Lunchtime Lectures: V&A Illustration Awards

Join Curator Annemarie Bilclough for an introduction to the 2026 V&A Illustration Awards, the museum's prestigious biennial competition celebrating excellence in contemporary illustration. First established in 1972, the awards recognise outstanding work created for the UK market and showcase the breadth of contemporary illustration practice. 

Last year, over 1600 entries were submitted. Our 2026 winners drew on a wide range of inspirations, working across a wide variety of media. This talk will explore the winners and runners-up for the five categories: Adult Fiction, Adult Factual, Advertising and Commercial, Illustration for Children, and Emerging Illustrator. 

Annemarie Bilclough is currently the Frederick Warne Curator of Illustration at the V&A. She has more than 25 years' curatorial experience working with prints, illustration and book arts. Recent projects included the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature and Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser exhibitions.

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