Hachette New Zealand is delighted to launch the Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize. Margaret Mahy’s books have entertained and enthralled generations of NZ readers and this prize offers the unique opportunity for an unpublished New Zealand-based illustrator to illustrate Mahy’s 1971 classic, The Boy with Two Shadows.
Illustrators are invited to interpret this iconic story of a witch asking a young boy to mind her shadow while she goes on holiday. Think as creatively as possible, for example, The Boy with Two Shadows could be The Girl with Two Shadowsor the setting could move to the future or to a mythical land.
Working closely with the Margaret Mahy Estate, Hachette NZ will award a $1000 cash prize, a $500 library of books and the opportunity for this project to be developed into a published picture book. The Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize is part of a year long celebration marking the 50th anniversary of A Lion in the Meadow.
How to Enter:
Register to enter below. Once registered we will email you the text for the story and instructions on how to submit your illustrations. You have until 12pm Friday, 26 July 2019 to submit your entry. The shortlist will be announced on Thursday, 8 August 2019 and the winner will be announced on Thursday, 29 August 2019.
Your submission will need to fit the following specifications:
- Roughs for 11 spreads and final artwork for 4 spreads.
- There is a choice of two formats for the finished book: 250mm x 250mm or 250mm (high) x 180mm (wide). Please choose the format best suited to your style.
- Artwork must be created in spreads, at 100% size, or up to 30% larger, allowing at least 5mm bleed.
- Any medium may be used, but final artwork must be flat so that it can be scanned. Illustrations with novelty elements or 3D structures will not be eligible.
- Artwork should be supplied digitally as one low res PDF. File size must be no larger than 10MB.
- Original artwork should be created in high res should your entry be successful and selected for print.
- Flattened text on a PDF is acceptable, but original high res files should place text on a separate layer.
- Text should be in black, either typed or handwritten.
- Please ensure the file is labelled with your full name as follows: firstname_lastname.pdf.