S’porean Digital Artist, Jerome Tieh wins prestigious contest, cash prize & Hollywood trip

Amid tight competition and rapidly changing technologies, a Singaporean digital artist took home a cash prize after winning the prestigious Writers of the Future contest in Hollywood.

Homegrown artist Jerome Tieh, known for creating immersive worlds through digital art, was honoured at the L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Event in Hollywood and got his art published in the international bestselling anthology, L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38.

Mr Tieh is currently based in Baltimore, Maryland, attending the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), majoring in Illustration.

Mr Tieh initially chose Game Design, but his interest piqued after experiencing the flexibility with Illustration.

“The diversity of the Illustration courses always guarantees that there is something I’m looking forward to each semester. The variety of courses has also allowed me to take a look at some programs that I would have otherwise not even touched,” he said in a MICA spotlight article.

Mr Tieh’s works span across posters, concept art, motion graphics and user interface mock-ups.

Since 2020, he has been interning for UX Is Fine as a designer or motion artist, which he hopes will give him further insight into the inner workings of the video game industry.

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contest are in its 34th year and judged by some of the premier names in speculative fiction, such as Bob Eggleton (with 11 Chesley Awards and 7 Hugo Awards), Tim Powers (author of On Stranger Tides), and Larry Elmore (known for Dungeons & Dragons book covers).

The Writers and Illustrators of the Future Award is the genre’s most prestigious award of its kind and has now become the largest, most successful and demonstrably most influential vehicle for budding creative talent in the world of contemporary fiction.

The contest has awarded over $1,000,000 cumulatively in prize money and royalties.

On top of the trip to Hollywood, the cash prize and published art, Mr Tieh also engaged in a week-long professional workshop to further hone his skills.

“Constantly be on the lookout for new techniques and programs!” said Mr Tieh as a piece of advice for others in the field. “Technology for art creation is moving at light speed, and you should always be willing to try out new programs, so the industry doesn’t leave you behind in its dust.” /TISG

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