2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the V&A Illustration Awards. Established in 1972, they have since become the UK’s most prestigious annual illustration competition. Free to enter, the Awards celebrate excellence in student illustration and three categories of contemporary practice: book cover design, book illustration and illustrated journalism.
Submissions to the V&A Illustration Awards 2022 have now closed.
Award winners and the student shortlist will feature in a display of digital prints in the V&A South Kensington galleries. Each category winner receives £3,000 and the student runner-up receives £2,000. The overall 2022 winner of the competition is awarded the Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year Prize, receives an additional £5,000 and their work enters the permanent collection of the V&A. They will join the V&A’s outstanding collections of illustration, including works by renowned artists such as Aubrey Beardsley, Sir John Tenniel, E.H. Shepard, Quentin Blake and Posy Simmonds.
“Winning the V&A made me feel like I could do anything.”
Yasmeen Ismail, Book Illustrator of the Year 2014
“I am so happy, it was such an honour to have been selected, especially as I love the V&A museum, it is a source of great inspiration for my work.”
Laura Winstone, Student Shortlist 2020
“Students of the UK submit your entries!”
Jessica Voorsanger, artist
Here is the necessary info you need to enter the Awards:
Is your work eligible?
- The published categories are open to illustrators resident in the UK, or that have published within the UK book and journalism market. Entries must be an original edition published in the years 2020 – 21.
- The student category is open to anyone aged 18 or over who has attended, or is attending, a course of study in the UK during 2020/21. Any students can enter the competition, you do not need to be studying Illustration specifically.
Read the full Terms & Conditions
When will you hear if you have been successful?
Judging begins soon after the deadline. If you have signed-up to receive emails about the competition, you can expect to hear from us when the shortlist is announced in summer 2022.
Remember, the Awards will close to entries at 17.00 (BST) on Monday 16 May 2022. Good luck!
If you have a question that we’ve not thought of, contact villa@vam.ac.uk
