Next ILLUST Award 2026
Next ILLUST Award 2026 is now open for entries!
Competition Details
Brief Overview
Next ILLUST Award 2026, recently announced for entries, invites artists of all ages worldwide to submit original traditional or digital illustrations on any theme, celebrating visual storytelling and character expression rooted in manga, anime and video game culture.
Competition Details
PIE International / S Editorial Department and COMICUP organise this international illustration competition.
There is no set theme; the jury includes Range Murata, Mai Yoneyama, sakusya2 and Zeen Chin alongside publishing and industry representatives.
Top entries will feature in S Vol. 97, scheduled for release in Japan on 17 March 2027.
Copyright remains with the artist.
Submission requirements
Submit up to two original illustrations, approximately A4 or F3, preferably at 300 dpi or higher; traditional and digital media are accepted.
Fan art, traced work, rights infringements and artwork containing AI-generated images or text are excluded.
International entrants outside Japan and China apply via PIE International’s Discord server, following the channels linked on the official page, with nickname, country, tools, artwork comment and optional social account.
Deadline: 30 November 2026, 23:59 JST.
Eligibility
Artists worldwide, regardless of age, nationality or professional status.
Benefits
Gold (1): JPY 100,000, Kamvas Pad 12, three-year CLIP STUDIO PAINT PRO subscription (two devices) and a PIE book.
Silver (2): JPY 50,000 each, Kamvas 13 (Gen 3), two-year PRO subscription (two devices) and a PIE book.
Bronze (4): Inspiroy Frego M, one-year PRO subscription (one device) and a PIE book. Judges’ Awards (9): a PIE book each.
Mainland China winners receive the local software equivalent; international recipients may incur customs charges.
Entry fees
No entry fee is specified in the published guidelines.
