SILA – The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles presents our 62nd annual Illustration West, chaired by Jon Messer.

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.

Scroll down to see Judges (and links to their interviews ),  AI Declaration, and our Exhibition Sponsor and Awards information

© 2023 Martin French

AI Declaration

The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles is fully aware that technological tools such as AI are part of a modern illustrator’s workflow. We believe that real artwork is made by humans, not generated entirely by an Artificial Intelligence program. This warranty seeks to assure that a trained human artist is creating a finished piece of art using traditional and or modern tools and submitting their human made artwork for our consideration.

Judges

Jennifer Bruce

 

 

 

 

 

Read the interview with Jennifer Bruce by Jon Messer.

 

 

Ted (Slampyak) Kinyak

 

 

 

 

Read the interview with Ted “Slampyak” Kinyak by Jon Messer.

 

 

Jorge Mascarenhas

 

 

 

 

Read the interview with Jorge Mascarenhas by Jon Messer.

 

 

Mark Smith

 

 

 

 

 

Read the interview with Mark Smith by Jon Messer.

 

 

Tetiana “Tania” Yakunova

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read the interview with Tetiana “Tania” Yakunova by Jon Messer.

 

 

Our Exhibition Sponsor

 

 

 

 

 

 

Entry Categories

• 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.
• Cartoon
  Commissioned and published work used in newspaper strips, newspaper panels, TV animation, feature animation, newspaper illustration, gag cartoons, book illustration, greeting cards, comic books, magazine feature/magazine illustration, and editorial cartoons.
• 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.

Awards

• 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 Gallery, 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