Join the premier showcase for illustrators! The Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition features over 400 pieces of the most outstanding works created throughout each year. Open to artists worldwide, thousands of entries are considered by a jury of professionals, which include renowned illustrators, art directors and designers.
Accepted works are exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators in two separate shows. An Opening Award Galas for each part of the Annual Exhibition, medals and certificates are presented to the illustrators and art directors whose works are judged best in each category. And all accepted entries are lavishly reproduced in full color in the Illustrators Annual Book.
Illustrators 67 Chair: Lisk Feng
Deadline for Entries: Call for Entries will open September, 2024 and close on Wednesday, October 30th, 2024
For 66 years, the Annual has provided a platform to our global community to express, through illustration the events and movements of our times. The significance of the events of this year, documented through your visual narratives, will become an important archive. Generations of talented illustrators have captured history- in all its heartbreak, challenge, and triumph- with their pens and paper and screens.
By submitting work, you are supporting an endeavor much greater than the exhibit and book. Revenue generated from the competition enables us to continue to provide intensive educational, arts and social programming for underserved communities, student scholarships, events and exhibits, off-site community outreach programming and our comics festival, general operating costs, and the maintenance and conservation of our extensive Permanent Collection housed at the Museum of Illustration.
We thank you and appreciate your support in the Society of Illustrators!
How to Enter
Awards:
Gold and Silver Medals will be presented to the illustrators and art directors whose works are judged the best in each category.
Eligibility:
Any illustration created or initially published between October 1, 2023, and November 1, 2024, that has not been entered or accepted in the Annual previously, is eligible. International entries are welcome. Each submission will receive consideration by every member of the jury for its category.
Illustrations with A.I.-generated art are not eligible for this competition.
Specs for Upload:
- Vertical images should be 144 dpi, jpeg, and can be up to 1000 px on the longest side.
- Horizontal images should be 144 dpi, jpeg, and can be up to 1400 px on the longest side.
Categories:
All commissioned work, whether published (killed projects included) or not, should be entered in one of the four categories: Editorial, Book, Advertising, and Institutional. Both commissioned and self-generated projects are eligible to be entered into the Animation and Surface/ Product Design categories. Only self-generated projects should be entered in the Uncommissioned category.
Participants who wish to submit a series of images MUST enter their work in the appropriate category. A series is any multi-image project for which a sequence of images is necessary to fully convey an idea or story. Participants will be able to submit 3 to 10 images per series.
Participants who wish to submit a GIF or GIF series MUST enter their work in the specific category the work was completed for. GIF files follow the same specs as single image/ series entries, with the exception of the file being GIF and not JPEG. DO NOT submit GIFs into the Animation category, as they will not be considered here.
Animation
Illustrated animations created for short films, commercials, documentaries, websites, games, apps, book launches, music videos or any other outlets. No feature-length films. We ask that your entries be no longer than 10 minutes in length. Both uncommissioned and commissioned works are eligible for this category. A single animated image (such as a looping GIF) does no constitute a submission for this category; these should be submitted to the specific category they were completed for, following the same guidelines as single image and series illustrations. Any single animated image and/ or looping GIFs submitted into this category will not be considered.
This call is for animation told through illustrated storytelling, where the illustrator holds the authorship of the art of the piece. We understand that many animations are a team effort, but this is an illustration competition. The jury will focus on the narrative of the work, and how well the illustration works for the project/ product. While we encourage you to credit your team members, only the Illustrator/ Animator and Creative Director (or Art Director) will be credited in this specific competition.
Please also note that for animation submissions that competition website will ask for YouTube or Vimeo links only. Please be sure that these video links are available for public viewing, or if you wish to keep them private, you MUST provide the password to view the work through the link in the description for the submission portal. This information should be listed above any description you wish to provide, so it can be easily located.
Editorial
Work commissioned by newspapers or magazines, medical and scientific journals, or online magazines.
Book
All illustrations originally commissioned for use inside or on the covers of hardbound and paperback books, including fiction and nonfiction, children’s and young adult literature, and comic books. Self-published books should be entered in the Uncommissioned category.
Surface/ Product Design
Work appearing in three-dimension. Only series are accepted in this category (no single entries). Entrants must include a photo reference of the finished product, as well as detailed images of the design. Uncommissioned projects are eligible for this category. Examples include illustrations created for merchandise such as carpets, pillows, rugs, clothing, food and beverage labels, etc. as well as repeat patterns seen on wrapping paper, wallpaper, and other various textiles. Also includes stationery and self-initiated greeting cards licensed for use by corporations. Illustrations used as murals should be entered in this category.
Advertising
Work created to sell a product, usually commissioned by an ad agency. Examples include consumer ads in magazines, newspapers, special supplements, television and web, billboards, cd/album covers, point-of-purchase, theater/music/movie posters.
Institutional
Work commissioned by and for an institution such as government services, in-house, or a corporation. Examples include work appearing on announcements, annual reports, transportation, calendars, corporate projects, government service projects, greeting cards, newsletters, in-house publications, philatelic work and collectibles, stamps, work promoting a transportation authority or parks department, and work promoting a gallery.
Uncommissioned
This includes all self-generated work such as portfolio samples, sourcebook ads, and uncommissioned stock that are currently unpublished except as promotion for the artist or artist’s representative. Commissioned but un-published work appearing as self-promotion should be entered in the category for which the work was originally done. Art created for exhibits and gallery shows should be entered in this category unless the art was used to promote the gallery (then it should be entered in Institutional). There will be no art directors or clients credited for uncommissioned works.
Entry Fees:
Members: $20 per Single Image/ Animation, $50 per Series up to five images ($5 for each additional image)
Non-Members: $35 per Single Image/ Animation, $75 per Series up to five images ($5 for each additional image)
The Hanging/Publication fee of $90 non-members/ $80 members is required for reproduction in the book, whether or not the work was displayed in the exhibition, per accepted piece.
About the Book:
All accepted entries will be reproduced in full color in the Illustrators 65 Annual. Complete credit will accompany the image, including title, media, and artist’s and/or rep’s email addresses and website.
About the Exhibit and Galas:
The Society continues to follow the guidelines that have been issued for the health and safety of everyone. More information will be released closer to the reception dates.