BY THOMAS JAMES



© 2010 Thomas James Illustration
All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced,
transmitted, or sold in whole or in part in any form, without the prior written
consent of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews.

LIABILITY

The information contained in this guide is for informational purposes only. The
author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information herein.
However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty,
either express or implied. Neither the author and Thomas James Illustration,
nor its dealers or distributors, will be held liable for any damages caused either
directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book, or by the
resources described herein. Users of this guide are advised to do their own due
diligence when it comes to making business decisions and all information that
has been provided should be independently verified by your own qualified
professionals. By reading this book, you agree that my company and myself are
not responsible for the success or failure of your business decisions relating to
any information presented.

2
 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


I would like to thank the following people for helping to make Inside
Illustration Competitions the best possible resource for Illustrators
that it can be through their generosity, feedback, and guidance.

This book would not have been possible without the assistance of
the following people who have served as organizers and jurors in
some of the most influential Illustration competitions in the
industry, such as 3x3, American Illustration, Society of Illustrators,
Communication Arts, Spectrum, and others.


Mark Heflin – American Illustration - Director
Charles Hively - 3x3 – Publisher
Luke Stoffel - Art Directors Club - Awards Manager
Patrick Coyne – Communcation Arts
Scott Hull – Scott Hull Associates – Artist Representative
Edel Rodriguez - Illustrator
Anita Kunz – Illustrator
Steven Heller – Author, Former Art Director
Stephanie Glaros - Utne Reader - Art Director
SooJin Buzelli - Asset International - Art Director


 3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas James is an Illustrator, Creative
Consultant, and author of the critically-
acclaimed book, ’15 Steps to Freelance
Illustration’ as well as ‘5 Qualities of a
Successful Illustrator’. Since 2003, he has
devoted intense study into the art of
Illustration, as well as best practices for
running a freelance business. In 2009 he created Escape from
Illustration Island, a website, podcast, and art community devoted
to sharing resources and inspiration with Illustrators and other
creative professionals.

Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors for the ICON

Illustration Conference and as an advisor to the Graphic Artist
Guild’s New York Illustration Portfolio Show.

In addition, Thomas has written for Fuel Your Illustration, Design

TAXI, and the Creative Freelancer Blog, and has appeared on
Illustration podcasts and blogs such as Big Illustration Party Time,
Chris Oatley’s Artcast, Art & Story, Zero 2 Illo, Workbook, and Ninja
Mountain.

In his spare time, of which there is never enough, Thomas enjoys

life with his beautiful wife Melissa and his awe-inspiring twin
daughters Emma and Olivia in Portland, Oregon.

4
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK ............................. 6

CHAPTER 1 – THE BASICS .............................. 9

CHAPTER 2 – THE SUBMISSION PROCESS .......... 13

CHAPTER 3 – THE JUDGING PROCESS .............. 18

CHAPTER 4 – PROMOTING THE WINNERS .......... 31

CHAPTER 5 - 4 ELEMENTS OF AN ETHICAL

ILLUSTRATION COMPETITION ....................... 34

CHAPTER 6 – SHOULD YOU ENTER ILLUSTRATION

COMPETITIONS? ........................................ 37


 5

WHY I WROTE THIS BOOK


In the first year and a half that I’ve been engaged with the
Illustration community as founder and Editor in Chief of Escape
from Illustration Island, I’ve had the fortune of connecting with
many inspiring people that I otherwise might not have ever crossed
paths with, and I’ve also had the opportunity to help my fellow
artists educate themselves about the industry and learn to build a
better freelance business.

One side effect of this experience is the realization that I’m in a

unique position to get answers to the questions that many of my
fellow artists would love to ask, which is something that I am
determined to never take lightly.

Because of this, I recently decided to apply this approach to one of

the aspects of our business that seems to be in the greatest need of
demystification: Illustration competitions.

When many Illustrators enter competitions, they may have little or

no idea about how they are run, how the jury is selected, how the
best images are voted on, how the winners are promoted to Art
Directors, and many other factors.



6
 

In my opinion, no business decision, and no investment of time and
money, should be made in this state of uncertainty, and so I have
sought to give my fellow creative professionals an inside look at the
world of Illustration competitions, with the help of many generous
and kind souls who have chosen to share their experiences as both
organizers and jurors for some of the most influential competitions
in our industry (whom you will find listed in the Acknowledgements
section at the beginning of this book). I am so very grateful for
everyone who has lent a hand to this exploration, and helped to
demystify an otherwise enigmatic process.

To be honest, I’m more than a little surprised that more has not
been written on this subject, in light of the fact that so many artists
have so many questions and concerns about it.

This book endeavors to answer many questions that most Illustrators

ask when it comes to Illustration competitions, such as:

- How are they run?

- How are images viewed?
- How are jurors chosen?
- What is the judging criterion?
- Which competitions should I enter?
- Is it worth my time and money?
- Is favoritism an issue?
- How do I know if my work is good enough to submit?


 7

 - Will being included in a show or annual have a positive
impact on my business?

Obviously, there are more than a few questions that every

Illustrator will have to answer for themselves through trial and
error, and long-time readers of the articles on Escape from
Illustration Island, as well as my previous books, will be no stranger
to that fact.

However, I sincerely hope that this investigation helps you to make

wiser decisions in regards to whether or not to enter Illustration
competitions, which ones to enter, and what images to submit. If
nothing else, it will at least satisfy a curiosity that I know many
Illustrators have about one of the major promotional tools in our
industry.

Thomas James






8
 

CHAPTER 1
THE BASICS


 9

What is an Illustration Competition?



I
n their most common form, Illustration competitions are run by
industry-related organizations and publications in order to
feature some of the best, most evocative work being created
every year by talented artists and to help Art Directors and Art
Buyers to find professional artists to hire for their future projects.

While there are several regional, national, and international

competitions run every year, here are some of the major players:

- 3x3
- Society of Illustrators
- American Illustration
- Communication Arts
- Association of Illustrators
- Society of Publication Designers
- HOW Magazine
- Print Magazine
- CMYK Magazine
- Altpick
- Spectrum

While some competitions are run as one of the many services

provided by Illustration organizations, others are operated as the
sole source of business and income for a particular company. In all

10
 

cases, the main goal of an Illustration competition is to assemble an
esteemed panel of industry-related judges to select and promote
outstanding work and its creators to the leaders in their target
market through printed annuals, online portfolios, and gallery
shows.



Basic Operating Procedure


While there are differences that are unique to each Illustration
competition, here are some of the basic steps involved in the
organization and execution of a typical contest.

- Appointing the Chair positions (if applicable)

- Selecting the jury
- Creating marketing material
- Sending a Call for Entry
- Managing the submission site during Call for Entries
- Processing images and preparing them for viewing
- Briefing jury
- Voting on submitted artwork
- Tabulating and selecting medal winners
- Notifying winners
- Collecting materials for print/online/gallery showing
- Annual design, production, and distribution (if applicable)


 11

Now that we’ve gotten a simplified, basic overview of the basic
procedure, it’s time to take a deeper look behind the scenes,
beginning with the submission process.

12
 

CHAPTER 2
THE SUBMISSION PROCESS


 13

T
he submission period of an Illustration competition, which is
publicly announced by a Call for Entries, is the first contact
an Illustrator has with a contest. However, artists rarely get
a peek at the ins and outs of this process, such as how guidelines
and entry fees are determined, how images are handled, and other
details.



Submission Guidelines

In the major competitions, the submission guidelines are pretty

much uniform across the board, because they are based on industry
standard practices and are intended to respect the rights of the
artist and encourage participation.

Any differences that occur are generally due to the unique focus of
each particular competition. For example, American Illustration
accepts any images created by artists of any nationality living or
working in North America, any work created anywhere for or by a
North American, and any work from any artist living anywhere with
North American representation. In contrast, 3x3 has a more
international focus, accepting work from artists all over the world.

Be sure to refer to the submission guidelines for the Illustration

competition you’re thinking about entering for information about
what types of images you’re allowed to submit, what format to
send them in, and any other specific instructions.

14
 

Entry Fees


Like submission guidelines, competition entry fees are based on
industry standards and are designed to be as low as possible in
order to be competitive with other competitions while covering the
costs involved. Most competitions charge entry fees between $20 to
$50 USD per Illustration, with reduced rates for students and special
rates for submitting a series of work.

Although all competitions are run slightly differently, entry fees

generally cover administrative costs, salaries, contract payments,
rent, utilities, supplies, insurance, customs, events, and marketing,
where applicable.

Furthermore, competition winners are often charged additional fees

to cover the costs of design, printing and/or distribution of the
annual and the administrative costs associated with any gallery
shows or promotional events that might take place.

If the competition is run by a non-profit organization, such as the

Art Directors Club, any surplus in revenue received goes directly
back into the community by covering the costs of guest speaker
series, portfolio reviews, youth workshops, and other events.




 15

Submission Categories


The categories in which Illustrators may submit work are directly
related to the markets for which the work is generally created, and
vary slightly from one competition to the next. A typical list of
available categories might be some variation on the following:

- Advertising
- Animation
- Books
- Editorial
- Fashion
- Gallery
- Institutional
- Posters
- Medical
- 3-Dimensional
- Sci-Fi/Fantasy
- Unpublished/Personal Work
- Children’s Books
- Student Work



Image Processing


Once the deadline for entries has arrived, all the images are
processed and prepared for the judging process by removing the

16
 

artist’s identification and converting the artwork to a format to be
viewed by the jury, if necessary. In some cases, category
adjustments might be made to a particular image in order to make
sure it is judged by the appropriate panel. This process can take
anywhere from many days to many weeks, depending on the
number of entries, and once it is completed the competition is
ready to switch gears from the submission period to the process of
judging the work.


 17

CHAPTER 3
THE JUDGING PROCESS

18
 

S
o, all the work has been submitted, and the Illustrators are
waiting anxiously to find out whether they’ve made the cut.
This is the part you’re most likely very familiar with.
However, probably the least understood aspect of Illustration
competitions, and the most informative for professional artists, is
the actual process of judging the work.

Elements such as jury selection, voting criteria, and the method of

viewing and scoring artwork all have an impact on the outcome of a
competition, and an understanding of this process can help an
Illustrator to make more informed decisions when submitting their
work.

Who will be judging the work?

How are jurors chosen?
How is the artwork viewed?
What is the jury basing their decisions on?
What are the challenges and concerns that the jury might face
when making their decisions?

To answer some of these common questions, let’s take a look

behind otherwise closed doors at the process of judging Illustration
competitions.




 19

Jury Selection


It is in the best interest of all parties involved to have a
professional, experienced, and esteemed panel of judges to view
the artwork and select the best of the best to be featured in the
organization’s annuals, shows, and online galleries. In this way, the
various competitions maintain their relevance in the industry,
encourage a comprehensive collection of high-quality Illustration,
and offer Illustrators the opportunity to have their work viewed by
the top tier of their target audience.

In most instances, the jury is comprised of some combination of

Illustrators, Graphic Designers, Art Directors, Artist
Representatives, Educators, and other creative professionals who
have made an impact on the Illustration industry. Potential jury
candidates are often recommended by Illustrators or past Chairs
based on quality of work, talent, years of experience, and standing
in the field. In addition, judges are often assigned to vote in
categories that are a good match for their particular area of
expertise, whether it be publishing, editorial, advertising,
children’s books, etc.

One interesting variation on this theme is the competitions run by

American Illustration, which limits the selection to only Art
Directors and others who are able to actually hire Illustrators.

20
 

Another alternative is practiced by 3x3. Because of it’s uniquely
international focus, 3x3 makes sure that all judges represent
different countries and tries to have one or more Art Directors and
Illustrators from each of the primary illustration markets around the
world.



Jury Compensation


Members of the jury are not typically compensated for their time,
with the exception of occasional travel and/or meal expenses in
cases where they are required to meet in a physical location outside
their home state. This scenario is less common, however, as more
and more competitions are judged online or in pdf-format in the
comfort of the judges’ own homes, as we’ll see later in this
chapter.

The only other form of compensation that sometimes occurs might

be a complimentary copy of the Illustration annual to be printed or
tickets to the galas or gallery openings affiliated with the
competition.

So, why do creative professionals choose to participate on the juries

of Illustration competitions?

In most cases, jurors say that they are honored to be asked to

participate and are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the


 21

Illustration industry in some positive way. An added benefit is that
jurors are also presented with the unique opportunity to view work
they may not have otherwise been exposed to.

Judging Criteria


“We do not believe in quotas, we ask judges to select the
very best pieces in each category.”

- Charles Hively, 3x3

“Jurors are encouraged to make brave choices and [select]

images that represent the finest work from the year. Our
goal is to recognize work not typically honored by other
organizations and publications.”

- Mark Heflin, American Illustration

“Judges are asked to use their own judgment as to what

constitutes creative excellence.”

- Patrick Coyne, Communication Arts

22
 

One of the most intriguing aspects of the judging process is the
criterion by which jurors are instructed to select work, or rather,
the lack thereof.

Sometimes, the organization running the competition has an

introductory meeting to outline the overall purpose and criteria of
the selection. However, rather than instruct the jury with specific
guidelines, most competitions rely on the experience and aesthetic
sensibilities of the jurors involved.

Therefore, each judge votes along the lines of their individual

tastes, with a focus on the effectiveness of the image, its ability to
solve a visual problem or communicate an idea, its professional
execution, and any other strengths they typically look for in a
successful Illustration. Jurors are encouraged to take their time and
go with their instincts while seeking out Illustration that reaches a
higher level of excellence.

Because of this personal approach, it can be very beneficial for an

artist to familiarize themselves with the list of jurors involved,
because it can potentially offer some level of insight when choosing
which of their pieces to submit.



Viewing the Artwork





 23

Once the jury has been selected and briefed, it is time to begin the
process of viewing, scoring, and voting on the work. Depending on
the competition, this can mean examining hundreds, or even
thousands, of entries for each juror.



Physical Artwork


Although many Illustration competitions are making the switch from
judging physical artwork to digital images, some organizations still
do collect the jury in a room together to sort through stacks of
printed Illustrations or tear sheets on a long table.
In fact, the Art Director’s Club in particular does not accept digital
images at all. Instead, all the work is displayed on the walls of their
gallery and judged in that manner.

Digital Files


More and more frequently, images are viewed as digital files rather
than physical prints, either projected on a screen or on each juror’s
home computer in an online gallery or pdf document. This latter
approach allows the jury to explore the work at their own pace and
helps to minimize the exhaustion involved in looking at such a large
amount of Illustration.

24
 



Private Voting vs. Group Discussion


There seems to be some level of disagreement in regards to
whether the jury should vote in private or discuss their choices as a
group, and each competition handles this question differently.

Some organizations, such as 3x3, hold close to the opinion that

judges should make their choices independently, in order to
eliminate the possibility of favoritism.

In other cases, initial voting is done by secret ballot with the option
to speak out for or against the acceptance of an image if a juror has
something of particular interest or importance to discuss. After this
stage, there is more conversation and debate when it comes to
picking medal winners or best of show, when applicable.

Voting Method


As expected, the actual steps involved in the scoring process is
another area in which each competition is different. Sometimes it’s
simply a matter of saying whether each Illustration should be “in”
or “out”. Other times the judges are asked to rank each image on a
scale of one to ten or some variation thereof.

Here are a few examples of the various voting methods employed:


 25

 “Jurors meet as a group and view all images. They first
nominate images they like. From there, the nominated
images are viewed and voted on individually by secret vote. It
only takes one juror to nominate an image in the first round.
It takes a majority or better in the second round to get into
the book (usually 4-7 votes). All images that were nominated
and then received at least 2 votes are presented on the
website only.”

– Mark Heflin, American Illustration

“The first round, each Judge adds a dot to the entry. Second
round, the judge’s team up to view entries that received the
highest votes. Finally, the judges come together as a total
group to discuss the final selection.”


- Scott Hull, Artist Representative & Juror

“The Art Directors Club does 3 rounds of judging. Each round

is assigned through a point value system with the last round
being a medal round.”

- Luke Stoffel, Art Directors Club

26
 

 “In the professional and children’s show, each judge votes
each entry in or out. In the student show, each entry is given
a grade 0-4, 4 being the top grade. It takes a majority of
votes by the judges to have a piece accepted into the show.”

- Charles Hively, 3x3




Medal Selection


The process of awarding medals is generally approached in terms of
selecting the “best of the best”. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of
tallying initial votes. In other situations, the largest vote winners
are picked out and entered into a new round of scoring, sometimes
involving open debate and discussion, to pick a winner. In this
democratic method, the highest vote counts win, and many times it
is unanimous, although in some cases the judges’ are asked to label
their ‘favorites’ during the initial voting process, which can be used
as potential tie-breakers.



Challenges and Concerns


As with anything, no plan is bullet proof, and there are certain
challenges that jurors might face when making their selections.




 27

Juror Fatigue


One of the most common challenges is the juror’s responsibility of
viewing and scoring such an overwhelming amount of Illustration in
a short period of time. As mentioned earlier, the larger
competitions can involve many thousands of entries, which can be
taxing to look for any length of time, especially when the jury is
required to make some form of value judgement about each one.
This difficulty is at least somewhat diminished when the juror is
permitted to view the work in the comfort of their own home, and
at their own pace within a predetermined time frame.


Quality of Work


The competitions, shows, and annuals are only as good as the
entries that are received. Therefore, organizers do their best to
make sure the collection fully represents the industry and the
events from the year with a comprehensive body of work. To
address this challenge, special attention is given to jury selection,
marketing, and promotion to both attract and feature the highest
quality work.

Favoritism

In general, favoritism and bias are minor issues because the names
of the artists are not shown to the jury. Obviously, judges may be

28
 

able to recognize the work of well-known Illustrators or people
they’ve worked with, and if an Art Director assigned the piece being
considered he or she must recuse him or herself from voting on it.
When it comes right down to it, however, each person has their own
tastes and preferences, and the human element is a natural part of
the process.

“I think it has to do with putting aside personal opinion and

just looking at the images for how well they work. As a judge
one has to be able to be objective. At times it might seem as
though the judging process isn’t fair. But anyone entering has
to keep in mind that unfortunately there are trends in
illustration.”

- Anita Kunz, Illustrator & Juror



Plagiarism


One issue that arises from time to time is an Illustration that is
determined to be a “copycat” of another Illustrator’s trademark or
style. Since judging is done anonymously, the jury often doesn’t
know for sure who created the images until the winning Illustrations
are gathered for the show or annual. At this time, if it is
determined that an artist has directly copied another Illustrator the
piece is generally removed, even if it has been voted in.


 29

How is this difficult decision made?

“I think everyone is influenced by someone, but when it

comes to incorporating way too many features from a widely
recognized illustrator's work we draw the line.”

- Charles Hively, 3x3

“If we feel a piece is too close to another artist who we all

agree originated the style, the image in question will be
disqualified. There's really no criteria on determining what
constitutes a copycat, you just know it when you see it.”

- Mark Heflin, American Illustration




30
 

Chapter 4
Promoting the Winners


 31

O
ne of the main questions that most Illustrators ask in regards
to Illustration competitions is whether or not they are worth
their valuable time and money. It’s natural to wonder if
there is anything to be gained by submitting work to a contest, and
we’ll be taking a closer look at the costs and potential benefits in
the final chapter of this book.

For now, let’s examine one of the most attractive aspects of an

Illustration competition, which is the way in which winning artists
are promoted to Art Directors and other potential clients.

Depending on the competition, promotion comes in the form of

printed annuals, gallery shows, online collections, or some
combination thereof. To give a better idea of how some
competitions promote the winners, here are a few of the responses
that I received to this very question:

“Through international email blasts. We distribute our annual

on leading newsstands in the US, Canada, the UK, Europe and
parts of Asia. Winners are also invited to participate in our
annual Directory which is sent free to art buyers, art
directors, design directors at advertising agencies, publishers,
corporate and entertainment industries in the top ten
markets in the US.”

- Charles Hively, 3x3

32
 

 “AI-AP books are sold to Art Directors and Designers though
Direct Mail. All images with contact links are presented online
for free. Books are also sold through worldwide retail
distribution. AI-AP is also distributed to a select group of art
directors and art buyers though our program PREP: Print Run
Ons, Endless Possibilities.”

- Mark Heflin, American Illustration

“Through all of our publications and Gala presentations.

Often times winners are asked to participate in ADC events
and speaker series. We do Q&A’s of top winners in our
newsletter and membership letters.”

- Luke Stoffel, Art Directors Club

As you can see, there are various ways in which each competition
handles the question of promotion, but it seems clear that there is
potentially a lot to be gained in terms of publicity, marketing, and
simply being included in the Illustration community as a whole.


 33

CHAPTER 5
THE ETHICAL COMPETITION

34
 

I
llustration Competitions can be a great way to challenge
yourself and promote your work to a wider, more relevant
audience.

However, there is a difference between fair and unfair

competitions, and sometimes even reputable organizations can miss
the mark. That’s why it’s important to evaluate each one on its
own terms to ensure that your rights are protected and that you
understand what is expected of both you and the contest holder. Be
sure to examine the terms of the competition closely and avoid any
contests that potentially compromise your rights as an artist
without offering enough in return.

To help you determine whether a particular contest is worth your

time and money, here are 4 elements to look for in an ethical art
competition:

1. Clearly Defined Terms

All contest holders should define all details of the competition in

the call for entries, such as the rules, entry fees, list of judges, and
intended usage of the artwork.

2. Statement of Artist’s Rights

In a fair competition, the artist should retain all ownership and

rights to the art, and the contest holder may only use or publish the
image as defined in the call for entries.


 35

3. Fair Award Value

All winners should receive an award that is compatible with fair

market conditions in exchange for any rights that are transferred to
the contest holder.

4. Insured Artwork

The condition of original artwork should be protected and insured

by the contest holder until it is returned to the artist.

Because every competition is different, you’ll need to decide for

yourself which ones are right for you. Hopefully, these 4 key
factors will help you to separate the fair from the unfair and
protect yourself from unethical practices.

36
 

CHAPTER 6
SHOULD YOU ENTER
ILLUSTRATION COMPETITIONS?


 37

Is it worth it?

N
ow that we’ve taken a behind-the-scenes look at the ways
that Illustration competitions are generally run, it’s only
natural to address this question, which every Illustrator
must consider at one point or another in their career.

With the costs involved in entering competitions, although modest,

it makes good business sense to be skeptical about the benefits.
After all, once you’ve submitted your work you are leaving the
results in the hands of the jury, so there is never a guarantee that
your investment will pay off.

The reality of competitions is that the results will vary depending

on who the judges are. Every judge has their own biases towards or
against certain artists, subjects, mediums, or styles. There’s simply
no way of getting around this. It’s entirely possible that you might
create excellent work and still never win an award.

To be sure, it is not entirely necessary for illustrators to enter

competitions. Rather, it’s simply one way to get your work in front
of people in the industry. However, entering shows can be
potentially beneficial in gaining visibility for the Illustrator on many
different levels. If you win, it doesn’t hurt to have awards to show a
form of social proof, and of course it can be a good ego boost to
have your work recognized by professionals in your field.

38
 

Juried competitions can be more effective than pure advertising
because they act as third-party endorsements, and since there are a
good number of judges who also commission work, an Illustrator has
gained exposure even during the judging process, whether they
make the cut or not. In fact, it is not uncommon for a judge to
inquire about who submitted a particular piece once the judging has
been completed. Because of this, even if you don’t win, the judges
have still seen your work, and that’s a good thing because it’s one
of the rare times that you will have an Art Director’s full attention
to your work.

Is Your Work Good Enough to Enter?

Many Illustrators wonder whether or not their work is of a high

enough caliber to submit to Illustration competitions, which is an
important consideration indeed.

One way to determine whether your work is good enough is to look

through the work of past winners and try to imagine your work
alongside theirs. Can you see your work appearing in an annual? A
gallery show?

Of course, there is really no way to ever know for sure, and

sometimes you’ll just need to take a chance and see what happens.
One thing is for sure. If you never enter, you’ll never win, and the


 39

relatively low cost involved makes sure the potential risk is
minimal.

An Educated Decision

Hopefully, this insider’s look at Illustration competitions helps you

to understand the process involved, and to make wiser decisions
about whether or not to take advantage of the promotional
opportunities.

Whenever you’re thinking about submitting work to a competition,

be sure to examine the submission guidelines and browse the list of
jurors to see if the contest is a good fit for you.

The goal of this book has been to demystify the process of

Illustration competitions, so that you can understand what happens
behind the scenes and make educated decisions about your
Illustration business.

40