Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition 2027

The Bologna Illustrators Exhibition is the most important international showcase for children's book illustration. Every year an international jury chooses a small group of illustrators from thousands of entries, and their work is shown at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, the global meeting place for children's publishers, agents, art directors and rights buyers.

The 2027 fair, the 64th edition, takes place from 5 to 8 April 2027 in Bologna, Italy. After the fair, the exhibition travels for about two years to venues in Japan, South Korea, China and elsewhere, and the selected illustrations are published in the Illustrators Annual, distributed in several languages around the world.

For illustrators, selection puts their work in front of the publishers and art directors who attend the fair, and the awards attached to the exhibition include a €15,000 commission for a book and a fully funded master's course.

Who Can Enter the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition?

The competition is open to illustrators of any nationality, professional or beginner, who were born before 31 December 2009. Art school students can enter individually, art schools can submit their students' projects, and publishers can buy entry codes for illustrators they work with.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Picture book illustrators, published or not
• Illustration students and recent graduates
• Art schools and illustration courses
• Comic and editorial illustrators moving into children's books
• Publishers who want to promote their illustrators

What Can You Enter?

Each entry is a set of exactly five illustrations on a single theme, numbered from 1 to 5. The illustrations can be unpublished, or published after 1 January 2025. Any technique is accepted, in colour or black and white.

The five images should work as one project. Most strong entries come from a single book idea: a sequence of scenes from the same story, with consistent characters, palette and style.

Entry Fees

• Individual illustrators: €25 plus VAT
• Students with a code from their school: free
• Students without a school code: €25 plus VAT
• Art schools and publishers: contact the organisers for codes

What Do Selected Entrants Receive?

Exhibition and Annual

• A place in the exhibition at the fair and in its international tour
• Publication in the Illustrators Annual, printed in Italian and English, with Japanese, Korean and Chinese editions

For About 300 Finalists

• Free admission to the 2027 fair
• A portfolio review with a publisher during the Portfolio Marathon on 8 April 2027
• Eligibility for the Bologna Portfolio Award, which includes a trip to the Shanghai International Children's Book Fair in November 2027
• One finalist is chosen to design the visual identity of the 2028 fair

Special Awards

• International Award for Illustration (Bologna Children's Book Fair and Fundación SM): €15,000 for a selected illustrator under 35 to create a book published by SM, plus a solo exhibition at the following fair
• ARS IN FABULA Grant: a full master's course in Illustration for Publishing for a selected illustrator under 30 who has not yet been published

Submission Requirements

Digital Files

• Five illustrations in JPG or PNG
• Up to 5 MB per file, at 150 DPI
• Files numbered from 1 to 5 in reading order

Original Artwork

Selected illustrators must send their originals for the exhibition. Originals must:

• Be no larger than 50 × 70 cm (portrait or landscape)
• Be on paper or flexible board no thicker than 2 mm
• Be sent without frames or mounts
• Match the digital files exactly, without retouching

Illustrators who work digitally send high-quality prints. Shipping and customs costs are paid by the sender.

Important Rules

• The use of artificial intelligence tools in creating the works is not permitted.
• Published work is eligible only if it was published after 1 January 2025.
• The five illustrations must be original and based on the same theme.
• Work submitted to earlier editions cannot be entered again.

When Will Entrants Be Notified?

A five-member international jury of publishers, educators, museum curators and illustrators first selects about 300 finalists and then the illustrators for the exhibition. Results are announced by the end of January 2027.

Things to Consider

• Treat it as a sequence. The jury reads five images as one project, so character, palette and rhythm should hold together.
• Lead with your strongest image. Image number one sets the jury's first impression.
• Show storytelling, not only style. Children's book illustration is about narrative: movement, emotion and page turns.
• Plan for the originals. If you work large, check the size limit before you start, and budget for shipping if you are selected.
• Ask your school for a code. Students with a school code enter for free.
• Prepare for Bologna. Finalists get a portfolio review with a publisher, so have a printed portfolio ready for April.

Enter the Competition

Interested in submitting your work?

Enter the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition 2027

For the complete regulations, the submission form and the student codes, visit the official Bologna Children's Book Fair page.

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

Last verified: October 2, 2026