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Tokyo, August 13, 2025 – On August 13, Celsys announced the results of the 44th International Illustration Contest. Held from June 24 to July 16, the contest received 4,360 entries from all over the world. After careful judging, 15 entrants were selected as prize winners, while 10 entrants were randomly selected to receive free licenses for Clip Studio Paint.
See all the winning entries here: https://www.clipstudio.net/en/cspcontest44/
Comment from the winner: Thank you for selecting my drawing, I couldn't be more happier!
I tried to create a small corner for the girl and her cat. Also, rendering the flowers and plants around her was soothing. It was a fun contest.
There were also many entries for the Timelapse Award, where contestants can submit a timelapse video of their process. Winners of the Timelapse Award were selected by lottery and received an activation code for Clip Studio Paint PRO. Meanwhile, five illustration category entrants were selected at random for the Challenger Prize. The winner of the Illustration Grand Prize receives US$2,000.
Celsys, the developer and distributor of the illustration, comic, webtoon, and animation app Clip Studio Paint, regularly holds illustration contests open worldwide, and will continue to offer more opportunities for creators to showcase their talents.
■Grand Prize
Artist: Tiii
▼Judge’s comment
Plants of all shapes and sizes fit the theme perfectly and the character's expression conveys her love for plants. The yawning cat by the character's side is also adorable.
Awards and Prizes
Grand Prize (1 winner)
US$2,000 cash prize + Clip Studio Paint EX Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 3 years) or 10,000 GOLD + Social media profile picture frame (image file)
2nd place (1 winner)
US$500 cash prize + Clip Studio Paint EX Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 3 years) or 10,000 GOLD + Social media profile picture frame (image file)
3rd - 5th place (3 winners)
US$200 cash prize + Clip Studio Paint EX Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 1 year) or 5,000 GOLD + Social media profile picture frame (image file)
6th - 10th place (5 winners)
US$100 cash prize + Clip Studio Paint PRO Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 1 year) or 3,000 GOLD + Social media profile picture frame (image file)
Honorable mentions (5 winners)
Clip Studio Paint PRO Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 1 year) or 3,000 GOLD
Challenger Award (5 randomly selected winners)
Clip Studio Paint PRO Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 1 year) or 3,000 GOLD
Timelapse Prize (5 randomly selected winners)
Clip Studio Paint PRO Activation Code (Dual-device plan, 1 year) or 3,000 GOLD
Updated August 19:
One of the winning pieces in the contest was found to be created partially with generative AI as confirmed by the creator. This entry has been withdrawn.
Our judging process includes several stages of checks with tools as well as visual review by multiple team members to assess for generative AI use. We apologize that this system was not sufficient in this case.
We hope for this contest to be a fun and fair experience for all creators who join. For future iterations, we will clarify the rules on generative AI use and re-examine our review system.
About CELSYS, Inc.
Celsys provides tools such as Clip Studio Paint to support creators in the creator economy that is expanding through the creation and use of digital content. We are also providing new service platforms that act as a new avenue for creators' activities. 's passions are connected, by offering total support to creators around the world through each part of their “creator journey”.
https://www.celsys.com/en/
For media inquiries
Celsys Media Relations press@celsys.com
