The Guardian launches new illustration prize

Date
27 August 2019

The Guardian has launched a new illustration competition for under-represented artists at early stages in their careers. The winner will receive an £8,000 commission to create the identity for the paper’s presence at Glastonbury festival 2020.

Entrants to the competition have been tasked with creating an illustration for the 2020 identity based on the theme of “hope”. Ten shortlisted artists will have their designs featured on The Guardian’s website, with a further three invited for interview.

Every year the UK newspaper commissions an illustrator to create the look and feel for its Glastonbury coverage. This visual is used on The Guardian’s mini-guide, which festival-goers use to navigate the hefty lineup, the canvas bag given away with each newspaper on site, staff T-shirts and on point of sale signage dotted around Worthy Farm.

The judges for the prize include illustrator Xaviera Altena, who created the 2019 identity; illustrator Matt Blease; Guardian US data editor Mona Chalabi; Sam Jacobs, who leads The Guardian’s in-house creative agency, the paper’s marketing director Sonia Sudhakar, D&AD creative director Katherina Tudball, and Creative Review editor Eliza Williams. The panel will judge entries on its ability to inspire, how it answers the “hope” theme and whether it feels on-brand for The Guardian’s Glastonbury coverage, which “celebrates all that is weird, wonderful and meaningful at the festival, from a love of music, to caring about the environment.”

Kate Davies, Guardian News & Media head of brand and awareness, says in a statement: “The festival is a musical and cultural celebration unlike any other, so we are thrilled to be able to launch this opportunity and provide a platform for an aspiring illustrator to create the look-and-feel of The Guardian’s presence at Glastonbury festival’s 50th anniversary.” 

The competition is open from today (27 August) until 11 October and can be entered here. The winner will be announced in November.

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About the Author

Laura Snoad

Laura is a London-based arts journalist who has been working for It’s Nice That on a freelance basis since 2016.

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