THE SOUTH AFRICAN ENTRY

You may enter the competition until August 31 2023.

The rules are plain and simple:

  • Never Published

    The illustrations should not have been published before.

    You may enter only if you have not published an entire picture book with a trade publisher before. You are, however, allowed to enter if you have published educational books or other forms and genres before (e.g. in a poetry anthology, adult fiction, book covers, et cetera).

  • The story

    It might be an existing one or it can be one of your own stories.

    First and foremost you’re an illustrator and not a storyteller. It’s great to have your own story but if you have not, use someone else’s story. You may also use a classic story. We just want to see if you have the talent to tell a story with your illustrations. In the upload stage you will add a PDF document that includes the text that goes with each illustration and a short synopsis of the complete story (no more than 250 words).

  • The illustrations

    Three illustrations, one story.

    You will tell one story, or part of a bigger story with three illustrations. Any technique or medium may be used. And always remember: You are creating a picture book for children. Be as creative as you can be, but never lose sight of the story and the audience.

  • Upload

    With the upload form below you enter the upload stage.

    You will add your three illustrations and a PDF document that includes the text that goes with each illustration and a short synopsis (no more than 250 words).

  • Wait

    Until somewhere in September.

    A professional jury will select the three best entries. Winners will be informed by email, but the results will also be announced on the Picture This! website and social media of Lemniscaat in August 2023.

Not from the Netherlands and Belgium, United Kingdom, South Africa or Germany, Austria and Switzerland?

Illustrators from countries other than these are allowed to enter by uploading their work to any of the organizing countries’ websites. To make communication between all jury members possible, your text must be in English.

What could be in it for you?

Winning Picture This! 2023 South Africa gives you the opportunity to get your work published by publishers worldwide. You could have a picture book on your name in a year or two.

The final selection will be published in an international catalogue and presented to several leading picture book publishing houses at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2024, giving the artists an excellent opportunity to find commissions.

The works of all winning artists will be part of the Picture This! exhibition in KUNZT.

Upload your work

Your entry has to meet the following conditions:

  1. The maximum size of the images is A3. Please mention the real size in the accompanying text.
  2. The resolution of the images has to be at least 150 dpi.
  3. The maximum size of the seperate files is 600 KB.
  4. Please name the files as follows: “firstname_lastname_1” “firstname_lastname_2” “firstname_lastname_3” “firstname_lastname_txt” Example: “John_Johnson_1.jpg”