The Association of Illustrators has run a juried illustration competition since 1976. The World Illustration Awards, presented in partnership with the Directory of Illustration, has been going strong and growing since 2015.
The World Illustration Awards is a global celebration of illustration: WIA focuses on supporting and celebrating creativity, by connecting illustrators with their peers and the global illustration industry.
The Awards are split into two groups: New Talent and Professional. All work, commissioned or self-initiated, is accepted across the ten categories as long as it has been created within the past year before the Call for Entries closes. Each year, the awards are independently judged by an international panel of 30 judges who select the 500 project strong Longlist, 200 shortlisted projects, and their Category Winners and Highly Commended. Each category has one New Talent and one Professional Winner and Highly Commended.
Many projects are shared on our extensive socials from the Call for Entries stage onwards, putting a spotlight on the fantastic illustration work being created globally today. The selected projects are showcased online and promoted to the industry.