Post Wave Prize for Illustration – Terms and Conditions

1. THE ORGANISER 

1. The Post Wave Prize for Illustration (the ‘Competition’) is awarded for a book cover and one double page spread of full colour art for an illustrated children’s book of fiction or non-fiction based on the theme ‘Time for Tea’ 

2. The Competition is run by Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd, a company registered in the United Kingdom with a registered number 14838766 and a registered office at Runway East Bloomsbury, 24-28 Bloomsbury Way, London, UK, WC1A 2SN, supported by Anxi County Historical and Cultural Research Association, Fujian Province, China. Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd is the promoter of the Competition 

3. By entering the competition, you are accepting these Terms and Conditions 

2. ELIGIBILITY OF ENTRANTS 

1. To be eligible for the Competition, you must: 

• be aged 18 or over at the time of entry 
• be previously commercially unpublished and not have entered into a publishing contract or accepted an offer of publication from a publisher anywhere in the world in respect of any of your children’s book illustrations 
• not be a director or employee of Post Wave Publishing  UK Ltd (or a member of their immediate family or household) or be connected with the running or judging of the Competition  

2. Entrants may only submit one entry 

3. Entrants may be represented by an agent

4. There can only be one named entrant per entry (joint entries are not permitted). Wherein an illustrator collaborates with a writer, it is the illustrator who is eligible to enter the Competition and win a prize and not the writer

5. Post Wave Publishing UK reserves the right to verify and moderate the eligibility of the Competition entrants 

6. There is no fee to enter the competition, although entrants are responsible for all costs associated with preparing and submitting their entries 

3. ELIGIBILITY OF SUBMISSIONS 

1. Entries to the competition must comply with the submission criteria set out in these Terms and Conditions 

2. Submitted artwork, or any part of the submission, must not have been: 

• Generated by AI (artificial intelligence) technologies
• Previously published in the children’s books genre (other than non-commercially such as on your own website or social media)  
• Previously shortlisted or the winner of any other illustration award or competition

3. During the judging process entrants are requested not to submit their entry, or any part of their entry, to other publishers or to any other illustration awards or competitions. Once the winners and highly commended entries have been notified, non-selected entrants are free to submit their pieces elsewhere. Winning and highly commended entrants grant Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd the right of first refusal to publish illustrated children’s books derived from or based on their submitted work

4. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES 

The Competition is open for entries between 09.30 (BST) on 1st October 2025 and 17.30 (GMT) on 7^th January 2026. Entries received after the closing date and time will not be accepted

5. THE BRIEF 

• All entrants must submit full colour art for a book cover and one spread for a children’s illustrated fiction or non-fiction book 
• The theme for the Competition is ‘Time for Tea’ 
• Entrants should bear in mind the appropriateness of content for a child reader 
• Entries must be an original work, and you must ensure that your entry does not infringe the right of any other party  

6. THE FORMAT 

1. Submissions must be made digitally. Postal submissions will not be accepted 

2. In instances where the submission is for a book with novelty elements, entries should include photographs of artwork or scanned artwork to demonstrate the novelty elements 

3. The page size of the book cover and page size of the double page spread should not exceed 297 x 420mm (11.5 x 16.5 inches) 

7. THE TEXT 

1. The text may be fiction or non-fiction. The entrant may: 

• Devise their own text 
• Collaborate with a writer (please see 2.iv and 9.iii) 
• Use a traditional story that is in the public domain 

2. The text may be typed or clearly handwritten and can be in any language. Please include an English translation 

3. Text generated by AI will not be accepted 

8. THE ARTWORK 

1. Artwork may be supplied either at the same size as the original or up to 30% larger than the page size 

2. Any medium may be used but please bear in mind any media that will not reproduce well in printed book form 

3. Type should be as legible as possible 

4. Artwork generated by AI will not be accepted 

9. JUDGING 

1. The judges will be looking for stand-out illustrations that show a strong interplay between pictures and text 

2. In regard to the book cover, the judges will be looking for entries that demonstrate an understanding of the children’s book market and that have given due consideration to that market context  

3. The judges will select the winning entries based on the illustrations and not the text 

4. Entries can be aimed at the younger or older end of the illustrated children’s book market but should keep the child audience in mind 

5. The judges’ decision is final 

6. For the judging of the competition, entrants will be anonymous, so entrants must not include their name or any personal details on the artwork itself 

10. SUBMISSION OF ENTRIES 

1. Submissions must be made via the form at:  www.postwavepublishing.com/about/post-wave-prize-for-illustration 

2. Please complete the form in English as directed and be ready to upload your digital files as follows 

3. Your entry files should be no larger than A3 size (11.5×16.5 inches/297x420mm) and supplied digitally. Ensure any fonts used are embedded within the file. Alongside your submitted entry of a book cover and a spread, you may also supply up to 3 digital images in support of your work. For example, images showing close-up details of your art, images showing your creative processes or images of any novelty elements.    

4. Entries should be supplied as JPEGs or PDFs only and must not exceed 10Mb in size in total. Please use the following file-naming convention:  
   Lastname_Firstname_BOOKCOVER  
   Lastname_Firstname_SPREAD  
   Lastname_Firstname_IMAGE_1  
   Lastname_Firstname_IMAGE_2   
   Lastname_Firstname_IMAGE_3 

11. THE PRIZES 

1. The winner of the first prize (the ‘Winner’) will receive: 

• £3,000 prize money – approximately $4,000 
• A fully funded, creative trip to the Anxi County region of China 
• Detailed feedback from Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd on their submission 
• A portfolio review from Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd 
• An opportunity for their proposal to be developed into a book to be contracted and published by Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd 
• Their winning work displayed at the Post Wave Publishing stand at Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2026 

2. Highly commended entries will receive: 

• Detailed feedback from Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd on their submission 
• A portfolio review from Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd  

3. Shortlisted candidates will be notified via email by Friday 13^th February 2026 and will be asked to answer a short questionnaire and to provide a photograph to be used on social media.  Prize winners will be notified via email by Monday 2^nd March 2026 

4. Prize winners and highly commended entrants are requested not to post on social media or publicly announce that they have won or been highly commended until Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd has confirmed that they may do so 

5. The winning and highly commended entrants may be asked to supply artwork or a high-quality printed version of their entries suitable for exhibition at their own cost 

6. The monetary prize will be awarded by way of bank transfer. Winners will be required to provide their bank details and to submit an invoice 

Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd does not guarantee that the Winner will be offered a publishing contract. Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd reserves the right of first refusal on the winning entry and any of the highly commended proposals for publication, and each entrant (Winner and Highly Commended) agrees to enter good faith discussions with Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd if their submission is considered for publication 

GENERAL 

1. Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd reserves the right to: a) cancel the competition, b) alter the details of the prizes or the judging panels, and/or c) alter any other details of the competition without notice. Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd will try to avoid creating any undue disappointment. No cash alternative or alternatives to the prizes will be provided 

2. Any personal data submitted by entrants will be used by Post Wave Publishing UK Ltd for the purposes of this competition. The information will be deleted within six months of the announcement of the winners

3. If you have any questions about the Competition, please email: PWPrize@postwavepublishing.com 
    
4. These terms and conditions should be read alongside our privacy policy: https://postwavepublishing.com/privacy-policy/