Photo credit: Dainius Labutis / Moteris

Monika Vaicenavičienė is an award-winning illustrator and picture book creator, working with personal and commissioned projects in illustration, visual storytelling, and children’s books.

In Monika’s picture books, memories, legends, and real stories meet, creating poetic documentary narratives about interconnectedness and wonders of our world. Monika’s work has been recognized in renowned international competitions, including the World Illustration Awards, where she was named an Overall New Talent Winner in 2018, and Bologna and Shanghai Children’s Book Fairs. Monika’s latest picture book What Is a River? appeared in 2019 with editions in languages from around the world.

Monika studied Graphics and Printmaking at the Vilnius Academy of Arts, and as a visiting student at the Valand Academy of Arts in Gothenburg, and the University of the Arts London. In 2017, she received a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Communication at Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design in Stockholm.

As an art director and contributing artist, Monika has run www.gatviususitikimai.lt, an educational comics project about the streets of Vilnius, Lithuania. Amplified with new stories, the project also became a comics book in 2020.

Monika takes commissions, including illustrated storytelling projects, book illustration, event identity and branding, educational visuals — but she is always open to discussing projects that do not fall into these categories.

Monika lives in Vilnius with her husband and their three children.

SELECTED AWARDS & HONORS

2022 – Zilveren Penseel Award
2021 – Best Non-fiction Book – The Washington Post
2021 – IBBY Honor List
2020 – Best Non-fiction Book – Premio Andersen
2020 & 2019 – Most Beautiful Book of the Year – IBBY Section of Lithuania
2019 – Merit – 3x3 Professional Show No.16
2019 – Most Beautiful Book of the Year – Vilnius Art Academy Prize
2018 – Publisher’s Choice Award – Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition, China Children’s Book Fair
2018 – Overall New Talent Winner – World Illustration Awards
2018 – Children’s Books New Talent Winner – World Illustration Awards
2018 – Selected Illustrator – Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition
2016 – Best Illustrations – National Contest of Children Literature of Lithuania