The International Silent Book Contest 2027 – Gianni De Conno Award is an international illustration competition devoted exclusively to new and unpublished wordless picture books. Organized and promoted by Carthusia Edizioni, it invites creators to develop complete stories through illustrated images alone, with an open theme and no restrictions on genre or intended reader age.
Entries must present a finished and stylistically coherent sequence of illustrations rather than a storyboard or work in progress. Projects may use color or black and white and any traditional or digital illustration technique, but the narrative must remain visual; apart from the title, an optional subtitle and purely decorative lettering, words cannot be used to explain the story.
The contest highlights visual storytelling capable of crossing language and age boundaries within an international publishing context. Its fixed picture-book format challenges entrants to demonstrate narrative clarity, pacing, sequencing and artistic consistency across a complete publication-ready project.
Entry fee: €60 per project; each author may submit up to three projects, and the registration fee is non-refundable.
Eligibility
Open to authors, illustrators and artists of any nationality who are at least 18 years old by January 15, 2027, submitting one to three original, complete and unpublished worldwide wordless illustrated-book projects; AI-generated imagery, photography, pop-ups, comics, cartoons, coloring books, unfinished layouts and projects simultaneously entered, selected or awarded in other competitions or events are not permitted.
Prize
An International Jury will normally select 10 to 16 finalist projects for exhibition at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair 2027 and the Salone Internazionale del Libro di Torino. The main winning project is scheduled for publication by Carthusia Edizioni by June 2027 under a standard publishing contract, with €2,500 paid as an advance on royalties; the publisher may decline publication if the project is considered unsuitable, and the jury may decide not to name a winner. A separate Junior Prize will be decided by selected primary-school classes between September and November 2027, with the winner announced by December 2027 and publication planned for the first months of 2028, again subject to Carthusia Edizioni’s discretion.