Opportunities

BO it! International Illustration Contest 2023

BO it! International Illustration Contest 2023 has been recently opened for entries in its 3rd edition.

The illustration contest invites creative people from every background to participate!

The project wants to promote creative work, facilitate networking and exchange between artists, including non-professional artists and people belonging to protected categories. In each edition, artists are asked to propose their vision of the city of Bologna addressing the chosen topic along with a “shape”.

The theme of this edition focuses on climate change and carbon neutrality. Along with 100 other cities, Bologna is selected to become a carbon neutral city by 2030. Thanks to the powerful and original contributions of image creators entering the contest, the project wants to promote the city’s image beyond it’s limits.

You can submit up to 3 illustrations.

The Jury

The jury, composed of illustration and visual communication experts and representatives of sponsoring institutions, will select 30 artworks, including three winners (one of the prizes will be reserved for an artist in the protected categories) by June 2023.

The official exhibition of the finalist artworks will be presented in the city of Bologna, along with a catalog and will be organized a series of activities about the results of the contest, including traveling exhibitions in bookstores throughout the biennium 2023-2024, until the next edition of the prize!

Submission requirements

The “shape” of the third edition of the contest represents the outline of the city of Bologna (“cresta” or “circla”) which recalls the cell of a beehive.

Use the shape for your artwork proposal, respecting the proportions indicated. You can use any technique, manually or digitally, but the final digital format must be in 72 dpi, max 1 Mb.

Eligibility

The international call is open to everyone, no age limit and you can participate individually or collectively.

Benefits for You

➜ First Prize Sconfinando Bologna | € 800 and a solo exhibition at the Millennium Gallery in Bologna at Palazzo Gnudi on a date to be determined (by May 2024).

➜ Second Prize Un segno d’impatto with the sponsorship of zeroCO2 | € 500.

➜ Third Prize | A voucher to the value of 200€ for the purchase of fine arts instruments and materials.

➜ Audience award | the first prize in BO it! history to be granted by the citizens of Bologna themselves. The winning illustrations will be published in the Annual 2024 of Image Authors Association (AI), partner of BOit! International Contest.

The selected works, along with the three winning works, may receive special mentions and will be exhibited to the public in a collective exhibition. The selected artworks will also be published in a catalog and will circulate around Italy through a traveling exhibition in bookstores throughout 2023-24. Each selected illustrator will be honored with the adoption of a tree by zeroCO2.

Apply Here

No entry fee is required to participate!

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