration Contest website, this year's grand prize winner is Japanese artist Kazuki Minami, who submitted a charming portrait of a Pikachu scratching his ear, inspired by their dog. As the grand prize winner, Kazuki is set to receive a cash prize valued at $5,000 USD, and their Pikachu illustration will be made into an official Promo card in the Pokémon TCG. Kazuki gives credit to their pet dog for inspiring the cute and casual rendering of Pokémon's global icon that prevailed over 10,829 other entries:
"As this was my first time taking part in this contest, I wasn't sure what to draw and how to draw it. That's when my dog came into my sight being cute—I was inspired to draw Pikachu in such a way that reminds me of my dog. So the prize belongs to my dog as much...
