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Plymouth Illustration Awards open for entries, launching new national platform for illustrators
Thursday, 22 January, 2026 — Entries are open for the free-to-enter Plymouth Illustration Awards, celebrating emerging, student and graduate illustrators across the UK.
Arts University Plymouth has opened entries for the inaugural Plymouth Illustration Awards, a new national competition celebrating outstanding illustration from across the UK, with £200 first prizes available across three award categories.
<p>Led by our <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-illustration"><strong>BA (Hons) Illustration</strong></a> team, the awards have been established to recognise excellence in contemporary illustration practice and to provide a visible, accessible platform for emerging talent, current students and recent graduates to showcase their work. The Plymouth Illustration Awards are open to UK residents and free to enter.</p>
<p dir="ltr">The Plymouth Illustration Awards are structured around three eligibility routes, reflecting different entry points into illustration today:</p><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Emerging Talent Award</strong> – for anyone aged <strong>16 and over</strong> who is not yet studying at degree level</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Student Illustration Award</strong> – for anyone aged <strong>18 and over</strong> currently studying an undergraduate degree</p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr"><strong>Graduate Illustration Award</strong> – for anyone who completed an undergraduate degree within the <strong>last three years</strong> and is not currently in higher education</p></li></ul>
<p>Each award offers a <strong>£200 first prize</strong>, with shortlisted work from all categories exhibited online. Further prizes, sponsors and guest judges will be announced ahead of the deadline.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Entries are now open and close at <strong>midnight on Sunday 1 March 2026 (UK time)</strong>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Illustrators may submit <strong>up to three works per person</strong>, either as image files or a multi-page PDF, with an optional short written statement. There is <strong>no entry fee</strong>.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Full details, eligibility criteria and the online entry form are available on the <a href="https://plymouthillustrationawards.com/">Plymouth Illustration Awards website</a>.</p>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>Sam Rowe, Co-Course Leader for BA (Hons) Illustration at Arts University Plymouth, said:</strong> “We created the Plymouth Illustration Awards to celebrate excellent illustration across the UK. More than ever we believe this is a time to platform human creativity and curiosity, so these awards are open and accessible to illustrators at all levels, including those who are still making their minds up about <em>if </em>they’re illustrators. Supporting new talent and creating meaningful routes into professional practice is a core commitment for us, and these awards are an exciting new extension of that.”<br /></p>
Plymouth Illustration Awards promo image featuring work by Ariel Buhlman, Arthur Kellior, Caitlin Angel, Charlotte Leadley, Don Borione, Jamie Shannon, Kate Channing, Kezia Lovell ,Lucy Walton and Shri Gunasekara.
<p dir="ltr">The Plymouth Illustration Awards are run by the team behind <strong>BA (Hons) Illustration at Arts University Plymouth</strong>, an industry-informed degree exploring contemporary image-making across editorial, publishing, branding and narrative contexts.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Students work within a dedicated, naturally lit studio environment, developing analogue and digital practices while responding to live briefs with publishers, agencies and cultural partners. Graduates leave with a diverse professional portfolio and a strong understanding of how illustration operates within real-world creative industries.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Arts University Plymouth is currently the <strong>top-scoring specialist arts university in the UK for student satisfaction</strong>, according to the <strong>National Student Survey 2025</strong>, marking the <strong>fourth consecutive year</strong> the University has achieved this position.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Illustrators can find full submission guidance, timelines and terms at: <a href="https://plymouthillustrationawards.com/"><strong>https://plymouthillustrationawards.com/</strong></a></p>
<p>For enquiries, contact <strong>illustration@aup.ac.uk</strong> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/aup_illustration">follow the BA (Hons) Illustration team on <strong>Instagram</strong></a> for updates.</p>
<p>The Plymouth Illustration Awards are a new, free-to-enter national competition led by BA (Hons) Illustration at Arts University Plymouth. They celebrate outstanding contemporary illustration from across the UK, with £200 first prizes available across three award categories and shortlisted work exhibited online.</p>
<p>The awards are open to <strong>UK residents</strong> and have three eligibility routes:</p><ul><li><p><strong>Emerging Talent Award</strong>: aged 16+ and not yet studying at degree level</p></li><li><p><strong>Student Illustration Award</strong>: aged 18+ and currently studying an undergraduate degree</p></li><li><p><strong>Graduate Illustration Award</strong>: completed an undergraduate degree within the last three years and not currently in higher education</p></li></ul>
<p>Yes, there is <strong>no entry fee</strong>. You can submit <strong>up to three works</strong> per person, either as image files or a multi-page PDF, with an optional short written statement.</p>
<p>Each category offers a <strong>£200 first prize</strong>. Shortlisted work from all categories will be <strong>exhibited online</strong>, with additional prizes, sponsors and guest judges to be announced ahead of the deadline.</p>
<p>Entries close at <strong>midnight on Sunday 1 March 2026 (UK time)</strong>.</p>
<p>Full details, eligibility criteria and the online entry form are available on the Plymouth Illustration Awards website, alongside timelines and terms.</p>
<p>BA (Hons) Illustration is an <strong>industry-informed degree</strong> exploring what it means to be an illustrator today. You’ll combine <strong>authentic image-making</strong> with <strong>real-world commercial practice</strong>, developing a robust portfolio and professional understanding of illustration across contexts such as <strong>editorial, advertising, publishing, branding and narrative</strong>.</p>
<p>You’ll build conceptual and image-making methods by exploring the core ‘ingredients’ of illustration and applying them to your own practice. The course supports you to develop culturally curious work while being mindful of the ethical responsibilities of illustration, and to grow as an autonomous image-maker with your own authentic ways of working.</p>
<p>You’ll be based in a <strong>spacious, naturally lit studio</strong> in the heart of Plymouth, working in a supportive studio culture. You’ll develop work individually and collaboratively, including interdisciplinary projects, with opportunities to showcase outputs through student-led communities, collectives, pop-up shops and curated exhibitions.</p>
<p>Yes. Students engage with <strong>live briefs</strong> and input from industry partners and visiting practitioners, building a strong understanding of how illustration operates in real-world creative industries and developing a portfolio aligned to professional practice.</p>
<p>Career routes include <strong>freelance commercial illustration</strong> (editorial, picture books, branding, technology, advertising), <strong>in-house illustration</strong> (packaging, technology, retail), and related roles such as <strong>graphic design, studio management and art direction</strong>, as well as progression into further study or creative education.</p>
