BIBF International Illustration Awards 2026: Professional and Youth Entries Close March 2027
The Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) is accepting entries for its 2026 International Illustration Awards from 20 October 2026 until 10 March 2027. The awards retain the official 2026 competition title even though the submission and review periods continue into the following year.
Professional illustrators can enter six disciplines: Children's Publishing, Advertising, Covers, Science & Technology, Editorial Illustration, and Product & Packaging. Each discipline has published and unpublished divisions, so entrants should accurately state whether a work has already appeared commercially or publicly.
The Professional competition includes Gold Awards and Expert Recommended Awards in the different divisions and a highest BOB (Best of Best) Global Award. The organizer's award schedule associates this top distinction with CNY 10,000, while some other cash distinctions apply only to the unpublished subcategories. The award amounts shown are before tax; a trophy or certificate is not automatically equivalent to a cash payment.
A separate Teenager competition covers picture books and theme-based illustration for ages 4–8, 9–12, and 13–18. Entrants should use the corresponding individual registration rather than a professional institutional registration if they belong in a youth group.
Applicants register through the official BIBF illustration platform and submit an artwork description of no more than 150 words in both Chinese and English. The awards website lists a preliminary review period on 20–25 March 2027 and final review during 17–21 June 2027. For fees, image format and publishing rights, rely on the terms shown in the applicant portal.
About the organizer: the Beijing International Book Fair has established international publishing and illustration exhibition activities, and the competition website provides previous winning work and jury information. Awards can lead to exhibition and overseas publishing introductions, but not a guaranteed publishing contract.
Official competition and application pages: https://www.bibf-illustration.com/en