Category Archives: competition

CALL FOR APILA’S FIRST PRINTING AWARD 2026

Application Deadline: 15/02/2026

LOCATION: Spain

The publishing house Apila Ediciones, in collaboration with the School of Design of Aragón and with the support of the Zaragoza City Council, announces the Apila’s First Impression Award 2026, the fourteenth edition of an International Illustrated Children’s Book competition aimed at strengthening graphic and literary creation by supporting illustrators who have not yet published any books.

ELIGIBILITY:

All illustrators who wish to participate, of any nationality, over 18 years old, may enter this award without any limitation on the number of projects. A necessary condition for participation is not having any published children’s books with an ISBN until June 30, 2025. However, those who have one or more self-published books with an ISBN may participate, provided that these books were not published through a publishing house or editorial services company. In cases where the project is a collaboration (text by one person and illustrations by another), the condition of not having any published books applies exclusively to the illustrator. Additionally, the rights to the submitted works must be free of commitments to third parties.

The works submitted, written in Spanish or English, may be original or adaptations of stories free of copyright.

The award will be granted to one project only.

The projects may have any format but may not exceed 40 pages (20 double pages), including legal pages (credits page and title page) and flyleaves. The cover: the front cover, spine and back cover are not included in the 40 pages of the book.

BENEFIT:

The award will consist of the signing of a professional contract with Apila Ediciones for the publication of the selected work, which will include the payment to the author(s) of €4,000, equivalent to 10% of the value of the first print run of the book, as well as the dissemination and international distribution of the book.

In the event that the rights of the project are shared between the writer and illustrator, the percentage of 10% will be divided between them according to the prior agreement reached by both.

The winning author or authors shall, in said contract, transfer the rights of the book to Apila for publication and for the international management of those rights for a period of twelve years.

APPLY

WERGLE FLOMP HUMOR POETRY CONTEST

Application Deadline: April 1, 2026

LOCATION: USA

Now in its 25th year, this contest seeks today’s best humor poems. No fee to enter. Submit published or unpublished work.

ELIGIBILITY:

No fee to enter. Judge: Jendi Reiter, assisted by Lauren Singer. One poem only, please. Length limit: 250 lines maximum. No restriction on age of author. Both unpublished and previously published work are accepted. Authors from all countries are eligible except Iran, North Korea, Crimea, Russia, and Belarus (due to US government restrictions).

This is a contest for humor poems, not serious poems. Serious poems will not be judged. The poem you submit should be in English. Inspired gibberish is also accepted.

Read the winning poems from our 24th contest. First time entering? They prepared this brief video to guide you. See also their short entry checklist, then click the button below to submit. The results of their 25th contest will be announced on August 15, 2026.

BENEFIT:

First Prize: $2,000 plus a two-year gift certificate from our co-sponsor, Duotrope (a $100 value)

Second Prize: $500

Third Prize: $250

Honorable Mentions: 10 awards of $100 each

Top 13 entries published online

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