Organizer Information
Booooooom is an online art and culture platform that showcases contemporary creativity across illustration, visual art, photography, film, design, and other creative disciplines. Through artist features, editorial content, and open calls, the platform connects artists with audiences and creative professionals worldwide. The Booooooom Illustration Awards provide an opportunity for illustrators to gain recognition, showcase their work, and compete for cash prizes and professional art supplies. The 2026 edition is supported by BenQ, True Grit Texture Supply, and Clip Studio Paint, with an international panel of guest judges.
Title & Description
2026 Booooooom Illustration Awards — International Call for Illustrators
The 2026 Booooooom Illustration Awards invite illustrators and artists worldwide to submit original illustrations created in 2025 or 2026. The competition celebrates creative excellence across personal projects, editorial illustration, product design, advertising, and student work.
The awards aim to recognize outstanding illustration, increase artists’ professional visibility, and introduce selected work to a broader creative audience. Five category winners will receive cash awards, creative equipment, digital art resources, and opportunities for editorial exposure. Selected finalists will also be featured on the official awards website and promoted through Booooooom’s digital channels.
Categories
- Personal: Self-directed illustrations created for artistic exploration and personal development. Non-commissioned work only.
- Editorial: Illustrations produced for newspapers, magazines, journals, and digital publications. Commissioned work only.
- Product & Merchandise: Illustrations designed for art prints, clothing, stickers, album artwork, book covers, labels, packaging, and other physical or digital products.
- Advertising & Promotional: Illustrations created to promote brands, products, services, events, organizations, or campaigns, including posters, advertisements, promotional murals, and social media content.
- Student: Non-commissioned illustrations created while the artist was enrolled in any school, including work produced in 2025 or 2026.
Eligibility
The awards are open internationally to illustrators and artists working in traditional or digital media. Applicants may submit eligible work created in 2025 or 2026. The Student category is restricted to work created while the applicant was enrolled in an educational institution.
Generative AI artwork is not eligible in any category. Applicants must identify whether their projects were commissioned or non-commissioned in their descriptions. Personal and Student submissions must be non-commissioned, while Editorial submissions must be commissioned. Both commissioned and non-commissioned projects are accepted in Product & Merchandise and Advertising & Promotional.
Program Benefits & Awards
Five category winners will share a total cash prize pool of $5,000 USD, with each winner receiving $1,000 USD. Additional prizes include:
- A BenQ Creative Pro monitor selected for the winning category.
- A True Grit Texture Supply Everything Bundle, including its available brushes, textures, actions, and effects.
- A two-year Clip Studio Paint EX license.
- An interview and feature on Booooooom.
- Promotion across Booooooom’s social media channels and inclusion on the awards mini-site.
The competition will also select a shortlist of 20 illustrators and a longlist of 200 illustrators. Selected artists in these groups will be featured on the awards mini-site and receive a six-month Clip Studio Paint PRO license.
The 2026 judging panel includes artist Jean Jullien, Bloomberg Businessweek Senior Art Director Claudia Rubín, creative director Hassan Rahim, and illustrator and graphic designer Naomi Otsu.
Application Fee
One free submission is available to every participant: one image in one category. Additional free submissions are not permitted.
Optional paid submission packages are available at the advertised early-bird rates:
- Free Submission: One image in one category — $0.
- Category Submission: Up to 10 images in one category — $25 USD.
- Awards Pass: Unlimited submissions and images across all categories — $50 USD.
Paid submissions may include multiple projects where permitted by the category rules. Check the official submission page for current pricing and payment instructions.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 12 November 2026
- Deadline extension: The organizer reserves the right to extend the deadline by up to 30 days, with any extension announced on the official awards page.
Location
Online / Canada
Additional Details
Applicants should carefully follow the category-specific rules, especially the restrictions on commissioned work. Each project description must clearly state whether the work was commissioned and include art director credit where appropriate. Participants may submit additional paid entries, but the free submission allowance is limited to one image in one category.
Shipping restrictions apply to BenQ monitor prizes in certain countries and territories. If delivery cannot be arranged for a winner in a restricted location, the organizer states that it will make reasonable efforts to resolve the issue; if delivery remains impossible, an additional $200 USD cash prize may be offered instead, subject to an invoice.