About the Competition

Illustration West is the largest juried illustration competition west of New York. SILA is proud to present established and emerging artists in this exciting representation of contemporary illustration in 2013.

Sponsors

Yodelist is a new marketing platform for members of the commercial art world.
Complete with a highly-verified database of creative contacts, ranging from art buyers and creative teams to art reps and illustrators. Yodelist’s mission is to bring members of the community together in mutually-beneficial ways. Armed with user-friendly features such as our emailer, customer relationship and campaign management tools, and consulting services, Yodelist can help everyone from the professional illustrator down to the emerging artist achieve their promotional goals.

Yodelist is a proud sponsor of the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles and we are happy to provide illustrators everywhere with the finest marketing tools in the industry.

Entry Categories

For examples of work in these categories from last year’s exhibition, browse the Category menu of Illustration West 51.

  • Advertising
    Commissioned and published work used for consumer/trade print ads, fashion, point of-purchase, product, packaging, outdoor, websites and other forms of promotional media.
  • Book
    Commissioned and published work for fiction/non-fiction, hard & soft cover books. Includes children’s, juvenile, young adult, adult, and cookbooks.
  • Children’s Market
    Commissioned and published work used for the children’s market.
  • Editorial
    Commissioned and published work for newspapers, magazines, blogs, courtroom sketches including spots, and humorous works.
  • Entertainment & Visual Development
    Commissioned and published work for promotion or packaging of entertainment events, products and organizations, including: music, motion picture, DVD/video, television, computer games, live entertainment or Commissioned work for a production of a motion picture, animation, video games, and television. Examples: character designs, layout, visual development, background paintings, and storyboards.
  • Gallery
    Any work produced for the purpose of showing at a gallery or museum.
  • Graphic Novels / Comic Books
    Commissioned and published work for fiction/non-fiction, comic books, and graphic novels. Including: character designs, layout, visual development, background paintings, pin-ups, and storyboards.
  • Institutional
    Commissioned and published work for annual reports, corporate projects, capability projects, in-house publications, illustrated company logos, calendars, menus, calligraphy, non self-promotional greeting cards, philatelic, and collectibles.
  • Student
    Work created for classroom projects only. Must include photocopy of student ID with entry.
  • Unpublished & Self-Promotional
    Any self-promotional work, whether commissioned or not commissioned. Sourcebook ads, mailers, gallery work, portfolio pieces, experimental, fine art. Includes all Artist’s Rep or Gallery commissioned work.

Fill out entry forms completely. Email notifications will be sent once final judging has closed. SILA reserves the right to verify information and/or reassign an entry into the correct category. Tearsheets will not be returned and will become the property of SILA.
By submitting entries, artists acknowledge SILA’s right to use images and associated information for public exhibition, education, publication and promotion of Illustration West and SILA – The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles.

Acceptance

All entrants will be notified by email.
Judges’ decisions are final.

Awards

For examples award-winning work from last year’s exhibition, browse the Awards menu of Illustration West 51.

  • Joseph Morgan Henninger Award – Best of Show
    This award is presented to the best of all the Gold Award winners and is named for SILA’s first President during our founding year in 1953.
  • Patrick Nagel Award for Excellence
    This award is presented to the second best of all the Gold Award winners and is named to honor a great illustrator, Patrick Nagel.
  • Gold, Silver and Bronze awards are awarded individually for in each category.

Work entered in the Student and Unpublished / Self-Promotional categories will not be eligible for the Henninger or Nagel Awards.
All accepted entries will receive Certificates of Merit.
Award-winning artwork must be available for use on the Web site.

Scholarship Awards

  • Scholarships are presented to the Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winners from the Student category.
  • Gold – Phillip Hays “I love it. I think it’s terrific.” $1000 Scholarship
  • Silver – Elin Waite & Dick Oden $750 Scholarship
  • Bronze – Bill Tara $500 Scholarship