Watch for soon-to-be-launched Illustration West 57 website: illustrationwest.org
SILA – The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles presents our 56th annual Illustration West.
Illustration West is an annual competition and exhibition highlighting the year’s best illustration – both from L.A. and from all around the world. SILA is proud to represent established and emerging artists and demonstrate that this continues to be an exciting era for illustration.
poster by Bill Morrison – ©2017
Judges
Our Exhibition Sponsors
Competition Rules
- Submission Deadline
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 OCTOBER 15, 2017
- Entry Fee
$35 per entry (standard non-member entrants).
$15 per entry for SILA Members (non-members visit si-la.org for membership details).
$15 per entry for entries in the Student category.
Entry fee in full must accompany all submissions. Entry fees are not refundable.
PAYMENT can be made as you enter each piece or all at once when you uploaded your work by going to 
and choosing “Send Money”. Then, using our main email address info@si-la.org, follow their directions. You can put “ILW56” in the notes field. You can also mail a check (USD). Contact Alyce at the office if you have any questions. 800-799-6368 or info@si-la.org.
-
- Exhibition Fee – Only paid if you are accepted by the judges and choose to exhibit
$55 per accepted entry (standard non-member entrants).
$35 for SILA Members.
$35 for students exhibiting their own artwork in the Student category.
The exhibition fee is required for inclusion on the illustrationwest.org website. There is no extra charge for the public gallery hanging but you must be part of the Illustration West website exhibition to be included in the public gallery exhibition. - Eligibility
Except for the Visual Development category, any illustration created in or published between June 2016 and June 2017 is eligible. The work in Visual Development category can date back 2 years. Entries from around the world are welcome. - Procedure
Each original illustration is a separate entry. Do not submit campaigns or complete books as one entry. Complete and submit an entry form for each individual piece – uploading your images and all applicable details. Fees can be paid using Paypal, your bank’s on line service (QuickPay, POP Money, Bill Pay) or by mail with a check or money order.
Entry Categories
For examples of work in these categories from last year’s exhibition, you can browse the Category menu of Illustration West 55.
- 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 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 instructor and school for each 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.
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 55.
- 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
P.O. Box 8143 Van Nuys, CA 91409-8143
- Exhibition Fee – Only paid if you are accepted by the judges and choose to exhibit
