My selected competition.

I have decided to the international contemporary printmakers competition. This is because I am currently experiencing a struggle with my creativeity and need to try experimenting with new ways of working to help reinspire me. I feel that developing my print making skills will be a good way for me to reinvogorate my work, and as this competition has an open brief it does not restrict me in any way.

At the end of the illustrative practises module i aim to have a series of prints which may be submitted for the competition or may require further development before the deadline of the competition - which is 12th June 2011. What I aiming for most importantly is a development and experimentation of with my printing skills, and hopefully the production of some prints which I am really proud of.

Plans for the remaining four weeks of the illustrative practises module.

I aim to spend at least 2 hours each week working within the print studio at college (the development of prints - such as physical lino cutting will be done outside the studio). I will start by experimenting with different finishes that I can achieve through different print making techniques and how paper, texture and colour can effect these. I will to other printmakers to gain inspiration and influence for this.

I am also hoping to visit some local galleries to gather inspiration (as suggested by Simone Lia when I emailed her asking her approach to dealing with a creative block) as well as mood boarding and mind mapping potentials for the content of the prints.

Previous winners of the A4 printmakers competition

This is last years winner of the A4 printmakers competition. Entitled 'Pearl' it is a dry point etching produce by Reti Saks from Estonia.

This piece seems to focus on the imagery which can be produced through the physical print making process as oppose to the print subject matter. This is a very contemporary print which shows details  only be achieved through printing making.

Here are some of the other winning entries...

Second place - 'Exodus' print produced by Barry Contrell. I must admit to not particular;ly liking this or the first prize winning print which I feel do not really do printmking full justice in terms of the effects which can be achieveable.

Third place -  'Then'  Mezotint produced by Cleo Wilkinson - a print I particularly like and is more traditional in it's approach to subject matter - which is clearly defined.

Elizabeth Dove - 'Small world experiement' - The simplicity of this highly commended entry make it really striking - it shows that selected prints do not have to be highly complex.

Maria Heed - 'Gifts' - This exhibited entry is again quite different in it's style and subject matter, suggesting a freedom of style and imagery of prints submitted.

Jill Mckeown - 'Cold Splash'

This again is another highly commended entry which I like. Having looked through the website at the winning and exhibited entries, it does not seem that there is any particular preferance for style, type or subject matter of the selected prints.   This is encouraging as I feel like if I were to enter then I would be free to experiment with any subject matter and printmaking technique that I wished. The only thing which worries me about entering this competition is my lack of printmaking experience, given that entry would be against people who have been printmaking all their lives. However, I would like to try and view this as a challenge to  further my work within a new area.

AOI images competition - Student catergory

Competition Brief

This is an open brief, with no direct requirements other than submitting an illustration which you feel is your best. (There are no restrictions on style, medium or genre within the student catergory)

Submission details

1. The entrant must register with the AOI (you are provided with email confirmation and login details after completing this)
2. For each image create:
   1 x low-res RGB JPG or Gif at 72 dpi, longest dimension set to 1200 pixels, use the 'save for web' dialog if available.
3. Submit an online entry form with the images. 

Entry Fee - £36 for a non memeber student

Images is an annual event, repeated at the same time each year:

• Call for Entries opens in April/May
  
• Deadline for entries is July/August
  
• Exhibition, and publication of annual: the following August/September

Competition deadline - (tbc) July / August 2011 

The deadline for last years competition (Images 35) was 15th September 2010, so I am assuming that the deadline for this years competition - which has not been posted on the website yet, will be on a similar date.

Illustrative Practises module deadline - 11th March 2011.

The deadline for this competition is well after the illustrative practises module deadline meaning that I can complete my entry for this competition for the illustrative practises module deadline and then if needs be I can reconsider my entry later on to see if I have produced something more successful.

Competition judges

The AOI images competition spans lots of different catergories of illustration (student is just one of 8). Last year there were 9 judges in total, (made up of contemporary illustrators, art directors and those within the creative industry) each judging multiple catergories of the images competition.

Given the vast array and number of judges, then it seems that the communication of an original idea will be the key thing to consider when entering this competition. As there is likely to be a high number of entries, it will be important to create an illustration that will stand out from the rest. It is unlikely that any particular style / subject content or meduim will be favored by the judges, giving free reign to the illustration that can be produced for entry.

Competition prizes

Award winners receive - Images New Talent Refresh! Award. Sponsored by The Coningsby Gallery worth Gold: £500, Silver: £250 and Bronze: £150. 

Winners work is displyed in the annual exhibition in London during the following summer and is printed within the images annual published at the same time and distributed to 4,000 illustration / design commissioners.

Successful student entrants will have the opportunity to show work at dandad.org /talentpool,  All student award winners will be given a year's free, unlimited use of directory lists produced by the AOI.

The prizes for this competition sound fantastic. Winning would provide plenty of opportunity to develop new contacts within the world of contemporary illustration and could open up many possibilities for future work. The prestige that winning this competition provides is far superior to the cash prizes, which seem almost insignificant comparitively.

Although it seems impossible to win entering this competition would be a beneficial experience as it would provide a chance to get work seen by industry greats. This would hopefully provide me enough inspiration to try and further my work - to create my best illustration yet, something I can be proud of, that I feel it suitable to show to some of the best in the contemporary illustration industry.

As the deadline for this competition is after I complete my second degree year, I may want to enter a piece from my final major study for this, rather than entering this competition for the illustrative practises module.

The International Contemporary Printmakers Competition

Competition brief:

There is no specific brief, other than all of the images supplied must be produced through a printmaking proccess.

This competition is quite appealing as printmaking is something that I enjoy and I would like to develop my skills in this area further. I have a limited experience of lino, screen, mono and dry etch printing and feel that experiementation within these areas (and how I can combine them) could result in the production of some images which are suitable to enter into this competition.

Submisssion details -

1. Up to 3 prints may be entered
2. Prints to be no larger than A4 in size (if smaller then these should be mounted on to A4 paper/card)
3. Prints to be named, signed and sent in a hard copy format, along with an artists CV and submission form. (Competition address - Pat King,  Comedy Studio,  Main Road,  Christian Malford,  Wiltshire,  SN15 4BS,  U.K.)
4. An email must also be supplied, including JPEG images of each print, and a 400 word artists statement

Entry Fee - £40

Competition deadline - 12th June 2011

Illustrative practises module deadline - 11th March 2011

The illustrative practises module deadline is before this competition deadline, meaning that although I would need to complete my selection of prints for competition entry before the module deadline, if I wanted to develop these prints further at a later time I would be able to.

Competition judges

Pat King BA  Curator        

Jesse Leroy Smith RA    

John Howard RE              

The above are all contemporary printmakers and painters. If I were to enter this competition then I feel that it would be important to research the work of these printmakers to find out the style of prints they produce and if this influenecs their evaluation of other work. I also feel it will be important to look at previous winning entries and see if there appars to be any trend in the style of work selected and commended by the judges.

Competition prizes (More awards to be announced)

First prize
The winning print, will be reproduced in full colour in the catalogue, together with your details.  This artist is invited to have a show the following summer in Cornwall, with a full page in the catalogue of all the submitted works, and will be invited, to act as part of the jury for the A4 Print International the following year.

A4 Special prize

Subscription to printmaking today

Best Emerging Talent Prize

2 day workshop at the Hand Print Studio Penzance

Although these prizes are not as prestigious as any of the other competition prizes I have looked at, I feel that the freedom of the brief in this competition and its nature make this currently the most appealing competition I have looked at. Winning this competition may not generate the contacts or work which would be provided by winning another of the competitions I have researched, but it would be a good edition to my CV and portfolio, allowing me to show a breadth of different working styles. This competition could provide a foothold into the printmaking industry and provide work generated in this area.

I feel quite inspired by this competition. It would allow me to experiement within this area and develop my work further. The freedom provided by this competition brief would hopefully mean that I can regain my creative interest in illustration.

Presently, I feel that to begin considering an entry for this competition I need to first research the judges of the competition and previous winning entries. It is also important to begin experimenting again with each of the print maing techniques I have knowledge of and to find out the types of imagery I can produce with these.

Choosing competitions

I am currently experiencing a creative block, and am finding it hard to feel inspired by any of my work. I feel that in order to try and solve this problem, I need to begin experimenting with my methods of producing imagery, and the ways I am working.

All the competitions which I have researched so far (excluding the V and A student illustrator awards) have a defined genre within which the illustrations must be produced, or a specific illustrative brief . Although I was oringally interested in entering the children's macmillan book prize or the bolgna book fair competition, I currently feel that entering these would restrict me too much, and may result in my work not being at its best.

I have spoke about this with Mel, and have found another two competitions to research further - the AOI images competition and the International Contemporary printmakers Competition. I currently feel that it is important not to enter a competition which has a very restricted brief, as this will allow me to experiment with my style and hopefully to become creatively inspired with my image making once again.

The Bologna Children's Book fair

As with the v&a illustration awards, if I were to work on an entry for this as part of my illustrative practises module then my work would have to be for the 2012 book fair (as entry for this years fair has now passed)

Competition Brief:

There is no set brief - this is open. 

Submission details

1. 5 original illustrations (fixed number), unpublished or published after 1 January 2009, in black and white or colour, produced using any technique, including computer graphics (in case of mixed technique, please send both original drawings and printouts of the ultimate artwork).
2. The illustrations must be based on the same theme and must be numbered from 1 to 5 (labels enclosed) in the desired order.
3. Maximum size for the artwork:
   > Fiction 32 x 42 cm (or 42 x 32 cm)
   > Non-Fiction 50 x 70 cm (or 70 x 50 cm) 
4. The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2 mm
5. Work to be sent to: BolognaFiere - Illustrators Exhibition, Piazza Costituzione, 6 40128 Bologna – Italy  

Entry to the exhibition is free and provides the entrant with a pass to the fair which they have entered.

Competition deadline:

I'm not sure when the deadline is the Bolgona children's book fair exhibition is, but for this year entries had to be submitted by 1st October 2010, so I am guessing submission for next years fair will be around this time.

Illustrative practises module deadline - 11th March 2011

If I were to enter this competitiomn then I would aim to submit my finalised visuals for the illustrative practises module deadline. I do not feel that this would be an unachievable work load in the time given, and this would also allow me to make any ammendments I felt were needed to the illustrations at a later date than the illustrative practises module deadline if I wished.

What makes this competition particularly appealing is that the brief is similar to the macmillan Chiuldren's book competition - meaning that I could gain some experience of children's illustration, but the workload is not as large and I would have a longer time to work on this.

Competition judges

All artwork received by the stated deadline and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international panel (whose decision is final), comprising five members (from publishing houses and art schools) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.

Competition prize - work is exhibited as part of the Bolgona children's book fair. The exhibition then travels to Japan and various other countries after this. Work is also placed within 2 pages of the annual of the event.

Having illustrations exhibited at this fair would be a great way to expose work directly to those working within the illustration industry and could help create new contacts within this - as well as providing career opportunities. I really like the idea that by entering I would receive a pass for the fair - this would be a brilliant fair to be able to attend, and could provide useful experience for the future.

I'm really tempted by this competition, I could potentially gain the most from just entering this competition as oppose to the others, as not only would I gain experience of producing children's illustration, but I would also have the opportunity to go to the fair even if my entry was unsuccessful.

If I were to enter, then I feel that the best place to start with my entry would be research into children's books within a specific age group. This would give me some sort of idea as to the complexity of imagery which is targeted at different age groups of children and how I should go about handling this, as well as how creating a narrative of sequences can be approached.

V&A Student Illustrator awards

Competition Brief:

There is no defined brief, 3 illustrations can be submitted and it is suggested that these might be either a sequence of images for a book or the preparatory sketches/roughs leading up to a finalised illustration (One animation may also be submitted along with the illustrations).

Submission details:

1. Entry into the Student Illustrator category of the Awards is via the Online Entry System only
2. Entries must have a clearly defined illustrative brief, which must be described on the competition entry form. The brief is open. Students may submit work set as coursework by their tutors or they may define their own imagined brief.
3. All images uploaded must be in the JPEG format, using the extension *.jpg
4. Images must be a maximum file size of 1MB and not larger than 900 pixels in width.
5. Animations must be no longer than 3 minutes in length

Competition deadline:

If I wanted to enter this competition then I would have to submit my entry for the 2012 student illustrator awards which I am presuming will have a deadline that is near the end of this year as it was for the 2011 competition, when the deadline was the 13th December 2010. 

Illustrative Practises module deadline - 11th March 2011

If I were to enter this competition then I would aim to have my final visuals (in a finalised drafted version) finished for the illustrative practises module deadline. The workload for this competition does not seem unachievable, and given that the competition deadline will be so far away, then it would be nice to have something finalised by the end of the illustrative practises module, which if I wanted to I could develop yet further later on. Another option would be to consider using part of my entry for another one of the competitions for this competition as well - for example if I entered the macmillan children's book competition then I could finalise 3 of the illustrations from this and submit these to the v&a student illustration awards as well.

Competition judges:

There is obviously no information on the competition judges for the 2012 student awards, but previous judges include rob ryan and others involved within the illustration industry. Having looked at some winning / commended pieces from previous years, there is a real different array of styles and content of imagery - suggesting that no particular illustrative work is favoured by judges.

Competition prizes:

The Student Illustrator of the Year will receive £2,000 and a trophy. The runner up will receive £1,000.

Winning and commended entries are also exhibited on the v&a website and in a competition exhibition. 

Winning this competition would be similar to winning the other competitions in that it wouldmean a great deal of exposure for work as well as the prestige connected with this. Unlike winning the d&ad competition, the great thing about winning a competition such as this is that is purely illustration based rather than also being related to the creative design industry. Having a commended entry would be a great piece to include within a portfolio as well as a self promoptional website. 

I like the idea of entering this competition as I feel that producing an entry would not require a great deal of work if this was combined with my entry for another one of the competitions I have researched. The idea of having a totally open brief which I can set myself also appeals as it means that I am free to produce any style illustrations that I wish to.

Cheltenham Illustration competition

Competition brief -

There is currently no brief available on the Cheltenham illustration awards website. However, having discussed this in our college sessions and with Phil, it seems that the brief is normally fairly loose, allowing you to adapt it to the imagery you want to produce.

The brief is to be released in Spring 2011.

Competition Deadline:

To Be Confirmed. (Summer 2011)

Illustrative Practises module deadline - 11th March 2011

If I were to enter this competition as part of my ilustrative practises module then I would aim to submit a completed rough version of my entry for the Cheltenham illustration awards on the deadline of the illustrative practises module. This would mean that if I really felt that the entry needed some further development then I could complete this after the deadline for illustrative practises, but that I would not have so much work to complete my entry that it would conflict with my final major study.

The fact that the brief has not been released yet is a bit worrying however, as it means that I can not start exploring this at the current moment. If the brief is not released soon then I will not be able to enter this competition as I will not have the time to complete the workload before the illustrative practises module deadline. 

Submission Details

* Up to five entries per person will be allowed

(As each entry will involve a sizeable workload, if I were to enter, I would produce one entry only)

* Entries will not be returned
* Contact address:The CIA, University of Gloucestershire, Pittville Studios, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 3JG Entries will not be accepted without entry fee (2011 fee TBA), paid online or by cheque
* Artwork must be supplied digitally on CD-Rom or emailed
* File format: JPEG high quality
* Include an A4 printout of the image for administration purposes
* Printable size of artwork: Up to A3 at 300ppi
Competition judges

* Judging of entries will take place in August by a professional committee, winners will be notified by telephone and email
No details of the judges are given (although previously judges have included Sara Fanelli) - in order to find out the types of illustrations which are stylistically favourd I quickly reviewed previous winning / highly commended entries. It seems that hand rendered illustrations are the most successful, making this an appealing competition to enter due to my preferance in this approach to my image making.

Competition prizes

The Awards are administrated by the University of Gloucestershire, UK
* An exhibition will be held on behalf of the University of Gloucestershire(exact venue and dates to be confirmed) The selected winners work will be showcased at the exhibition along with other commended images.

As with the other national illustration competitions I have researched I think that the main prize obtained in winning this competition would be the prestige and exposure gained from the experience. Having work exhibited within a well known illustration exhibition would be a good way to begin making contacts within the creative sector and has the possibility to lead to future commission / job opportunities.

As the brief has not been released i don't have too much of an idea of the expected workload, however, having discussed this, I suspect it to be quite sizeable. I like the idea of entering this competition purely through looking at previous entries which contain some really interesting imagery. I feel that presently I need to research a bit further into the previously commended entries in order to try and gain more of a feel for the competition and find out if I really want to enter.

Some more competitions..

I've found out about a few more competitions which I might enter -

1. Plymouth College of Art summer show poster competition
2. Cheltenham Illustration competition
3. V&A Student Illustration competition
4. Bolgona children's book fair (entry for this would be production of work to be entered into next years competition)

1.) Plymouth College of Art summer show poster competition 

Competition brief -

Design a poster advertising the summer show (exhibition of work by both FE students and FD2 / BA students) to be held at Plymouth College of Art this June (dates : Monday 20th - Wednesday 29th June). Included within the poster must be the following information:

1. Dates of the summer show - Monday 20th - Wednesday 29th June
2. Opening hours 9am - 8.30pm (Saturday 9am - 4pm)
3. FE Summer fashion show dates - Monday 20th - Tuesday 21st June
4. HE Summer fashion show dates - Thursday 23rd - Friday 24th June
5. Free Admission (except HE fashion show which is ticket only)
6. College address 
7. The College logo

(Details are available on the pdf document which has been emailed to all students across college)

Competition deadline 

All poster desings must be submitted by 5pm 12th February

I could easily produce an entry for this competition before the illustrative practises deadline, and this could be a good opportunity to get experience in entering a competition before  entering the another competition I have researched.

Submission details

Printed example of finished A3 poster

Editable Poster File 

Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign etc. This file should include separate layers/objects so that the design can be adjusted for other applications

Source Files
Original photographs or high resolution images used in the poster competition

(submissions to be made to the marketing office - either in CD or non digital (include layers of acetate which contain the separated pieces of the poster design) format.

Competition judges

Principal of Plymouth College of Art

As the principal is not a creative practioner by trade, then there is no way of gaining any knowledge as to the style of illustrative work which would be favoured. However, considering the brief, I think that my poster design would need to clearly communicate the summer show as well promoting my talent as an illustrator.  

Competition prize -

Kodak Playsport Zx3 Waterproof HD Pocket Video Camera

Entering this Competition

If I were to enter this competition, I would view entering this as a way to gain experience for one of the competitions I have researched. As the brief is open to the whole of the college, I would be competing against students in all different disciplines for the prize, rather than just other illustrators or designers. As this is a competition which is restricted to the college, it seems more likely that I may have a chance of winning or having a commended design, which does make entering more appealing.

By entering this competition I would not gain any of the exposure (or prestige) which could be created by entering the larger competitions I have researched. Although if I won my work would be displayed within college (and used to advertise the summer show) it would not be seen outside of an college context (I want to promote myself as an illustrator, not an illustration student). My work would be seen by individuals who are not a part of the college environment - as the poster is to be published nationally and regionally, but the number of these would be more limited than if I were to enter one of the other researched competitions.

An entry into this competition would be a good piece to put into my portfolio - and could be included within a self promotional website (particularly if I won / became commended). As this competition is not national, it seems that less work would to be involved - there is no need to supply any preparatory work with the poster. It would be possible to mind map ideas for this poster and produce something quickly so at least I could enter, but would not spend so much time in the design production that it would jepodize my other competition entry.

My top three competitions...

My top three competitions are as follows (not in any particular order)

1. Macmillan Children's book competition
2. Puffin children's design award
3. Design against fur poster competition

 1. Macmillan Children's book competition - 

I have always considered entering children's illustration, and experience on my work based learning module has concreted this in mind. By entering this competition, I would have an opportunity to experience what it would be like to produce a children's picture book. I would be abe to get some knowledge of the processes involved within children's illustration, creative problem solving I would need to undertake, and how it feels to work to a creative deadline - this would help further inform me as the whether children's illustration is a genre of illustration I want to be a part of.

It would also be a great chance to get some experience of the competition before my third year when I might want to consider re-entering.

Where to start - 
Research children's picture books (up to 5 years) and illustrators who specialise in this area, obtain full brief, begin mind mapping potential ideas and thinking about experimentating with different styles. Find information about the judges and consider how this may effect the stylization of illustrations and the story they portray.

Competition deadline - Tuesday 3rd May - Friday 6th May

Work to be produced - Illustrated children's picture book, in a hard copy.

2. Puffin Children's design award

This again is a brief which features producing children's illustration, but does not provide quite the workload of the macmillan children's book prize. Entering this competition would provide the experience of working to a set defined brief - the illustration produced must be of the story James and the giant peach - unlike the macmillan children's book prize the illustration produced will be of someone else's work and not mine. As before, children's illustration is a genre which I am particulary interested in, so entering this competition would be a good opportunity to get some experience in this area. This would be an interesting competition to enter as it does not focus on the illustrations within a children's book, but rather those on the outside, which mean something different althogether. Entering this competition would provide useful experience for possible final major study work in my third year.

The lesser workload of this competition does make it appealing as I know that there will be other work I am required to do whilst working on my competition entry (such as my final major study).

Where to start -
Read James and the Giant peach, research previous illustrations of this story, its book jacket and the book jackets of different children's stories. Consider how book jackets communicate stories to children. Find out information on the judges and look at previous winning entries, consider how this might affect style of entry. Mindmap potential ideas, begin experimentation - consider different mediums to use.

Competition Deadline - 15th April 2011

Work to be produced - Illustrated book jacket of 'James and the Giant Peach' containing  set blurb text. To be submitted as a digital file designed to the specified design template (B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine 12mm wide) supplied in the following format:

• PDF
• 300ppi
• CMYK
• 5mm bleed
• Ideally colour managed to ISO Coated 39 or ISO Uncoated 29 (optional)
• Trim and crop marks to be included

3. Design against fur competition -

I am considering entering this competition purely because it piqued my interest. At first I dismissed this, but, as I read the brief I became more excited about the potential illustrative work it could involve. I like the creative problem solving element which it entails, although I must admit to this being an area of design / illustrative that I would not choose to produce a piece of work for. Working on an entry for a competition which is a bit different to any other work that I am doing would provide a new experience, which ultimately could prove invaluable. It also might help me to keep all off my work a bit 'fresher' as I will not be working using the same illustrative style / for the same illustrative purpose. I like the idea of facing a totally new challenge, although because it is something I've never really done before I may be puttting myself at as comparitive disadvantage to others entering the competition.

Where to start -
Research - previous winning entries (which will help to determine if any illustrative style is favoured by the judegs), the fur trade and how it relates to luxury goods, links on the design against fur website. Mindmap potential ideas and experiment with these - consider experimentation with photography.

Competition deadline - 15th April 2011 (Entry registration closes 1st April 2011)

Work to be produced - One hard copy of entry poster, no larger than A3 size (11x17inches US), printed at 300dpi, mounted on card.

A CD containing all of the following:

• Poster design in the original file format of the computer program used to design it (example: an Adobe Illustrator, InDesign or Photoshop file).

• Poster in both high resolution (2200x1600 pixels @ 300dpi max) jpg and pdf file formats.

YCN (Young Creatives Network) competitions.....

Competition Briefs...

There are lots of different competition briefs within the Young Creatives Network website - 17 in total, one of which I would be unable to enter as it requires a video / film entry. Having read the extract of each brief, it appears that each competition is centred essentially around producing a creative campaign or promtional piece for either a product, service, movie or company (this includes rebranding several well known products - such as green and blacks chocolate). 

I can't say that intially any of the competition briefs appeal to me - brand identity is not a genre of illustration / design which I interests me (it seems that most of these competitions would be more applicable to a graphic designer rather than an illustrator - not that this means that they should not be considered merely because I am doing illustration). 

Upon first reading the abstracts of some of the briefs, the Green and Blacks design campaign competition appeals to me the most, however, I'm not really sure where I would even beign with this. I feel that my lack of experience within brand identity and promotion would be my downfall, although it would provide an opportunity to try something new.

Submission Details -

This year, all submissions for the different competitions are to be done online - the online submission facility goes live at the end of January, if appropriate, a handheld item or physical artwork piece can also be delivered.

Deliverables

Please adhere to the following guidelines governing the submission of work:

• Artwork should be mounted on boards.
• Interactive work should be on a Mac-readable format on a CD or DVD.
• If you upload any interactive work you should supply a full URL and details of any plug-ins needed to view the work.
• Radio scripts should be typed, and any recordings should be submitted as a Mac readable audio format on a CD or DVD.Any additional support materials, written or otherwise, should all also be clearly labeled.
• Any models or other potentially fragile submissions should be carefully packaged to avoid damage.
• You may submit as many items as you wish.

Competition deadline 

The deadline for all the competition briefs is the 6pm 25th March 2011

Illustrative practises deadline - 11 March 2011

The competition deadlines are just under two weeks after the illustrative practises module deadline. This means that if I were to enter any of the competitions then I think that by the time of the illustrative practises module deadline, I would need to be able to submit finalised draft visuals of my competition entry - I would not want to be doing any major reworking of my illustrations at this point. These competitions would provide a considerable workload in a reasonably short time as their nature means I would have to spend a lot of time researching branding / promotion of products etc. in order to ensure my entry was suitable.

Competition judges

Each competition will have it's own particular judges who are part of the company setting the competition design brief. There don't seem to be any available images of the previously commended entries making it difficult to have any sort of fixed idea as to what may be expected from an entry.

Competition prizes

The prizes for winning include work being commended by the comapny which set the initial competion brief at an awards ceremony, as well as inclusion with the YCN awards annual. I can't see any other sort of prizes available - I'm not sure as to whether work would actually be used by the companies setting the competition briefs or not.

The key prize here seems to be the exposure work would receive within the design world, and the possible contacts that could be made from being commended. Being commended for a design entry could lead to future career possibilities within the particular company setting the competition brief. Attending the awards ceremony with a commended entry would be an opportunity to expose work to creative individauls in the design industry, and a chance to create new contacts / begin networking.

I've read the full briefs of several of the competitions, and must admit I feel a little out of my depth - I don't think I would really know how to start creating a promotional campaign or rebranding a product. I also feel that my lack of experience within digital software could really hamper me with entering any of these briefs. 

I think that entering one of these competitions would involve a lot of creative problem solving, as well as a good knowledge of target audiences of a brand/product etc. and what appeals to them. If I were to enter one of these competitions, I think that research of the brand that competition centres around would be key - Who are the audience? - Is the brand they targeting a new clientele? - What is of key importance with brand design and or promotion? - How could this most successfully be communicated?

Entering one of these competitions could definitely result in moving away from 2 - Dimensional illustration, something which I don not know how comfortable I am with.

Previous winners of the Design against fur competition...

Last year's design against fur competition focused on the trade in rabbit fur

Winning entry  (Chris Lishman and Jennifer Cheng - Newcastle College)

I'm not really sure how much I like this - the creative idea is very clever and had been executed well, I guess I would prefer something more hand crafted as oppose to an collage of different digital imagery. It does make me think that may be digital work is favoured, which would put me at a bit of a disadvantage as this is certainly not my strong point.

Second prize entry  (Georgina Martin - Plymouth College of Art)

This poster design was done by someone from PCA, which is really encouraging as it makes all the competitions I have been researching seem a little more possible to become a finalist within. Again this is a kind of digital collage, which seems to cement the preferance for digital imagery by the competition judges.

Thrid prize entry (Joseph Stayte - Gloucestershire College)

This is very similar to the second prize entry. Having looked at all these entries, I've come to the conclusion that a strong creative idea seems to be the key to being successful. All the images have been digitally produced (each one is a digital collage of sorts, with no hand rendered imagery present), which I must admit to being something which I would not do. I think I'd have to research the more previous finalists and see if this is an ongoing trend or merely one which featured in last year's competition. If the favouring of digital imagery is an ongoing trend, then it may be best not to enter this competition as this is certainly not a strong area for me.

Design against fur competition...

Competition brief -

For the 2011 campaign poster and animation competitions we would like you to focus your work on explaining the fur factory farm and the cruel reality behind fur. 

Students should produce an artwork that conveys, to potential buyers and wearers of fur, how and where fur is produced and the brutal suffering endured by millions of animals everyday - all for a frivolous fashion item.

We want you to explain the horror of the fur factory farm to potential wearers and purchasers of real fur items – whether that item is a full jacket, a piece of trim on a pair of gloves or boots or on a hat.

We want you to explain the reality of where that ‘luxury’ fur came from and to show the potential purchaser how that animal suffered and died, just to provide a frivolous fashion item.

• What’s required?

An eye-catching, thought-provoking design for a billboard poster for a city street You’ll have to catch people’s imagination, and quickly, as they pass by your design. Note: The artwork you supply should be maximum A3 sized for ease of judging & reproduction.

Here are some Top Tips from our judges:

1. The most important is a good idea.
2. Research your subject.
3. This is not a new issue, so the more unique your approach the more likely it will attract attention. Find a key truth or insight.
4. Distil your idea into it's best expression.
5. Explore the different ways you can express your key thought and then use the idea you feel is the most powerful. Sometimes thinking about your subject from a totally different perspective can offer up an original approach.
6. Think about where your idea will be shown i.e. poster/press ad /web. Context is very important and can offer original ways of expressing your idea. 

When I originally researched this competition, I wasn't that interested, however, having reread the brief several times, I've changed my mind. It's not something I would normally consider illustrating, but this competition has piqued my interest some what, it's a bit different, and may be that's why. This competition doesn't seem quite as complicated to enter as the RSA postage stamp competition or the D&AD design competition, which also makes it some what more appealing.



Although the final visual only needs to be a poster, I think that entering this competition may require quite a lot of back ground research before I began a design. Although I don't believe in the fur trade, I've never been passionate about this, so my knowledge is pretty limited. I would really want to research this a bit more, as I think it would help to generate some visual inspiration. This means that there could be quite a reasonable workload for the competition, however, it seems easily 'do-able' and quite a bit less than some of the other competitions.


Competition deadline -

1. Entry registration opens: 8 October 2010
2. Registration closes: 1 April 2011
3. Artwork to be submitted by: 15 April 2011

Illustrative Practises Deadline - 11 March 2011


The illustrative pratises deadline is about a month before the design against fur competition deadline. I think if I were to enter this competition, then I would try and ensure that I had a rough final visual for my outcome (having completed all research and experimental work) to submit with my illustrative practises module . This would then allow me plenty of time after this deadline to rework the outcome if I was not happy with it, but should also mean that I would not have too much work to complete the design as I would not want this work to interfer with my final major study.


The entry must include - (Submission details)


The Fur Free Alliance logo and the wording inFURmation.com must be included in your poster design.


Submission form: please download, complete, sign and include in your package;


One hard copy of your poster, no larger than A3 size (11x17inches US), printed at 300dpi, mounted on card. Please ensure you name and your registration number is written clearly on the reverse; and


A CD containing all of the following:

• Your poster design in the original file format of the computer program you used to design it (example: an Adobe Illustrator, InDesign or Photoshop file).

• Your poster in both high resolution (2200x1600 pixels @ 300dpi max) jpg and pdf file formats.

I've checked on the design against fur website, and the UK has a national group logo which would also have to be featured within the poster.


Competition judges -


There is not direct information about the judges, which means that the best way to gain an insight into the style of illustrative work which may be favoured would be to research previous winning / finalist entries.


Competition prizes -


First Prize - £500
Second Prize - £250
Third Prize - £100


Plus, the Top three finalists from each region will be entered for the Grand prize ($1000 prize money) and the People's choice award ($500 prize money).


The judges will also select 10 highly commended entries from each region.


The UK competition also provides students with the opportunity of winning the Persula Foundation Award, of inclusion in D&AD talent portfolio and having their work displayed at the Dreamspace gallery in London. 

Winning this competition provides would provide the opportunity to really begin promoting your work and yourself as an illustrator. The prestige and exposure of work which would result from winning this competition far overshadow the cash prize (which is also very nice!). Having work displayed in a D&AD talent portfolio and exhibited in the London Dreamspace gallery is a great way to really expose work directly to those within the contemporary creative industry - it would help to develop new contacts as well as lead to future work possibilities. Coming within the top three would also enable work to be entered into the Grand prize award and the people's choice award, which would be amazing (but seems impossible to consider..) - it would be a real credit to your talent as a creative individual.

Just entering this competition would be an opportunity to get some exposure outside of a college environment, as well as being something which could be included within a CV and self promotional website.

Having researched the design against fur website, I've noticed that all the previous finalists for the last  competitions are posted. If work were to reach within the top three final entries, then it would be great to link the entry present on the design against fur website this to a self promotional website gallery..

I'm really tempted to enter this competition. It's not something I'd normally consider, but it piques my creative interest somewhat. The problem solving element of the competition appeals to me - having looked at previous finalist entries, it appears that the creative idea behind a poster is paramount (although obiviously the design work must be of excellent quality too).

The only element which worries me slighlty is the seeming preference for digital imagery making up the poster design. Having looked at last years finalists - all of which used a collage of different digital imagery, I feel that I would almost be disadvantaged if I entered this competition as my digital software skills are limited, thus my imagery would mostly be hand rendered.

If I were to enter this competition, then I think as before the best place to start would be research - looking at more previous winning entries (and considereing the style of illustration generally favoured by the judges), as well as general research into the fur trade and how it relates to fashion and the trade in luxury fur items. There are several links on the design against fur website which would be worth exploring further, doing these bits of research would hopefully help to start triggering creative solutions and potential design ideas.

D&AD - Diesel design competition.

Competition Brief -

Create an illustrated interpretation of a musical track that is experienced by the viewer in an unconventional and pioneering way.

Choose a band or artist and create an illustrated response to two of their tracks - the target audience will be the fan base of the band / artist.

Considerations -

1. Work should show how illustration can be used as a powerful tool to reinvent and express music.
2. Work should show how illustration can be intergrated within music.
3. Consider how musicians are changing and developing the way they interact with their fans and how this may effect illustrations associated with their music.

I can't say that I find this brief hugely appealing. I must admit to not being very interested in the music industry, so I think i would find it hard to approach this brief with a great deal of enthusiasm. This is not a genre of illustration that I am considering entering so it does not seem as though entering the competition would be beneficial.


Submission details

Entries can be include either the static image, video, audio and interactive formats (full details given on the 'diesel' PDF file including the brief) 

If I were to enter this competition, my entry would be a static image - an illustration ( I don't have enough knowledege of the software needed to produce an entry in the other formats) so I have included the submission details for this.

(Static image) submission details

Digital files - 350dpi JPEG files, 24cm along longest axis, landscape format

OR - 4 x A2 / A3 boards including artwork, with surrounds.

Mandatory Requirements-

1. A short clear concie presentation of how the entry would be intergrated within the context of an unconventional music experience.
2. An (300 words max) explaination of how you decided to interpret the music chosen for illustration.
3. MP3s of the two illustrated music tracks.

ENTRY FEE - £12 for dandad members,  £17 for non - members

Competition Deadline

Entries will be accepted from Monday 7th february, the closing deadline is 5pm Friday 4th March

(upload all work to www.dand.org/studentawards )

Illustrative practises module deadline - 11th March 2011

The Illustrative practises module deadline is after the deadline for the competition, so if I decided to enter this competition, I would be able to submit a copy of the final design visuals for the competition on the illustrative practises deadline.

As the competition dedline is the 4th of March, then if I were to enter this competition, I would need to begin prelinminary work (research, experimentation etc.) soon. The workload for the competition is sizeable, and given the shorter time frame available for this competition in comparison to the others, being organised would be important. As with the RSA postage stamp competition, there are elements other than the final visuals which must also be submitted and considered meaning time would have to be planned effectively.

Competition judges

No details of the judges are present on the webpage or pdf document containg the competition brief - but as with the RSA competition, judging criteria is given -

1. Excellent creative idea
2. On brief
3. Excellent craft or solution

This is quite vague, which would mean that the brief is really quite open - there aren't any restrictions on choice of imagery or style (something which does appeal to me). The fact that there isn't any information on the judges means that it would be difficult to have any knowledge of what the best style/type of illustration would be most successful to use within an entry. However, research could be done into dandad - e.g. looking at previous issues and the website, this may help to give some insight as to the communication style being looked for.

Competition prizes

1. All prize levels - A certificate and work featured on the dandad website.
2. In book - (as above, plus) a name credit in the book of nominations, the right to use the dandad student award book badge.
3. Commendation - (as above, plus) work featured in the book of nominations and exhibited at key dandad events (including new blood), a ticket to the award ceremony and the option to register and showcase a portfolio on the talent section of the dandad website. A year's membership of dandad and the right to use the dandad student award commendation prize badge.
4. Second Place - (as above, plus) a student awards yellow pencil and the the right to use the dandad student award second prize badge.
5. First place - (as above, plus) the right to use the dandad student award first prize badge.

Unlike some of the other competitions which I have looked at, there is no cash prize for winning this competition, however, I think that the prestiege and exposure that work would receive from winning or being shortlisted more than makes up for this. By winning or obtaining a commendation, work would be directly exhibited to the very people that are looking for young designers and illustrators - this could open up loads of different opportunities. Going to the awards ceremony (and new blood if work was exhibited) would be a great way to start networking within the design industry and could provide some really useful contacts. As obtaining any prize levels means that work would be showcased in the talent section of the dandad website, then really reaching any prize level could potentially have implications on my career as an illustrator.

If I were to enter this competition, then I think the best place to start would be research dandad a bit more - by looking at previous issues of the magazine and the dandad website. I would also begin to listern to my favourite music in order to try and select the two tracks (by a certain band or artist) which I feel most inspired to illustrate.

Having said this, presently I feel that of all the competitions I have researched, this is the one that I am least likely to enter. The fact that this is not an genre of illustration I wish to enter and the shorter deadline than the other competitions make this less appealing, even though I do think that this has some of the best prizes.