CLIP STUDIO PAINT 49th International Illustration Contest: Spooky Creatures, US$2,000 First Prize
How to enter: Whenever a contest hashtag name is written below without punctuation, prefix it with the hash sign when making your actual public social-media post. The exact standard contest hashtag appears in the Topics line at the end of this article.
CELSYS, the Japanese maker of CLIP STUDIO PAINT, has opened its 49th International Illustration Contest with the theme 'Spooky Creatures'. Illustrators from around the world can share original drawings of ghosts, cryptids, mischievous spirits and imaginary monsters through the specified social platforms. The entry window is 15 October to 4 November 2026 at 23:59 UTC, and the grand prize is US$2,000 plus a three-year Clip Studio Paint EX dual-device activation code or 10,000 GOLD. There is no submission fee in the organiser's social-media submission process. An especially important rule: generative AI is prohibited, even when it contributes to only part of the final artwork.
What the judges are seeking
The theme covers spooky, strange, cute, humorous, shy or legendary creatures; entrants are free to invent characters rather than draw existing franchise monsters. The judging criteria emphasise visual quality, originality and relevance to the theme. CELSYS says the number of social reactions may be considered as a reference but will not determine the result. You can work in any painting application, with traditional pens and paints, or on a smartphone. Traditional-media drawings should be photographed before posting.
Deadline and three official ways to enter
X: post the original illustration publicly using the exact hashtag cspcontest49 from your own account. Follow the official @clipstudiopaint account and keep direct messages available for winner contact.
Instagram: post the work publicly with cspcontest49 AND mention @clipstudioofficial. The organiser advises limiting the post to five hashtags total, including the contest tag.
Facebook: join the contest's dedicated Facebook group, publish the work there with cspcontest49, then share that group post to your own timeline. Posting only on a personal timeline does not qualify.
Entries sent only by private or direct message on X, Instagram or Facebook will NOT be accepted.
The deadline is Wednesday 4 November 2026, 23:59 UTC; check your local timezone rather than assuming your midnight.
Cash prize breakdown
Grand Prize: US$2,000 cash, plus Clip Studio Paint EX dual-device three-year licence or 10,000 GOLD.
Second Place: US$500 with the EX licence or GOLD option.
Third to Fifth Places: US$200 each, plus a one-year EX licence or GOLD.
Sixth to Tenth Places: US$100 each, plus a one-year PRO licence or GOLD.
Honourable mentions and selected random entry prizes provide software licences or GOLD, rather than extra guaranteed cash for all entrants.
Two extra lottery categories
Smartphone artists can also enter a special prize draw if at least half their work was created with a smartphone drawing app. Include BOTH cspcontest49_smartphone and cspcontest49. Artists who document their process in an approximately one-minute MP4 or MOV timelapse can enter the Timelapse Prize drawing by posting it with BOTH cspcontest49_timelapse and cspcontest49. Each drawing has five randomly selected winners. On Instagram, keep the organiser's @clipstudioofficial mention and avoid exceeding five hashtags. These software prizes are not the same as the competition's US$2,000 top award.
Strict originality and AI restrictions
CELSYS excludes fan art, existing copyrighted fictional characters, commercial brands, images depicting real people, tracings of other people's pictures, and art made with generative AI even partially. The restriction applies regardless of whether the AI-produced element seems minor. Works created in any software or by hand are otherwise permitted. Already publicly posted works may be entered, but work cannot be entered in another contest at the same time. Participants retain copyright, while permitting the organiser to feature entries in its services and promotional materials. CELSYS may request source project files or a timelapse from shortlisted artists to verify originality; failure to supply the evidence can result in disqualification.
Recommended formats and safety
Accepted illustration formats are PNG and JPEG. The organiser recommends A4 at 300dpi (about 2480 × 3508 pixels), but smaller smartphone work is also permitted; the recommendation is not an absolute minimum. A watermark or signature is allowed if it does not prevent evaluation. Winners are contacted through the entered social account, with the organiser generally using PayPal transfers for cash awards other than the grand-prize exception. Do not provide sensitive financial details to impersonator accounts; verify every contact with the official site before responding.
Established organiser and first-party rules
CELSYS develops CLIP STUDIO PAINT and maintains an archive of 48 previous international illustration contests, published winning entries and judging information. The official contest page gives current work galleries, platform-specific submission steps, prize amounts and personal-data policies. The company’s October 15, 2026 announcement verifies this is the 49th edition and identifies the current theme. This documented track record makes it easier to distinguish a real illustration competition from third-party copycat pages.
Official submission pages
CELSYS official 49th International Illustration Contest and full rules: https://www.clipstudio.net/en/cspcontest49/
Traditional Chinese official 49th contest details: https://www.clipstudio.net/tc/cspcontest49/
Checked on 24 October 2026. Deadline 4 November 2026, 23:59 UTC. Entries must be original illustrations; generative AI is not permitted even in part. Use only the publicly posted social-media submission methods above.