Tag Archives: international competitions

APILA FIRST IMPRESSION AWARD

Application Deadline: 16 February 2025

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 2025, the thirteenth 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 book with an ISBN until June 14, 2024. 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 originals or adaptations of stories free of copyright.

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: front cover, spine and back cover are not included in the 40 pages of the book.

To avoid postal mailings, entrants should submit the following files by e-mail to apilaediciones@gmail.com, indicating in the header of the e-mail message, “LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_FIRST_PRINTING”:

A PDF file (maximum 15 megabytes) of the finished book or, failing that, of the layout of the book with a minimum of five finished double-page spreads and the rest sketched. The file must be named, indicating the surname and first name of the illustrator plus the word “LAST NAME_FIRST NAME_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 writer and illustrator, the percentage of 10% will be divided between them according to the prior agreement reached by both.

The award will be granted to one project only

APPLY

MEST AFRICA CHALLENGE

Application Deadline: October 4, 2024

LOCATION: Norway

As MEST continues to deepen her influence on Africa’s tech landscape, the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) remains Africa’s premier pitch competition for Africa’s emerging tech entrepreneurs, bringing together relevant stakeholders all across the continent and globe to learn more about the happenings on the tech scene. This year will mark the 6th edition of MAC. MEST will provide the winning startup with investment capital, coaching and access to a global network of resources and partners as they build and scale successful businesses that add value to African economies and livelihoods.

ELIGIBILITY:

Early-stage Agritech startup

Monthly Recurring Revenue: A minimum of $5k

Funding raised: $0 to $1M cumulative

Years in existence: 3 years and below

Traction: At least 6 months of recurring revenue

Must be operating in one of the 14 MAC countries (Benin, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali and Togo)

Founding team: At least 2 founding team members

Registered in Delaware (This is preferred)

Any business model (B2B, B2C, B2B2C, B2G etc…)

All participants must pitch in English

BENEFIT:

The Grand Prize of MAC 2024 is $50,000 in equity investment, access to MEST Portfolio resources and strategic partnerships, 1 year professional business coaching in addition to other benefits and prizes for the overall winner.

APPLY