Open Call for illustration submissions for the exhibition From Illustration to Book at the Malta Book Festival 2024

The National Book Council (NBC), in collaboration with Arts Council Malta (ACM), is issuing a call for submissions for the Malta Book Festival 2024 exhibition From Illustration to Book. The Festival and the exhibition will be taking place between 6–10 November 2024.

This will be the third edition of an exhibition dedicated to book design and illustration as an integral part of the Malta Book Festival events and activities. 

The objective is to showcase the work of Malta’s leading contemporary book illustrators and designers, as well as pay homage to the country’s book illustration pioneers and feature the winning submissions to the publishing section of the Malta Community of Illustrators’ 2024 Illustration Annual. This year, the exhibition will also open its doors to worldwide creatives, with a section dedicated to international illustration.

This initiative forms part of a strategic collaboration between the NBC and ACM which aims to showcase and promote innovation within the local publishing industry to actively encourage, support and cultivate the development of new ideas, creating an environment that stimulates creative thinking and the exploration of new approaches within the local publishing industry. In line with the Festival’s #bindingworlds tagline, this involves including all aspects of the creative professions, promoting art forms, encouraging collaboration among different creative professionals and supporting projects that push the boundaries and aim for excellence.

What We Are Looking For

We would like to invite you to submit illustrations and/or designs to be considered for the 2024 Malta Book Festival exhibition From Illustration to Book. The following will be accepted: 

 a final book cover with typography and illustration;

 or the illustration itself featuring in the book cover as separate from the cover layout;

or an illustration from the interior of the book as part of the book interior layout;

or the illustration itself featuring in the book interior as separate from the layout;

or a graphic design for a published book cover or interior.

The applicant can submit the following type of work, that must have been published by the start date of the Malta Book Festival (6 November 2024): 

1. ‘published’ or ‘self-published’;
2. from a printed book or an e-book;
3. an illustration/graphic design work for a published book (with a Maltese ISBN) by a Maltese or a foreign illustrator/designer.
4. or an illustration/graphic design work by a Maltese illustrator for a foreign book (with a foreign ISBN).
5. or an illustration/graphic design work by a non-Maltese illustrator/designer (with a foreign ISBN).

How to Apply

Please submit a maximum of three (3) artworks in high-res format (pdf, jpg or eps) with a caption containing the following: 

 ILLUSTRATOR

 ARTWORK NAME

 MEDIUM

 CONTACT DETAILS (Instagram or other social media, website)

 BOOK TITLE

Please submit your application via this link, to include the WeTransfer, Dropbox or Google Drive link or similar of the artwork/s, your CV, and a 20-30 word bionote. Kindly ensure that Google Drive links have unrestricted access.

If available, also provide a sketch or artwork at work-in-progress stage or pitching stage, to be featured in a special section about thought process, pitching/commissioning and publication process.

A maximum of two (2) illustrations and/or design per artist will be selected for inclusion in the exhibition. The chosen illustrations will be accompanied by copies of the corresponding publications. 

More details are available in the application form.

Selection Process

The submissions will be reviewed by a committee led by NBC and ACM according to the three criteria listed below:

Idea and context

⚙  Skill and technique

Creativity and innovation

Important Dates

Open Call announcement: Tuesday 11 June 2024

Deadline for submissions: Monday 15 July 2024 at 12 (noon)

Notification of results: Friday 2 August 2024

For more info, send an email to Jasmine Bajada on jasmine-alexa.bajada@gov.mt.