The World Illustration Awards 2026 has announced its winners, with Jessica Eggers named Overall New Talent Winner and Mark Oliver receiving the Overall Professional award. Organised by the Association of Illustrators (AOI) in partnership with the Directory of Illustration, the international illustration awards celebrate work across ten categories, from books and animation to editorial illustration, packaging and immersive environments.
This year’s winners were selected by an independent jury from a shortlist of 200 projects, drawn from more than 4,500 entries from 83 countries. Announced at an online ceremony on 8 September 2026, the awards recognise 20 Category Winners, 20 Highly Commended projects, four Cross-Category Award Winners and two Overall Winners, who receive cash prizes.
Germany-based Jessica Eggers won the Overall New Talent award for "Gonzo Ichthyology - A Graphic Guide", also the New Talent winner in Science & Technology. Created with fish biologist Milton Love, the 288-page book brings scientific knowledge into conversation with art, history and the humanities. Eggers draws her illustrations by hand using black-pen stippling, then scans and prepares them digitally, connecting the visual traditions of scientific illustration with an unconventional approach to the world of fishes.
The first gallery presents all ten New Talent category winners, beginning with Eggers. Together, the projects show emerging illustrators working across printed books, moving images, textiles and three-dimensional installations.
Among the New Talent winners, Tina Tang received the Advertising award for "Whimsical Seasons", while Tamaki Tran won Animation for "MAMAMIMUMEMO". Ray Yue’s "How To Be A Grownup" was recognised in Children’s Publishing, and Annie He won Design, Product & Packaging with "Crafted Heritage: Gamble House Silk". The selection also includes Teuntje Fleur’s colourful installation "Be Child - Mobile", the Site Specific winner.
The Overall Professional award went to UK-based Mark Oliver for "The FAMily Discovery Centre", which also won the Professional Site Specific category. Commissioned through Storyline Studio for the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City, the project turns illustration into an environment conceived as a giant pop-up book. Across a two-storey, 5,000-square-foot space, visitors encounter towering trees, landscape murals, interactive displays and six larger-than-life animal guides.
Oliver’s artwork explores the idea that all living things are connected, incorporating First Nations designs and symbolism alongside more than 150 species of Oklahoma plants and wildlife. His process moved from physical models to vector artwork and precise cutting guides, allowing the illustrations to become large interactive structures.
The second gallery features all ten Professional category winners, led by Oliver’s museum project.
Other Professional winners include Miguel Bustos for "Carnaval Barcelona 2025" in Advertising, Margaryta Winkler for "Dreamtracks" in Animation, and Alina Kovtun for "Bunny: Alternative Book Cover Design" in Book Covers. Adolfo Arranz won Editorial with "Unexploded Bombs of Gaza", Yudan Ding received the Exploration award for "WARMENG", and Eiko Ojala won Science & Technology for "Think Yourself Young".
From the intimacy of a hand-drawn book to the scale of a museum installation, the winning projects demonstrate the many ways illustration can communicate knowledge, build imagined worlds and shape shared spaces. The WIA2026 Online Showcase brings together winning artwork, project information and artist interviews. Explore the winners and the wider showcase at worldillustrationawards.com.