Categories

The ten categories in the World Illustration Awards reflect the breadth of illustration being created today.

Your project may fit into more than one category, so do check the descriptions to select which is the best for you. It can help to consider how you want your project to be seen, or the type of clients you might want to attract.


Explore The Categories:

Image: Eva Wünsch 

Advertising

Illustration Sells

Illustration created for commercial advertising campaigns for products or services including:

  • magazine print ads 
  • billboards 
  • TV commercials 
  • broadcast 
  • social media 
  • websites 
  • flyers 
  • entire campaigns
Image: Holly Overs

Animation, sponsored by Huion

Moving Images

Illustration made for animation, including animated gifs, and short or long-form films or videos.

This can include:

  • traditional animation
  • stop-motion animation
  • character animation
  • 2D or 3D animation
  • animation for apps, websites, social media campaign or games
  • Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality with an animated element.
Image: Col McElwaine

Book Covers, sponsored by London Book Fair

Judging a Book by its Cover

Any cover artwork for books for readers of any age. This category includes whole cover artwork made for:

  • children’s books
  • self-published books
  • books for a general readership
Image: Jenny Løvlie

Children’s Publishing

Inspiring the Next Generation of Readers

Illustration created for use in publications for readers under 16 years old including inside illustrations, whole book design or entire publications for:

  • fiction
  • non-fiction
  • educational books
  • picture books
  • interactive books
  • reference books
  • pop-up books
  • e-books
Image: Andrzej Wieteszka

Design, Product & Packaging

Shaping our Visual World

Including illustration for branding, products, logos, packaging for:

  • fashion
  • graphic design
  • product design
  • stationery, greetings cards and calendars
  • record sleeves
  • stamps
  • pattern, surface, textile and wallpaper design
  • typography and lettering
  • icons and logos
  • games
  • annual reports
  • poster design
Image: Metin Sozen

Editorial, sponsored by Procreate

Beyond Words

Illustration for journalism and comment in digital or print format for example:

  • feature articles
  • news items
  • cartoons
  • political satire
  • reportage
  • documentary
  • current affairs
Image: Marella Moon Albanese

Exploration

Show Ambition and Vision

Testing personal practice ideas that do not necessarily sit within any other category. This category recognises the importance of personal work to the practicing illustrator.

This category is for work made to establish a style, work through ideas, and develop a portfolio.

Image: Marine BL Girard

Publishing, sponsored by Rebelle

Books and Beyond

Illustration created for any book format for readers 16+ years old. This category includes inside illustrations or whole book design for:

  • works of fiction
  • non-fiction
  • text books
  • e-books
  • interactive books
  • reference books
  • poetry and anthologies
  • graphic novels
  • picture books and humour
  • artist books
  • handmade books
Image: Luisa Jung 

Science & Technology

Illuminating Complex Ideas

Illustration that represents or explains scientific, medical or technological concepts including:

  • medical
  • botanical
  • architectural
  • forensic
  • scientific
  • archaeological
  • data visualisation
  • information visualisation
Image: Prang Vipaluk 

Site Specific

Enhancing Public Spaces

Illustration made for a particular place or space, for example:

  • murals
  • street art
  • wall drawings
  • graffiti
  • wayfinding systems
  • building wraps
  • window decals
  • hoardings

How To Choose Your Category

One of the questions we get asked a lot is ‘which category should I enter? We know it is sometimes tricky to decide which category to choose as sometimes projects can fit into more than one category.

Here are some tips on how to choose a category:

1. There are the ten categories above that reflect the broad sectors of illustration being made today, covering everything from Advertising to Publishing, Site Specific to Editorial. Sometimes illustrations are created for multiple purposes and they might fit into more than one category. In that case you can decide which one was the main application or enter the same project into multiple categories as separate entries.

2. You can enter any category, and you can enter different projects into different categories, or enter the same project into different categories. You can only choose one category per entry.

Image Credit: Jennifer N R Smith aka Wondertheory

This project ‘Glow’ was entered into multiple categories, and was Longlisted in three categories: Book Covers, Children’s Publishing and Science & Technology.

3. If you want to be seen as a specialist in a certain field, then consider placing your work in that category. Keep in mind where you want to position yourself as an illustrator, if in doubt, especially if you enter self-initiated work.

Image Credit: Ollie Hirst

Ollie is an Editorial illustrator and entered his projects into both the Editorial and Science & Technology categories, as these are the subjects that he specialises in.

4. Thinking about the application of the illustration can be a useful way to decide which category to enter. Read the category descriptions carefully and see if any specify the usage of your illustration.

Image Credit: Ike

This Shortlisted project ‘My First Period Box’ was entered into the Design, Product and Packaging Category.

5. You can enter the same project more than once into different categories, but you will need to upload and pay individually.

Image Credit: Maki Yamaguchi

This Longlisted project ‘Ideal World Fashion’ was entered into the Exploration category, but could also have been entered into the Editorial category as it is a mock up of a magazine cover.

6. Work into any category can be commissioned or un-commissioned (including personal work, portfolio work or university projects).

Image Credit: Isabel Keen

‘What’s A Mine Dad?’. This was a university project from a series of development works illustrating oral histories from former miners at Geevor tin mine.

If unsure, think about how you want to be seen when choosing your category, and remember you can enter the same work more than once into different categories. For inspiration look at what has been successful before on our historical WIA project page.

For more help on preparing your entry, take a look at our How to Enter guide for more advice on putting your entries together.

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