To All Awards

2026 Illustration Awards

Call for Entry: November 24, 2025
Deadline: January 30, 2026
Eligibility Period: January 2025 – January 2026
Results Notification: early March 2026

YOUR VISION, ILLUSTRATED.

YOUR WORK, PUBLISHED.

YOUR TALENT, RESPECTED.

Illustrators or animators—of all levels, professional or enthusiasts, Canadian, US or International—are invited to enter. Submit stills or animations for film, TV or online—winners will be published in print (Photography, Illustration & Design Awards Annual), showcased in the, online Winners Gallery and the Awards Archive.

Eligible published, unpublished, or personal work created between January 2025 and January 2026 can be entered into nearly 50 categories, including advertising, conceptual, corporate, environmental & spaces, editorial, portrait, posters, promotional, and more.

Winning an Applied Arts Illustration Award puts your work in front of top advertising and design professionals — a powerful way to showcase your talent to industry leaders.

Who Can Enter

Current students, you are ONLY ELIGIBLE to enter the Student Awards Competition, where work is judged alongside your peers at a similar level of experience.

Applied Arts is committed to showcasing exceptional craft and will not accept generative AI submissions.

2026 Call for Entry Kit 2026 Photography & Illustration Awards Categories Kit Awards Entries

Jury & Judging Process
Categories & Entry Fees
Entry Material Guidelines
How to Enter
Payment & Refunds
Winner Recognition
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact
Disclaimer

Enter Now

Jury & Judging Process

Our jury panel is comprised of Canadian and international art directors, creative directors and designers who are actively creating award-winning work today. Who better to evaluate your entries? After all, their own work depends on the imagery they select and produce for successful campaigns.

Leo Barbosa
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MCCANN
New York, NY

Jasmin Brochu
ART DIRECTOR
COSSETTE
Quebec, QC

Luke Callahan
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
C&B ADVERTISING
Calgary, AB

Jason Lee
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
TBWA\MEDIA ARTS LAB
Toronto, ON

Sammy Lo
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
COURAGE
Toronto, ON

Duncan Major
ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER
PERFECT DAY
St. John's, NL

Tekle Mamaladze
ART DIRECTOR & WRITER
Georgia, Tbilisi

Lori Morgan
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR, RANGE BRAND
ENSEMBLE
Toronto, ON

Julie Nikolic
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR
MEKANISM
Toronto, ON

Hankyul Oh
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
WE THE COLLECTIVE
Toronto, ON

Shingo Shimizu
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER, ILLUSTRATOR
Vancouver, BC

Catherine Wong
CREATIVE DIRECTOR/ART DIRECTOR
Toronto, ON

Entries are judged digitally by award-winning creatives working in Canada and beyond.

Categories & Entry Fees

Entry fees vary per sub-grouping and category. Download the 2026 Photography & Illustration Awards Categories Kit for detailed pricing.

ILLUSTRATION SINGLE: $40 / SERIES: $65
Advertising Illustration
Cause-Related Illustration
Conceptual Illustration
Corporate Illustration
Digital Album Covers or Series
Editorial Illustration
Environmental/Spaces
Fashion & Beauty
Gallery Illustration
Packaging Illustration or Series
Photo-Illustration - Enter via the Photography Awards competition
Portrait Illustration
Portrait Illustration
Poster Illustration
Promotional for Social Media
Promotional Illustration for Retail Applications
Pro Bono/PSA/Charity
Self-Promotion Illustration
Unpublished/Personal Illustration

MOTION – SHORT: $100 / LONG: $115
Animated Character
Animation
Explainer videos
Promotional Social Media

YOUNG BLOOD - SINGLE: $30 / SERIES: $55
Entries can be from any application from the sub-groupings above.

Entry Material Guidelines

Main Entry Files

REQUIRED
Main Entry File(s) must clearly show the images, ideally without additional graphics to be judged in hi-res format.

PERMITTED

SINGLE | 1 file

A single piece, such as a single image/illustration, video exhibit, storefront, or multipage unit (e.g. book/publication/brochure).

SERIES | 5 files maximum

2-5 Images/illustrations that relate to one another by topic or product.

*Exceptions are noted in specific categories.

NOTE ON MULTIPAGE PDFS: Recommended when incorporating any additional images into the maximum number of files allowed (e.g. the image in context, inside pages from a book, or multiple views of 3-dimensional entries such as packaging). It only counts as 1 file.

Support Files

Support Files help clarify your entry for judges. They are not for publication (unless noted) and do not count towards your main file limits. Only one (1) file or URL may be uploaded.

REQUIRED
~ English translations for non-English entries; must be included either as a Support File or within a multipage PDF as your Main Entry File.

PERMITTED
~ Brief descriptions: Optional, recommended if the use or intention is not obvious. Limit to 50 words in English (10-second intro for motion).
~ Case studies: Optional, ONLY as a support file. Limit 50 words in English or 45s for videos. Note: judges score the creative, not the outcomes.

NOT PERMITTED
~ Uploading the same creative: Do not submit the same creative either as a file or URL if it's been added as the Main Entry File.
~ Entrant information: Do not add entrant-identifying on support files or URLs.

RECOMMENDED BEST PRACTICES

Judging is fully online. Here's how to make your entry clear and impactful:

How To Enter

The Entry Form consists of five (5) steps. You can save your progress at any point.

Log in or sign up for an account

View a sample entry

Step 1: entry information

Choose the Awards competition, sub-group, category, and add your entry title.

Step 2: Entry Materials

Upload all required digital files. Follow the Entry Material Guidelines for specs and tips.

Step 3: Winners' Information

For publication only, not for judging.

Step 4: Creative Credits

List the creatives who worked on the project and specify their roles.

Step 5: Certificate information

Provide the winning company/individual and/or client name to appear on the certificate.

One certificate will be given for each winning entry. Additional certificates can be ordered later.

FINALIZE & PAY

Click Save to return to your dashboard to add or copy entries.

Payment completes the submission—entries are not officially submitted until payment is processed.

You may edit entries up until payment. After payment, only limited edits (e.g., Winners' Information) are allowed. Once results are released, there will be a 48-hour window to update Winners' Information and creative credit role.

Enter Now

Payment & Refunds

Entries are non-refundable. If an entry is submitted to the same category, entrants will have the option to move the entry to another category or enter new work in its place.

Keep a record of your submissions.

Winner Recognition

Award recipients receive:

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS*

  • Extra certificates for your team or client (with optional plaque mounting).
  • Additional copies of the Awards Annual at a discounted rate.
  • A personalized, engraved Lucite AACE trophy (3.5 × 3.5 × 3.5 in.).

*Additional fees apply

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility FAQ

Can students enter? No. Students may only enter the Student Competition. Go here for categories, eligibility and deadlines for the Student Awards competition.

Can I enter something I entered last year? Not in the same competition, but if it meets the eligibility period for a different competition, then yes.

Can I enter something in multiple Awards competitions? Yes. Each competition has different eligibility periods; please check each competition for eligibility requirements.

Judging FAQ

Will the judges see my descriptions during the judging? Judges do not see the creative descriptions you have entered. These are only for publishing beside your entry if chosen as a winner. If you feel judges need an explanatory note, you may include a brief description as a Support File (no more than 50 words or 10 seconds for broadcast/video).

Categories FAQ

Can I enter a piece in multiple categories? Yes. In your account on the Awards Entries home page, click "Copy" on any entry you've created. Be sure to change the discipline and/or entry category to the new one you want to submit to.

Which category does my entry belong in? Often the best way to understand a category is to see previous work that won in that category. Check our online winners Gallery for examples. If you still have questions regarding our categories or require assistance in selecting the appropriate category, contact awards@appliedartsmag.com.

NOTE: Applied Arts reserves the right to move an entry to another category if we feel it unsuitable or incorrectly categorized.

What is a single, series, and campaign? A single means one piece. Series means you are submitting more than one piece of the same project to a maximum of three (five pieces for the Photography & Illustration competitions). A campaign is up to nine pieces. If an entry contains more than the specified images, we will either contact you to split the submission into multiple entries, or choose which ones will be judged, so it's best to stick to the indicated number of pieces specified.

What is the Young Blood category? Young Blood is a series of categories open only to entrants who have been out of school for up to a certain number of years (three for the Photography and Illustration competitions and five for the Design and Advertising competitions). As with all categories, they are judged on creative excellence, technical merit and suitability for end use, but the jury also takes into account the level of professional experience. You will be required to specify the name of the Young Blood entrant to qualify.

Entry Material FAQ

At what specs do I need to submit my entry? Refer to ENTRY MATERIAL GUIDELINES section for specifications.

Can I submit a hard copy or disk? No. Only digital uploads are accepted.

The program crashed. Did I lose everything? No. You are saving your work as you go through each section of the entry form. If the program crashes as you are completing a certain section, it may not have been saved in that section.

The file I uploaded won't show me a preview. Why? You may not see the image preview if you haven't followed the specs outlined in ENTRY MATERIAL GUIDELINES. Check your file and re-upload. If you continue to experience difficulties, try clearing your browser history or contact awards@appliedartsmag.com.

I uploaded the wrong file. Can I change it? Yes. You can resubmit images at any time until payment is made. Click the "X" beside the appropriate file and re-upload your image.

NOTE: The thumbnail image may not correctly display your new image. If this happens close your browser and log back into "Awards Entries" for the changes to show. If you continue to experience difficulties, try clearing your browser history or contact awards@appliedartsmag.com.

Rights FAQ

Do I need to get the rights of the subjects or material used from external sources in my entry? It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure copyright is not infringed. Upon entry you must grant us the rights to reproduce the image or images for both our online and print publications, so you would most likely need to have these rights in place to protect yourself. Although you do not need to send us a copy of the release forms, we do suggest that you have them. Entrants who request we don't run their winning work because they don't have the rights will not be refunded for their entry. NOTE: Student work is often exempt from copyright rules.

What rights do I retain if my work is chosen? You retain all rights to your images.

My client has revoked the right for me to enter work I've won for. What do I do? We do not issue refunds in these cases, but please contact awards@appliedartsmag.com if you need the entry removed from the Winners' pool.

Payment FAQ

Can I submit more entries after paying? Yes. In Awards Entries, you will have the opportunity to submit additional entries even if others already entered have been paid. This will simply generate a new confirmation email when you complete your entries with payment.

I want to change something after I've paid. What do I do? Once an entry is paid, you cannot change the category, entry title, entry format, winners information, description of entry, or credits. A paid entry is final, so check carefully before proceeding to the payment field. If chosen as a winner, you will be given a small window of time add or edit information.

Can I get a refund? Entries are non-refundable; costs cover administration, processing and the judging of the entry. A submission of entry acknowledges acceptance of these rules.

My client has revoked the right for me to enter work I’ve already paid for. What do I do? We do not issue refunds in these cases, but contact awards@appliedartsmag.com if you need the entry removed from the judging or winners' pool.

I'm getting error messages when I try to pay. What do I do? If you entered your payment information incorrectly on your first attempt, any subsequent attempts would be declined, even if you change your payment type. Close your browser and log back into Awards Entries. You should now be able to proceed with payment. If you continue to experience difficulties, contact awards@appliedartsmag.com.

Winners FAQ

If I win, what image will you use for reproduction? We will use the image(s) you submitted on entry. In the case of series, complete, campaign, we select a sampling at our discretion from the images/files submitted. For digital or motion, we will contact you to provide us with final image selects.

Contact

Questions? If you've checked all of the above sections and cannot find the answer to your question, or if you are having difficulty entering, contact awards@appliedartsmag.com.

Disclaimer

Applied Arts reserves the right to amend these rules throughout the competition. Applied Arts assumes all entries are original and the property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein. Applied Arts reserves the rights to publish or exhibit entries for our print or electronic formats, or related promotions. Entries are non-refundable. Costs cover administration, processing, and the judging of the entry. Entries may be moved to a more suitable category, if Applied Arts deems the category chosen unsuitable. All descriptions and credits are subject to be edited for length, clarity and grammar in accordance with the Applied Arts editorial style guide. A submission of entry acknowledges acceptance of these rules.