What illustration competitions are BA Hons students generally entered in the UK?

Question

I know Graphic Design students have D&AD, Penguin, New Blood, etc... what about Illustrators?

Answer 1

The AOI (association of illustrators) run a yearly competition which has a student/up-and-comers category. My BA tutor got us all to enter that, and also a number of us submitted entries for the Student Illustrators Yearbook. A few publishing companies like Hamlyn and Black Swan also run yearly illustration competitions which are open to non-students too.

If you do a bit of research yourself you'll find most large illustration competitions have a student/non-professional category which you can enter. If your tutors aren't on the ball about them all, you can always alert your head of year and get your fellow students interested as well.

Personally I think it's the best thing students can do, as it forces you to produce work to a high standard within a tight deadline and, what's more important, gets your name out there.

Good luck!