Global Illustration Award 2016
Call for Entry
The Global Illustration Award (GIA) is an annual international illustration competition co-founded by the International Information Content Industry Association (ICIA) and the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) to provide illustrators worldwide with a platform for displaying creativity and to usher in a new era of global illustration.
Illustrations are a means of spreading culture. In an age of reading with pictures, the flourishing of illustration art epitomizes the progress of human civilization and cultural development. GIA is intended to encourage the creation of excellent illustrations, build a bridge of collaboration for the content industry, and set new trends for the industry.
So pick up your pens, illustrators, the chance for displaying your talent is here!
I. Schedule
Call for entry: June 13 - August 14, 2016-
Entries reviewed: Mid-August - Early September 2016
Longlist announced: Mid-September 2016 (specific date to be determined and announced on the competition website)
Category winners announced & Award Ceremony: October 20, 2016, Frankfurt, Germany.
II. Categories
1.Cover Illustration
Illustration commissioned and published for book cover (either physical or digital book); includes but is not limited to literature, social sciences, children’s books, artists’ books, textbooks and reference books.
2. Children’s Book Illustration
Illustration commissioned and published for Children’s Book (readership of 16 years or under); includes but is not limited to interactive books, picture books, chapter books, works of fiction and non-fiction, reference books, artists’ books and pop-up books.
3. Editorial Illustration
Illustration used to support an editorial article in magazines, newspapers, social commentaries, reporting, and current affairs in any media and for any platform.
4. Scientific Illustration
Illustration commissioned to reflect, explain and represent the findings of science, technology, information and research; includes but is not limited to natural history, wildlife, architectural imagery, academic research.
5. Theme Illustration
The GIA Theme for 2016 is “Learning to live together”. Illustrations can be created freely based on the theme, to promote such ideas as peaceful coexistence, sharing and working together to build a fairer and more inclusive society. The work can include but is not limited to ideas concerning harmony between man and nature, cross-regional and cross-cultural exchanges to help promote understanding of diverse cultures and values, joint efforts to address increasing global challenges such as inequality, violence and terrorism.
III. About the Award
The shortlist will comprise 15 outstanding winners selected from each GIA award category, one of whom will be the Gold Award winner and the two runner-ups, Excellent Award winners; one Grand Award winner will be selected from among the Gold Award winners from the five award categories. On the whole, there will be one Grand Award winner (selected from Gold Award winners), five Gold Award winners, 10 Excellent Award winners and 110 Honorable Mention winners.
Prizes for award winners:
Grand Award winner:€10,000, a trophy and an award certificate
Gold Award winners: €2,000, a trophy and an award certificate
Excellent Award winners:€1,000, a trophy and an award certificate
Honorary Mentioned winners: a trophy and an award certificate
IV. Competition Rules
1. Registration and Submission
I.Go to the official website of the competition and follow the instructions (please view Submission Guidelines for details) to create a participant’s account. To take part in the competition, all participants must register and submit work online. For hand-drawn work, please convert to an electronic file for submission.
II.Log in to the participant account, key in the information as required, and submit your work. (Please submit your work according to the steps described in the Submission Guidelines.)
III.Entries can either be Single Entry (one image per entry) or Multiple Entry (up to 5 images per entry). Multiple Entries should be used to showcase different elements of the same project. For multiple entries, please name your images according to the following format (this is very important because it will ensure that the multiple works are automatically bound together to show to the judges): title of your work_1, title of your work_2, title of your work_3, title of your work_4, title of your work_5 ( also described in Submission Guidelines 6.3.1)
IV. A participant may submit work in one or more categories. .You may submit as many works as you deem appropriate.
V. Entries should be works published either physically or digitally.
VI. Entries must have been published or created no earlier than January 1, 2013 (calendar year).
VII. The competition is international and open to professional illustrators in any country or region.
VIII. Entries may be submitted by a third party such as a publisher or an agency. Third parties entering work by an illustrator must obtain the consent of the illustrator to enter his or her work in the competition.
IX. No member of the GIA Committee and the Panel of Judges is allowed to participate in the competition.
X. Work must be original with certain artistic value, and participants shall bear full responsibility for any copyright dispute.
XI. Works should have a maximum dimension of 1600-4000 pixels with 150 dpi in jpg format. (See details also at Submission Guidelines 5.3)
XII. Please ensure you adhere to the Submission Guidelines (click here to download the Submission Guidelines or view it online) to avoid problems with your entries.
XIII. If you are unable to submit your work(s) online, please refer to the “back-up plan” in Submission Guideline - Troubleshooting.
XIV. The competition organizer has the right to reject entries which do not conform to requirements and which are culturally, ethnically, or religiously sensitive.
2. Selection
The Panel of Judges consists of six judges, including world famous illustrators, artists and industry experts.
The Panel has the power to decide on the winners.
Process of selection: First Round Selection —— Second Round Selection (Longlist/Shortlist) —— Final Selection (Award winners)
I. First Round Selection
a. First Round selection is completed online, with all entries viewed anonymously.
b. Each entry (Single or Multiple) is evaluated by all the judges, who, after having viewed the work and related information, and mark the work “yes” or “no”. Each entry must have at least three “yes” votes to qualify for Second Round Selection.
II. Second Round Selection
a.The judges rate each entry on a point scale. The average of points given by the judges is the score for the entry, and 25 entries with the highest scores for each category will form the longlist of Honorable Mention Award winners. Points will be given according to the following six criteria:
1) Effectiveness in expression of information, ideas and concepts
2) Creativity
3) Execution of technical skill
4) Innovation and originality with regard to concept, theme, expression and style of the work
5)Conveyance of emotion and inner spirit in the work
6)Contribution to international cooperation in the field of publishing and illustration, or achievement of something exceptional.
a. One entry will be selected from each award category as the Gold Award winner for that category.
b. Two runners-up will be selected from each award category as the Excellent Award winners for that category.
c. One Grand Award winner will be selected from among the five Gold Award winners.
d. The criterion for the Grand Award winner is that it must be the work that most impresses and interests the judges and that they consider to have made the most significant contribution to illustration for the year.
3. Publication
a. Category winning works and other selected works will be included in the Award publication. The GIA committee will get in touch with details after a selection has been made.
b. All works for inclusion in the Award publication and exhibition are at the discretion of the GIA committee.
c. It is a condition of entering the competition that the GIA committee is granted a license to reproduce selected works in the Award publication and any other print or digital material for the purposes of promoting the Global Illustration Award.
V. Supporting Information
1. Participating in the Global Illustration Award 2016 is free.
2. The names and contact information of the creators of entries on the long-list may appear on the website of the competition and in related publications and promotional materials.
3. Participants agree that the GIA committee may use their entries and related information, and grant the GIA committee the right to use and reproduce entries on a non-exclusive basis for free for the promotion of the competition, publication, exhibition, award ceremony and exhibition tour - such as GIA-related documents, invitation cards, press coverage, information leaflets, posters, postcards etc.
4. The participant confirms and agrees that any selected entry shall be available for re-use on the cover of the Award Catalogue without any restriction or request for financial contribution. Any third party submitting an entry (such as agencies or publishers) shall be responsible for contacting the copyright holder to ensure his/her consent to these terms.
5. Participants shall accept all competition rules announced in order to enter the competition.
6. The GIA committee reserves the right to cancel/change the competition or any part thereof should insufficient entries be received or any other circumstances arise that make it necessary for the GIA committee to cancel/change the competition or any part of the competition.
7. The GIA committee has final authority in all matters related to the interpretation of the competition.
