Post Wave Prize for Illustration 2027 — £3,000, a Funded Trip to China and a Bologna Book Fair Stand for an Emerging Children's Book Illustrator, Free Entry
A prize for emerging children's book illustrators run by a publisher with offices in the UK, Germany and the USA, supported by an association in Anxi County, Fujian.
publicSeo.openCall.benefits
The winner receives £3,000 (about $4,000), the chance to have their illustrations considered for publication, a fully funded creative trip to the Anxi region of China, and their winning work displayed on the Post Wave Children's Books stand at the Bologna Children's Book Fair 2027. Highly commended entries get detailed feedback from the publisher.
publicSeo.openCall.eligibility
Emerging and aspiring illustrators aged 18 or over, based anywhere in the world, who are not yet commercially published or commissioned in children's books and do not accept a publishing contract for these illustrations during October 2026 to March 2027; self-published illustrators and those with an agent may enter. Any media, traditional or digital but not AI. One entry per candidate. The brief is 'A Bridge to Another World'; work must not be previously shortlisted or a winner in another illustration award.
Dates & details
- Deadline
- Submissions open 1 October 2026 at 09:30 BST and close at 17:30 GMT on 4 January 2027; digital submissions only
- Programme dates
- Competition period October 2026 to March 2027
- Costs to the artist
- Own costs of preparing and submitting the entry
- Language
- English