The Macmillan Prize 2017

The Macmillan Prize 2017 now is over!

The Macmillan Prize For Illustration, an illustration competition organised and established by Macmillan Children’s Books has recently opened the call for entries for 2017 with aim to stimulate new work from young illustrators in art schools, and to help them take the first steps in their professional lives.

About Competition

Illustration competition titled Macmillan Prize For Illustration was established by Macmillan Children’s Books to stimulate new work from young illustrators in art schools, and to help them take the first steps in their professional lives.

This coveted award, which is currently in its 32nd year, has discovered such talent as Emily Gravett, Chloe Inkpen and Gemma Merino, amongst many others.

This competition is for a series of outstanding illustrations that show that the artist understands how to match pictures to text. The pictures should also demonstrate the entrant’s grasp of narrative, pacing and characterisation.

The judges will focus on the quality of the illustrations rather than the standard of the writing. Good stories are welcome, but the text will not be the main criterion for judging. The judges are ultimately looking for high-quality illustrations, suitable for children’s books, which are considered to be an original contribution to the field.

All entrants must submit:

• Pencil roughs or sketches for a children’s picture book – cover to cover – including text or a clear indication of the story line.

• Finished artwork for at least four double-page spreads, or at least three spreads and a front cover.

Picture books should be 32 pages long, including the front and back endpapers, a title page and a copyright page. Books with novelty elements (e.g. flaps, fold-out pages) should not exceed 24 pages. Pop-up books should not exceed six double-page spreads. The page size of the finished book should not exceed 300mm in width or height.

If shortlisted, the entrant will need to supply the original artwork or high-quality print-outs suitable for exhibition.

There is no entry fees for this competition.

Eligibility

This competition open to all students in higher education establishments in the United Kingdom during the academic year 2016/2017.