Taipei, March 4 (CNA) Eight Taiwanese graphic illustrators were among 77 selected to participate in the 55th Illustrators Exhibition to be held online during the Bologna Children's Book Fair in June, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) said Thursday.

This year, 3,235 participants from 68 countries and regions around the world submitted work for the exhibition, with 226 illustrators selected in the first round, including 24 Taiwanese.

In the second and final round, 77 individuals were selected, including eight Taiwanese, TAICCA said in a statement.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illustrators Exhibition within the Bologna Children's Book Fair will be held online from June 14-17, according to TAICCA.

The eight winning Taiwanese illustrators are Chang Hsiao-chi, Hsueh Hui-yin, Huang Yi-wen, Cho Pei-hsin, Chen Yi-chin, Chen Wei-hsuan, Huang Yu-chen and Dai Wei-chun, according to the statement.

To help promote these Taiwanese illustrators, TAICCA said it will work with the Animation & Visual Effects Association to produce animated short films introducing each one, as a way of showing the world Taiwan's ability to create animations from static images.

In addition, it will put digital catalogs, a virtual Taiwan pavilion and trailers online during the exhibition to boost the international visibility of Taiwan's original illustrations and children's books, according to TAICCA.

Since 1967, the Illustrators Exhibition has offered artists from all over the world a unique opportunity to showcase their talent. It is now a dedicated platform to facilitate the international sale of copyrights and other publishing agreements.