The Northern Festival of Illustration Prize returns in 2025 with a New Theme & Global Competition: ‘Stories of Home’. Call for Entries is open from 1 May until 12 June 2025.
We invite illustrators to explore the theme “Stories of Home,” capturing the essence of what home means to them. Whether it’s a place, a feeling, a memory, or a person, home can be interpreted in countless ways. This competition challenges you to express your personal narrative, cultural heritage, or the universal concept of home through your unique artistic lens.
What we are looking for:
- Creativity: How uniquely and effectively the concept of “Stories of Home” is interpreted.
- Artistic Quality: Technical skill, composition, and use of colour or texture.
- Emotional Impact: The ability of the illustration to evoke feelings or tell a compelling story.
10 projects will be shortlisted in each category for public display at The Northern School of Art as part of The Northern Festival of Illustrations in September 2025 in Hartlepool with a theme of ‘Stories of Home’.
There are fantastic prizes for each of the three categories you can enter:
– Emerging Animator, sponsored by Aardman Animation: £500 cash prize and showing in the Festival of Illustration animation screening event in Hartlepool, plus an invitation to a 6-week Aardman Academy Masterclass Short course
– Emerging illustrator: £500 cash prize
– Established illustrator: £1000 cash prize
In addition, each of the two Illustrator Category Winners will be given progression support e.e. a free digital platform sponsored by ReadyMag or mentorship through NSA’s illustrative team.
Open to all illustrators, both professional and amateur, worldwide.
More information can be found in our news article and on The Northern Festival’s website or follow on Instagram. If you have any questions about the competition please contact the Northern School: [email protected]
Please read the Terms and Conditions for entry before submitting work. You can enter as many entries as you like below.
Deadline for entries: 12 June 2025 (end of day).