Apila's First Printing Award 2027

Apila's First Printing Award (Premio Apila Primera Impresión) is an international picture book competition for illustrators who have never published a children's book. It is organised by the Spanish publisher Apila Ediciones, in collaboration with the Aragon School of Design (ESDA) and with the support of Zaragoza City Council. The 2027 call is the fourteenth edition.

Its purpose is simple: to help an illustrator make the step from portfolio to published book. The prize is not a certificate or an exhibition but a professional publishing contract. The winning project is published by Apila with international distribution, and the author receives €4,000.

Entry is free, there is no limit on the number of projects you can send, and projects can be submitted in Spanish or English. A finished book is not required: a dummy with at least five finished spreads is enough.

Who Can Enter the First Printing Award?

Illustrators of any nationality who are at least 18 years old and who had no children's book published with an ISBN by 30 June 2026.

• Self-published books with an ISBN do not count against you, as long as they were not produced through a publishing house or a paid editorial service company.
• If the project is a collaboration between a writer and an illustrator, the "not yet published" condition applies only to the illustrator.
• The rights to the project must be free of any commitment to third parties.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Illustrators preparing their first picture book
• Illustration students and recent graduates
• Self-published author-illustrators
• Writer and illustrator pairs
• Illustrators from Spanish- and English-speaking markets

What Can You Enter?

A children's picture book project, written in Spanish or in English. The story can be original or an adaptation of a tale that is free of copyright. You can enter as many projects as you like; only one project will win.

Format

• Any format is accepted
• No more than 40 pages (20 double-page spreads), including the credits page, title page and endpapers
• The front cover, spine and back cover are not counted in the 40 pages

Finished Book or Dummy

You can send either the finished book, or a dummy with at least five finished double-page spreads and the rest of the book in sketch form.

Entry Fees

Entry is free.

What Do Selected Entrants Receive?

One project wins a professional publishing contract with Apila Ediciones, which includes:

• A payment of €4,000 to the author or authors, equivalent to 10% of the value of the first print run
• Publication of the book within the year of the call
• International distribution and promotion of the book
• Management of the book's international rights by Apila for twelve years
• The words "Premio Apila Primera Impresión" printed on the published edition

If the rights are shared between a writer and an illustrator, the 10% is divided between them as they agree.

Apila may also show a selection of the submitted projects as part of the exhibition programme of the Aragon School of Design.

Submission Requirements

• One PDF file per project, up to 15 MB
• Submitted through the registration form on the Apila Ediciones website
• Either the finished book or a dummy with at least five finished spreads

Projects are sent digitally only, so there is no need to post originals.

Important Rules

• Generative AI tools such as Midjourney, DALL-E or Stable Diffusion must not be used to create, edit or complete the illustrations. Detection of AI at any stage leads to immediate disqualification.
• All work must be original and unpublished, made by a human author.
• The project must not exceed 40 pages, excluding covers.
• The jury can leave the award void if no project meets the standard.
• Taking part means accepting the rules and, if you win, the publishing conditions.

When Will Entrants Be Notified?

The jury is appointed by Apila Ediciones and includes a member of the publishing house, a lecturer in Artistic Drawing and Colour at the Aragon School of Design, and two well-known figures from education, design or communication. The decision is made in March 2027 and published on the Apila website, Facebook and Instagram.

Things to Consider

• Check that you qualify. Look carefully at the ISBN rule before you start; self-publishing is fine, publishing through a company is not.
• Five finished spreads are enough. Spend your time making those five excellent rather than finishing every page.
• Make the sketches readable. The rough pages must let the jury follow the whole story.
• Write the text carefully. The jury reads the project as a book, not only as illustrations.
• Plan within 40 pages. Storyboard the whole book first, including endpapers and title pages.
• Stay away from AI. Any use of generative AI in the illustrations disqualifies the project.

Enter the Competition

Interested in submitting your work?

Enter Apila's First Printing Award 2027

For the complete rules in English and Spanish and the registration form, visit the official Apila Ediciones page.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: October 2, 2026