2026 Sticker Competition Winners

Carla Naude (aka Loopyalchemist) is a South African–born artist, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Austin, Texas. As a child she almost always had her nose stuck in a book—and not much has changed since. With a BA in Visual Communication, she combines her background in illustration, design, and photography to create playful, character-driven artwork inspired by the stories she loves. Carla has four published cover photos for Penguin Books South Africa, including the well-known cover for Spud: Exit, Pursued by a Bear by John van de Ruit. She has also illustrated two children’s books, including Where is Big Dog, written by Jessica Collins and Lisa Melamed, launching March 24. Carla volunteers at her local library and spends much of her time drawing, reading, and bringing new stories to life through illustration.

Greta Mantooth is obsessed... with exploring cities big and small, buying vintage wrapping paper, snuggling her children, adopting rescue dogs she doesn’t need, becoming less afraid of snakes and listening to Billy Joel records. Her obsessions are many and varied. But more than anything else, she is obsessed with books. Is there anything much better than getting good and lost in a wonderful book? As a child, Greta made books with her parents to help figure out tricky situations, and later, laugh about them. (Like that one time at the doctor’s office when her usual pediatrician was nowhere to be found, and in her place was… a stranger! Can you imagine?) As a grownup, she reads a LOT, gets an unfortunate amount of overdue emails from the library and writes and draws stories for kids. She likes to think she is in the hope-and-humor business, with a wink and a smile.

I am an author and illustrator living in Austin, Texas. Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and children’s books are the perfect combination of art and storytelling. My illustrations are created with watercolors, gouache, pen & ink, and block printing, with the occasional touch of digital magic. When I’m not dreaming up characters and worlds for them to live in, you can find me spending time outdoors, perfecting my pizza making skills, or pursuing one of my (too) many hobbies. - Michelle was also the winner of last year's 2025 Sticker Competition!