Narrative Art Award
Narrative Art Award supports illustrators through recognition and a conference opportunity for sequential, wordless artwork that tells a clear, nuanced story with a progression of mood and emotion.
Funder: Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Submissions open) | November 15, 2026, at midnight PST (Submission deadline)
Funding Amounts: All-expense-paid trip to the SCBWI New York Winter Conference
Summary: An annual award recognizing an illustrator’s ability to tell a clear, nuanced visual story through sequential, wordless images.
Key Information: Applicants must be SCBWI Premium members, and submissions must target either picture book or middle grade readers.
Description
The Narrative Art Award is an annual illustration award run by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). It recognizes visual storytelling through sequential images, with an emphasis on clarity, nuance, and a progression of mood and emotion. A rotating panel of judges sets a new theme and assignment each year, assessing both the narrative qualities of the artwork and the effectiveness of its design and composition.
The 2026 assignment marks the 50th anniversary of Apple Computer, Inc. Applicants must create a sequence in which a problem is solved through human ingenuity—or the ingenuity of a feline, canine, or another life-form—rather than technology. The work must be wordless and appropriate for either a picture book or a middle grade book. The winner receives a conference trip and an opportunity to display the winning illustrations.
