National Society of Illustrators honors 13 MIAD students

Works by 13 students and recent graduates of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) were selected from among 4,550 nationwide submissions to receive 2026 honors from the national Society of Illustrators. Works were completed during student studies at MIAD and are among only 216 selected to be honored.

Two students who majored in MIAD’s Animation Track in Illustration received scholarship awards: Brooke Thompson ’25 received the Nancy Lee Rhodes Roberts Scholarship and Alexis McConnell ’26 received the In Memory of Harry Rosenbaum Scholarship.

Alexis McConnell “Loss From Stroke”

Phoebe Nelson ’25, who received a Scholarship Award in 2025, and Julius Koo ’26 had works selected by the society for the second consecutive year. The 2026 awards continue a steady increase in the number of accepted entries from MIAD.

The 216 selected works, which are judged by professional peers, were exhibited May 2 – 16, 2026, at the society’s New York headquarters.

“I am so grateful to have been chosen for this award! It was my first time in New York,” Thompson says. “The Society of Illustrators hosted so many fantastic young artists from around the country and I’m honored to have met them. 

“Having proudly finished my thesis comic ‘Brutal Magic’ and see it appreciated by so many others inspired me endlessly. I’m continuing to create original comics, traditionally with ink and Bristol paper.” 

“This piece draws on a family member’s experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, exploring the emotional weight and sense of loss that follows such a life-altering event,” shares McConnell. “Created in Blender, the work emphasizes a tactile, melancholic atmosphere through spatial and compartmentalized composition and a cool-toned color palette.”

Additional MIAD awardees are: Amber Antonich ’27 for “The Sirens of Titan,” Liesel Barkei ’26 for “Croquet Ball,” Hayden IntVeld ’25 for “Arthropoda,” Aubrey Jilla ’28 for “Alice in Wonderland 2,” Sylvia Munoz ’26 for “Find Your Absent Mind,” Daniel Perez ’26 for “Fish,” Abby Phillips ’26 for “Inspiration,” Hanna Rasmussen ’27 for “Inge Lehmann” and Kyle Woodfin ’26 for “Rosary.

Learn more about MIAD’s award-winning Illustration and Animation programs! Apply to MIAD.

Alexis McConnell “Loss From Stroke”

Phoebe Nelson ’25, who received a Scholarship Award in 2025, and Julius Koos ’26 had works selected by the society for the second consecutive year. The 2026 awards continue a steady increase in the number of accepted entries from MIAD.

The 216 selected works, which are judged by professional peers, were exhibited May 2 – 16, 2026, at the society’s New York headquarters.

“I am so grateful to have been chosen for this award! It was my first time in New York,” Thompson says. “The Society of Illustrators hosted so many fantastic young artists from around the country and I’m honored to have met them. 

Brooke Thompson ’25 (Illustration)

“Having proudly finished my thesis comic ‘Brutal Magic’ and see it appreciated by so many others inspired me endlessly. I’m continuing to create original comics, traditionally with ink and Bristol paper.” 

“This piece draws on a family member’s experience with a hemorrhagic stroke, exploring the emotional weight and sense of loss that follows such a life-altering event,” shares McConnell. “Created in Blender, the work emphasizes a tactile, melancholic atmosphere through spatial and compartmentalized composition and a cool-toned color palette.”

Additional MIAD awardees are: Amber Antonich ’27 for “The Sirens of Titan,” Liesel Barkei ’26 for “Croquet Ball,” Hayden IntVeld ’25 for “Arthropoda,” Aubrey Jilla ’28 for “Alice in Wonderland 2,” Sylvia Munoz ’26 for “Find Your Absent Mind,” Daniel Perez ’26 for “Fish,” Abby Phillips ’26 for “Inspiration,” Hanna Rasmussen ’27 for “Inge Lehmann” and Kyle Woodfin ’26 for “Rosary.”

Learn more about MIAD’s award-winning Illustration and Animation programs! Apply to MIAD.