International illustration online competition

JIA Illustration Award 2025

Call for entries from April 1 to June 30.

This is an illustration contest (competition) that the Japan Illustrators' Association (JIA) recruits from all over the world once a year.
The total prize money is 800,000 yen, and there are also supplementary prize.
Anyone, professional or amateur, can apply.
This open call for participants exhibition is being held to discover new illustrators.
This is a public exhibition that will be a gateway for illustrators who have the ability but have not yet seen the light of day, and who cannot meet big jobs.
Many people involved in publishing and advertising are paying attention.
The winning works will be exhibited at the "JIA Illustration Award winning works Exhibition" in China.

You can see the winners 2024.

If you can read Japanese, click here.

Information about JIA Illustration Award

Please read carefully the application requirements below.

The guidance of each prize

GRAND PRIX	1 artist	Prize money 500,000 yen Digital certificatete Supplementary prize
Gold award	1 artist	Prize money 200,000 yen Digital certificatete Supplementary prize
Platinum award	1 artist	Prize money 100,000 yen Digital certificatete Supplementary prize
Silver award	20artists	Digital Certificate Supplementary prize
Bronze award	30artists	Digital Certificate Supplementary prize

Application essential points of this competition

Qualifications

Anyone, professional or amateur, can apply.

The genre of the works

You can apply for works of any genre, including hand-painted works, digital works, and three-dimensional works.

Conditions of the works that can be applied

They must be original works which have not been used for jobs.
Illustrations created for work, are not accepted.
Works that use AI even in part are not permitted.
The images you show on your web site are OK.
The limit to the number of entries is 5.

Hand drawing works

Scan them or take photos and turn them into digital data.

Three-dimensional works

Take 3 photos of each work from 3 directions and make them one set.
However, if the background is changed or the layout is changed, it will be regarded as another work.

Digital data

Make your works JPEG files, color mode should be RGB.
Put one illustration in a file without any text in it

Data size

The width and the heights should be within 2,000 pixels.
If you apply for more than one files, put them together in one folder and compress it to send.

The name of the files

First name_Last name_number.jpg (ex. andy_warhol_1.jpg)

How to pay the entry fee

You can pay the entry fee via PayPal when you apply .

Entry fee

Number	General	JIA member
1 piece	5,000 yen	4,000 yen
2 pieces	9,000 yen	7,000 yen
3 pieces	12,000 yen	9,000 yen
4 pieces	14,000 yen	10,000 yen
5 pieces	15,000 yen	11,000 yen

JIA member means a member of Japan Illustrators' Association.
Confirm the amount for the number of exhibited works above and pay with PayPal from the form when apply.
Please do not pay before applying as It takes time to confirm.
The applicant name and PayPal registered name should be the same.
(Failure to match may result in disqualification)

Matter of list in the entry form

Name / gender / email address / real address / phone number / the title of the works / used art supplies or application soft / Comment on your works/ etc.

How to send your works

Attach your works to the entry form.
If you can not send them via entry form, you can make entry by email.
Write "the matter of list in the entry form" into your email, and attach your works, and send them to the following email address.

The application period

We accept the entry from April 2 to June 30.

Examination

First : The beginning of July
Second : The end of July

The announcement of the award winning works

We inform the prize winners via email directly.
Make sure you can receive the email from

.
If you can not receive the email, we may assume it disqualification.
We do not email to the losers.
The progress will be reported on the Facebook page at any time, so please click the "Nice!" button.
Then upload the award winning images to our website in August.

Prize money and certificate

We will send the digital certificate by the end of September.
And we pay the prize money via PayPal.

Supplementary award

In case the winners enroll JIA during the specified period, the enrollment fee and annual membership fee will be exempted.
GRAND PRIX, Gold award,Silver award : Both of the enrollement fee and annual membership will be exempted.
(In case the winner is a JIA member already, the annual membership fee will be exempt from the next renewal. )
Bronze award : Only enrollement fee will be exempted.
An enrollment guide is on this page.

The copyright of the images for this competition belongs to each illustrators.
Japan Illustrators' Association have right to use the copyright of the prize winner.

Exhibition

Award-winning works can be exhibited free of charge at the "JIA Illustration Award Winning Works Exhibition" held in China.
A collection of winning works will be published, and winners can post their works for free.
Winners will be contacted directly by At Design Co.,Ltd the organizer of the exhibition.
The content entered in the work entry form and the exhibitor contact form (published when the winners are announced) will be used as the caption for the exhibition, as well as the manuscript for the catalog and website.
Since the award-winning works will be printed in China, please send data in A3 size, 300 dpi resolution, and CMYK mode.
For further information, click this link.

Sponsorship

Japan Illustrators' Association
https://jpn-illust.com/

Notes

Please register the email address that can be contacted. (PC recommended)
If the application name and PayPal account name are different, please let us know.
In case we cannot confirm the entry fee, you will be disqualified.

(Validity from April 2 to June 30)

Judge method details

A screening committee will be formed and will be conducted strictly.
Five judges will give points to writers selected from among those who have passed the first screening.

points	artists
10pt	1
8pt	2
6pt	5
4pt	8
2pt	10
1pt	20

Each prize will be decided in descending order of the number of points earned by each artist.