Featured among 78 illustrators, AOI Member Nina Mašina was awarded at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2024 in the “Illustrators Exhibition” selection. Nina’s work for the children’s book “Marvelous World” was exhibited in its original form at the heart of the fair, on display for the professional public from the publishing world during 8-11 of April; demonstrating once again the role of the Exhibition as a unique showcase, a springboard for emerging artists and an opportunity also for those with established careers to meet and discover new possibilities. Among the awarded exhibitors were als ..read more

The fifth season of Inside Illustration is now available! The theme for the multi-platform season for AOI Members is book cover illustration for publishing. Inside Illustration Publishing season illustration by Joshua Drewe We’re all drawn to an attractive book cover, and Season 5 is on Illustration for Publishing, focusing on creating imagery for book covers for adult fiction and non-fiction and packed with essential information from experienced art directors and illustrators – check out some of the content below. This Inside Illustration season includes a Podcast with top guests, a four part ..read more

The WIA2023 Touring Exhibition is now on display at the University of Plymouth until 20th April 2024. The exhibition opened on 9th March and has been incredibly popular with students at the University as well as the general public. It includes the 20 Category Winners and 20 Highly Commended projects from WIA2023, as well as the four Cross-Category Award Winners, and two Overall Winners.  The exhibition has been accompanied by a series of illustration workshops including ‘Make Your Own World – A Zine Making Workshop’ and artists in residence have responded to the exhibition. Below are a s ..read more

Phoebe Holden (she/they) is a freelance illustrator based in Cheshire, UK. In between working on pet portraits and projects, they’re an avid sex-ed advocate who enjoys combining their creativity and love for learning into making online resources and illustrations. These resources culminate into ‘Everybody’s Invited’, a space dedicated to the comprehensive, inclusive and positive learning of RSHE (Relationships and Sexual Health Education) with a particular focus on taboo and niche topics that schools often ‘leave out’. Last year Phoebe was invited by BREW to share their insights on Sex Ed in ..read more

The Association of Illustrators is dedicated to protecting the rights of illustrators amidst the evolving AI regulations by the UK government. We have been actively contributing towards regulatory discussions through our work with Creator’s Rights Alliance and the British Copyright Council, as well as submitting several written responses to government, to ensure that the voices of our members are heard. In this news piece, we will bring you up to speed on three important AI regulatory updates. Intellectual Property Office Statement on AI Code of Conduct The Intellectual Property Office (IPO ..read more

The London Book Fair has been a long time supporter of The AOI and The World Illustration Awards, and they are our current sponsor for the Book Covers Category for WIA2024. This year we were delighted to work with LBF 2024 as a host for the WIA2023 Touring Exhibition, which was shown from 12-14 March in Olympia, London. The work shown included the 24 Category and Cross Category Winners of WIA2023. The exhibition was a great success and well received by visitors to LBF 2024. The AOI also hosted a series of talks in the Author HQ on topics such as an AOI Panel Discussion ‘Getting Your Illustrati ..read more

The Awards are now closed for submissions. Thank you to everyone who entered their wonderful work and our partners and sponsors for spreading the word. The Awards team will check entries before the jury gets going with their difficult task of selecting the 500 longlisted projects, 200 shortlisted and 44 winners which we will announce from late May. In the meantime we will post select entries on our WIA Instagram: @WorldIllustrationAwards Feeling the Awards blues now that the Call for Entries is closed? Why not enjoy a browse through last year’s showcase or even visit the touring exhibition in ..read more

by Jo Davies and Derek Brazell Published by Bloomsbury Visual Arts ISBN PB: 978-1-3501-4698-3 eBook: 978-1-3501-4699-0 ePDF: 978-1-3501-4700-3 Review by Karl Anderson Foster The pitch A well-executed guide to the many questions that those new to the illustration profession will need answers to as part of their career. The knowledge that the book offers comes direct from commissioners, clients, agents, associations, and practitioners of illustration. After reading this book you will learn that professional illustration is ever evolving and the opportunities to develop your ..read more

The longlist for the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize is announced today – the only award specifically to recognise a published picture book by a debut illustrator; the winning illustrator receives a cheque for £5,000. Established in 2016, the Prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It honours Klaus Flugge, founder of publisher Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books. Over forty books were submitted for the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize and from 27 different publishing houses; 17 have made it to ..read more

The longlist for the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize is announced today – the only award specifically to recognise a published picture book by a debut illustrator; the winning illustrator receives a cheque for £5,000. Established in 2016, the Prize is awarded to the most promising and exciting newcomer to children’s picture book illustration. It honours Klaus Flugge, founder of publisher Andersen Press and a supremely influential figure in picture books. Over forty books were submitted for the 2024 Klaus Flugge Prize and from 27 different publishing houses; 17 have made it to ..read more