All competitions · Open call / exhibition
Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition 2027
Bologna Children's Book Fair (BolognaFiere) · Bologna, Italy
International juried illustration showcase at Bologna Children's Book Fair. Entrants submit exactly five themed illustrations for children's books; registration 28 July–26 October 2026, €25 fee, students free.
Your eligibility
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Who can enter
- Location
- Open worldwide
- Age
- 17 and over
- Career stage
- Student, Emerging, Mid-career, Established
- Mediums
- Illustration
- Theme
- children's books
- Entries
- Up to 5 works per artist
- AI
- No AI-generated work
- Size limits
- JPG or PNG, max 5 MB, 150 dpi per image
- Submission
- Online submission
- Also
- Born before 31 December 2009. Exactly five illustrations on the same theme, unpublished or published after 1 January 2025. No AI-generated work.
About
The Illustrators Exhibition is the annual juried showcase of the Bologna Children's Book Fair, open to illustrators of any nationality born before 31 December 2009, including professionals, emerging artists and students. Each entrant submits exactly five illustrations on a shared theme intended for children's books, either unpublished or published after 1 January 2025, in any technique; AI tools are not permitted.
Registration and upload run from 28 July to 26 October 2026 on the fair's website. The fee is €25 plus VAT where applicable; students with a code from their school enter free. An international jury of five selects around 300 finalists who are published in the Illustrators Annual and exhibited at the fair in Bologna on 5–8 April 2027.
Finalists under 35 are shortlisted for the €15,000 International Award for Illustration, and those under 30 compete for the ARS IN FABULA scholarship. Results are announced at the end of January 2027.