2026 ILLUSTRATION AWARDS
FINAL DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 17, 2026
EUR €2500,00/$2900* USD prize for the Best of the Best
EUR €500,00/$580 USD* prize for the remaining Gold Medals
(€5000,00 total prizes)
NEWS
24/04/2026 OUR 2025 YEARBOOK IS OUT! YOU CAN VIEW ALL THE AWARD-WINNING ILLUSTRATIONS. DOWNLOAD IT FROM OUR WEBSITE!
ABOUT
iJungle Illustration Awards 2026 is a competition to celebrate the world´s art of illustration. Located in Europe, it is opened to illustrators, agencies, representatives, students and teachers all over the world. iJungle 2024 has 6 categories: Book, Editorial, Comics, Commercial, New Talent (Student), Self-Promotion. A jury of some of the world´s best illustrators and art directors will select the winners. All winning entrants will be exhibit in the iJungle 2026 Illustrational Annual! iJungle 2022 Illustration Awards will also distribute the following awards:
- €2500,00 euros prize for the Best of the Best (about $2900 USD, subject to exchange rate variations);
- Up to 1 Gold medal for each category (€500 euros each, (about $580 USD, subject to exchange rate variations)) (6 gold medals);
- Up to 1 Silver medal for each category (6 gold medals);
- Up to 20 Merit Awards for each category (Up to 120 Merit Awards).
- All awarded illustrators will receive an AWARD CERTIFICATE.
- The Gold Medalists will have interviews dedicated to their work, with extensive social media promotion.
-The winners will be presented to art directors through the Annual ebook that we send art directors around the world!
- All winning entrants will be exhibit on our NEW online gallery, to be seen by an anyone interested in illustration !
FINAL DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 17, 2026
CATEGORIES
Book
Illustration works commissioned in the form of printed and digital picturebooks for children, youth and adults, book covers for text books, inside illustrations, interactive books, works of fiction and non-fiction, zines, artist books.
Editorial
Illustration works commissioned for printed and digital magazines, newspapers, fanzines, other publications. Includes illustrations for articles, news items, cartoons, political satire, reports and others.
Commercial
Illustration works commissioned in the form of printed or digital advertising, merchandising, posters, greetings cards, annual reports, packaging, brochures, leaflets, calendars, toys, vinyl toys, plush toys, CDs, DVDs, record sleeves, stamps, board games, animations or websites and others, which have been commercially commissioned.
New Talent (Student)
Open to all illustration students in all countries.
Self-Promotion
Unpublished work, gallery art, personal or experimental work, commissioned but not published work by professionals)
Comics
Illustration works commissioned in the form of printed or digital comics and graphic novels (Send up to 5 illustrations/pages).
AWARDS
A jury of some of the world´s best illustrators and art directors will select the winners.
All winning entrants will be exhibit in the iJungle Illustration Annual 2026! This ebook will be available FOR FREE online, reaching thousands of Art Directors, Illustrators, Representatives, Gallerists and Curators worldwide, giving the awarded members international recognition!
All winning entrants will be exhibit on our NEW online gallery, to be seen by an anyone interested in illustration !
The winners will be presented to art directors through the Annual ebook that we send to art directors around the world!
iJungle 2022 Illustration Awards will also distribute the following awards:
US $2500 money prize for the Best of the Best (about $2900 USD, subject to exchange rate variations)(chosen from one of the gold medalists) and correspondig Gold Medal
US $500 money prize the Gold Medals for each category (the remaining 5 gold medals)(about $580 USD, subject to exchange rate variations)
Up to 20 Merit Awards for each category (Up to 140 Merit Awards).
All awarded designers will receive an AWARD CERTIFICATE.
The Gold Medalists will have interviews dedicated to their work with extensive social media promotion.
ELIGIBILITY
iJungle Illustration Awards are opened to illustration works from any country in the world (*). Entries first created or published from 2023 through 2026 are eligible. There is a limit of 5 works that each illustrator can submit for all categories.
(*)Due to European sanctions, it is no longer possible for works by Russians residing in Russia to enter our competition, although we believe in promoting cultural exchange and understanding between nations.
FINAL DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 17, 2026
Entries can either be:
DUE TO FINANCIAL INSTABILITY OUR PAYMENTS ARE NOW IN EUROS.
Single Image Entry (€25 euros for one upload per entry, (about $29 USD, subject to exchange rate variations)) or
Multiple Image Entry (€48 euros, about (about $56 USD, subject to exchange rate variations) for up to five related uploads per entry)
New Talent/Student (€25 euros (about $29 USD, subject to exchange rate variations)and can send up to five uploads for entry)
Work must be entered into one of the 6 categories: Book, Editorial, Comics, Commercial, New Talent (Student), Self-Promotion.
ATTENTION: Artificial Intelligence (AI) images are not accepted in the competition.
Statement:
By entering the jungle Illustration Awards the participants recognize the elements they fill are true and they are the original authors of their works and holders of the copyright. The participants agree that the organizing committee has the right to refuse to receive works which may be considered offensive morally, political or religiously. Submission of entries acknowledges the right of the organizers to use them for the publication of the catalog/book of the event (including digital publication), for promotion of the event purposes (including posting in social media and adds) and for an eventual exhibition regarding the iJungle event. Any different use of the entries needs the participant's approval.
HOW TO ENTER
Participators should fill the Enter page,with all the informations required.
Before uploading, please prepare your submission by confirming the following:
1. Make sure you fill your email address. The committee will contact you by this email address.
2. Write in advance the title and description of your works in English, for the Jury to understand).
3. Send us your digital files saved as JPG or PNG, RGB (not CMYK), 1280 pixels on the longest side, less than 4MB.
The awarded entries will be asked later to send a new, higher resolution file, after the Jury decisions.
At the end of the Enter page, after uploading the works, participators will be asked to pay the entry fee:
Single Image Entry/Student - €25 euros (Students can send up to 5 images)
Multiple Image Entry (up to 5 images)- €48 euros
5. If you pay with paypal using a different name, please inform the contestant name in the paypal text box.
(these fees are needed to support the jury´s expenses, the publication of the digital book, web structure and more)
DEADLINE END: EST 12.00 PM / Western European Time 05.00 AM of the 18th october (UK) or until the ENTER button is active.
FAQ
How do I qualify for student entry?
Student is work made while doing any course, either an MA, Doctorat or other. So, if you already graduated but you work was done during an academic year, you can send it as student.
Why is this a paid competition?
Unfortunately we have many expenses with the jury, our annual book and site maintenance, wich adds to thousands of dollars. So, we really need to be paid for the competition. But we have one of the lowest fees in the market, starting at just $25(and students can send 5 images for this fee).
Do I have to pay any more fees if I am awarded?
No. The starting price is the competition's only expense. You don't have to pay more to be in the catalog or online gallery.
I tried to upload the images and they got distorted in the preview. Are they OK?
Yes, we receive the images OK. It is just the view when the images are uploaded.
When will the results be announced?
Up to 2 months after the final deadline.
Where will the results be announced?
We will publish the results in our website, Facebook and Instagram pages but we will email every participants when the results come out.
Will you confirm my entry and payment?
The online entry system will email the submitter an automatic email upon submitting an entry. Payment has to be confirmed in your Paypal or Credit card account page.
May I submit physical samples?
No. Entries are to be submitted online only.
Can I enter one project into multiple categories?
Yes, but you must enter a separate entry form for each entry.
I don’t know which category to put my piece in?
Select the category that best represents your entry. If the jury feels another category is more appropriate, we will switch the category on your behalf.
Can I submit images made in AI programs like Midjouney, DAll-E or Stable Diffusion?
No, Artificial Intelligence (AI) images are not accepted in the competition.
THE JURY 2026
DAWN XINTONG YANG (USA)
Dawn Xintong Yang is a New York City–based illustrator specializing in book covers, editorial illustration, and commercial projects. She has loved drawing since childhood and earned her MFA in Illustration from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Her work brings together intricate details, elegant linework, and visual metaphors. For Dawn, illustration is a way to tell stories, understand the people and world around her, and share something of herself in the process.
Her clients include The New York Times, The Washington Post, Penguin Random House, FairyLoot, Scholastic, GQ, and Adobe. She is a winner of the Folio Book Illustration Award and received a Gold Medal at the iJungle Illustration Awards. Her work has also been recognized by American Illustration, the World Illustration Awards, the Society of Illustrators, the 3x3 International Illustration Show, and the Japanese Illustration Awards.
DANIEL TORRENT (ESP)
Dani Torrent is an illustrator, writer and visual artist with over twenty years of experience. His work combines illustration, painting and storytelling to explore identity, memory and human relationships. He has received numerous international accolades, including the Golden Apple at the Bratislava Biennial of Illustration, the Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators in New York, and a World Illustration Award.
MARYAM MAHMOUDI MOGHADAM (IRN)
Maryam Mahmoudi Moghadam is an Iranian illustrator and writer, born in 1986 in Gorgan, northern Iran. Her artistic practice encompasses a range of traditional and digital techniques.
She began her professional career in illustration in 2013 and has since collaborated with publishers in Iran and internationally. Her illustrations have appeared in numerous published books, and her work has received recognition in prestigious international illustration competitions and exhibitions, like:
2026 — Winner, Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustration Award
2026 — Gold Medal and Best of the Best, iJungle Illustration Awards
2026 — Silver Medal, 3x3 International Illustration Show, No. 23
2026 — Selected Illustrator, Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition, Shanghai
2025 — Winner, Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustration Award
2025 — First Prize, XP-Pen Illustration Competition, Frankfurt
2025 — Finalist, iJungle Illustration Awards
2025 — Finalist, Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival Illustration Competition
2025 — Finalist, Golden Pinwheel Young Illustrators Competition, Shanghai
2025 — Finalist, Bologna Children’s Book Fair Illustration Award
2023 — Finalist, French Illustration Competition
2021 — 5th Place, 26th International Illustration Contest, Clip Studio Paint
2015 — Finalist, Sharjah International Illustration Exhibition, UAE
2013 — Winner, Iranian Biennial of Illustration
