This year's illustrator is Elisa Gutiérrez. She is a Vancouver-based independent illustrator and graphic designer born and raised in Mexico City. Elisa has a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design from La Salle University in Mexico City. She spent a semester of her degree as an exchange student at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. Picturescape Elisa has won awards in Mexico for her design work. In Canada she has been recognized four times with hounourable mentions from the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design including once for Picturescape. Picturescape was also one of five nominees for the 2006 Chritie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize.