The results are in for one of the most anticipated events in the global art community—the third annual Jim Murray Urban Sketching Competition. Organized by celebrated artist and educator Jim Murray, this year’s competition drew over 2,400 entries from 76 countries, showcasing the vibrant diversity of urban sketching as both an art form and a storytelling medium. The winners, selected by a panel of internationally recognized artists and curators, represent a mix of emerging talents and established names in the field, all united by their ability to capture the pulse of city life with authenticity and creativity.
Taking top honors this year is Clara Ruiz, a Barcelona-based illustrator whose dynamic ink-and-watercolor piece *”Market Morning”* impressed judges with its lively energy and meticulous attention to detail. The work depicts the famed La Boqueria market, with its cascading produce stalls and overlapping conversations rendered in bold, confident strokes. “Clara’s work doesn’t just show a scene—it lets you *hear* it,” remarked judge and urban sketcher Priya Mehta. “You can almost smell the citrus and feel the crowd’s movement.” Ruiz, who has been documenting street markets worldwide for a decade, described the win as “a nod to the everyday magic of public spaces.”
Second place went to Malaysian architect-turned-artist Amir Hossein, whose moody charcoal sketch of Kuala Lumpur’s rainy-season streets earned praise for its atmospheric depth. Hossein’s use of smudged shadows and stark negative space transformed a routine traffic jam into a meditation on urban isolation. Meanwhile, third-place winner Lena Petrova from Ukraine charmed the panel with her whimsical gouache painting of Odessa’s baroque staircases, blending historical architecture with modern street art in a style judges called “playfully profound.”
Four additional artists received honorable mentions, including Nairobi’s Joseph Mwangi for his vibrant chalk pastel series documenting the informal kiosk culture in Kenyan slums, and Tokyo’s Yui Nakamura, whose minimalist ink sketches of commuter trains went viral on social media earlier this year. Notably, 60% of this year’s shortlisted artists identified as self-taught, reinforcing the competition’s reputation for accessibility. As judge and art critic David Chen noted, “What unites these works isn’t technical perfection, but raw human perspective—the kind you can’t learn in classrooms.”
The winning pieces will headline a month-long exhibition at London’s Urban Art Hub starting October 5, with virtual gallery tours available through jimmurrayart.com. Murray, who launched the competition in 2021 to “celebrate cities through the eyes of those who truly see them,” emphasized its growing cultural impact. “These sketches are historical records as much as artworks,” he said during the announcement. “When high-rise developments replace a neighborhood or a café closes after generations, these drawings preserve living memories.”
This year introduced a new Community Choice Award determined by public votes, which went to Brazilian street artist Rico Silva for his panoramic 18-foot sketch of Rio’s favelas. The work, created entirely with found materials like coffee grounds and crushed brick, received over 11,000 votes from 143 countries. Silva will collaborate with Murray on a mural project in São Paulo next spring.
With registration for the 2024 competition opening December 1, organizers anticipate even greater participation following this year’s record numbers. The jury panel—expanded to include representatives from urban planning and anthropology—will continue prioritizing works that “bridge art and social observation.” As cities worldwide grapple with rapid changes, from climate adaptations to technological shifts, the competition positions urban sketchers as essential visual chroniclers of our evolving habitats.
Past winners have seen their careers transformed by the exposure, with 2022’s champion, Mumbai artist Aanya Kapoor, recently securing a book deal to compile her decade-long sketch journals. For newcomers like Ruiz, the recognition validates urban sketching’s growing prestige. “People used to ask when I’d ‘graduate to real paintings,’” she laughed. “Now they understand—these *are* the real stories.”