Picture This! 2024

Picture This! is looking for outstanding up-and-coming illustrators, able to tell a story in just three illustrations. Winning Picture This! 2024 Germany-Austria-Switzerland Gives you the spotlight to get your work published with publishers worldwide.

The final selection will be published in an international catalogue and presented to several leading picture book publishing houses at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2025.

Competiton rules

• The illustrations should not have been published before: You may enter only if you have not published an entire picture book with a trade publisher before. You are, however, allowed to enter if you have published educational books or other forms and genres before (e.g. in a poetry anthology, adult fiction, book covers, etcetera).

• It might already exist or it can be one of your own stories: First and far most you’re an illustrator and not a storyteller. It’s great to have you’re own story but if you have not, use a story of someone else. So you can use a classic story as well. We just want to see if you have the talent to tell a story with your illustrations. In the upload-stage you will add a PDF-document that includes the text that goes with each illustration and a short synopsis of the complete story (not more than 250 words).

• Three illustrations, one story: You will tell one story, or part of a bigger story, by three illustrations. Any technique or medium could be used. And always remember: You will create a picture book for children. Be as creative as you can be but never let the story and the audience out of sight.

• With the upload form below you enter the upload stage: You will add you’re three illustrations and a PDF-document that includes the text that goes with each illustration and a short synopsis (not more than 250 words).

Application

The application takes place online using the application form. The deadline is 31 May 2024. 

A professional jury will select the three best entries. Winners will be informed by email but the results will also be announced on the Picture This! website and the socials of Lemniscaat, Bilderbuchmuseum Troisdorf and Fischer Sauerländer in August 2023.