What is the Association of Illustrators World Illustration Awards all about?

Every year, the Association of Illustrators (AOI) host the World Illustration Awards (WIA) which celebrates students, recent graduates and working professionals from the industry. The awards have been running for 45 years and have been a great platform for illustrators to launch their career as well as boost their profile.

With WIA2020 open for entries, thousands of illustrators are sending work to the judging panel in hopes to be winners, or at least, shortlisted. The categories hopefuls are submitting work to include:

• Advertising
• Book Covers
• Commercial Publishing (sponsored by Nobrow)
• Alternative Publishing
• Children’s Publishing (sponsored by Walker Books)
• Design, Product & Packaging
• Editorial
• Exploration
• Science & Technology
• Site Specific

A panel of professionals judges every entrant, from each category, 20 will be shortlisted, allowing 200 entrants the chance to win one of the coveted awards. All 200 shortlisted applicants will feature in the dedicated showcase both on the website and catalogue which is distributed to commissioners worldwide, meaning that winning isn’t the only way to get great coverage.

Those who win their category are put into the pot for the Overall Winner title. This award breaks down into two categories, the Overall Professional Winner and Overall New Talent Winner; both are sponsored by Winsor & Newton and contain a cash prize.

Other awards include the AOI Member Award, the Society of Artists Agents Award for New Talent, Directory of Illustration Award and Innovation Award, all of which are selected from the 200 shortlisted entrants. The Innovation Award supported by It’s Nice That is new for the 2020 edition and will be awarded to a project which displays considerable innovation and experimentation within the artform.

The showcase, awards evening, and events programme will be on display at Elephant West in London from 21 October through to 1 November 2020 so that you can gain inspiration from some of the best in the business, and in Universities.