Shirley Hughes
Sketchbook Award
In celebration of the work of Shirley Hughes, the Shirley Hughes Sketchbook Award honours observational drawings of the everyday, shining a light on images that reflect the seemingly humdrum details of day to day life.
AWARD OVERVIEWThis annual award – with prize money and tutorials available for three winners – invites you to submit a selection of sketchbook pages showing your observational drawing. These pages should demonstrate your drawing skills, the emotion you can convey, and details that can only be captured by really looking at the world around you.
ABOUT SHIRLEY HUGHESShirley Hughes was an award winning illustrator and author, who made an exceptional contribution to British children's books. Her portrayal of childhood, shown in such stories as Dogger, Alfie, and Out and About, is instantly recognisable and loved by the world over. Shirley also gained critical acclaim for her books for an older audience like The Lion and the Unicorn and Ella's Big Chance.
Beautifully observed drawings were at the heart of Shirley’s much beloved work, and the judges will be looking for sketchbook observations of real life - children, families interacting, domestic situations - celebrating character, emotion and vitality.
JUDGESThe award will be judged by Clara and Ed Vulliamy, Shirley’s children; the Orange Beak team of author-illustrator Maisie Paradise Shearring and Ness Wood, Shirley’s long-time designer at Penguin Random House Children’s Books; as well as guest judge, Ken Wilson-Max, author-illustrator-publisher.
To make this competition accessible to as many illustrators as possible, there is no fee to enter.
This competition opens on 5th March 2026. It closes on 14th May 2026 at 5pm UK time.
Keep an eye on our emails and social media for more award news.
KEY ENTRY INFORMATIONWe invite you to send up to 10 pages of sketchbook work as one multipage PDF. This award is about sketchbook work not resolved illustrations. These drawings can be either black and white or colour, and created in any material that best suits your work.
The judges will be looking for sketchbook observations of real life - celebrating character, emotion and vitality.
We will not accept work created by A.I.
Your pdf must be of emailable size (maximum 3MB per PDF) and the resolution must be clear enough to see the images. The images can be portrait or landscape. You may compress your file if you wish.
Please title the sketchbook PDF as: yourname_SH_Award2026
Please also supply a short bio (150 words max) and any social media handles as an additional PDF file along with your sketchbook PDF. Please title your bio PDF as yournamebio_SH_Award2026
Please do not include your name, initials or any identifying mark on any of the sketches, as this award is judged anonymously.
Please note that the information contained in your bio will not be viewed by the judges prior to shortlisting. Details in your bio will only be used for the purposes of marketing the award should you be shortlisted.
The award closes on 14th May 2026 at 5pm uk time, any entries submitted after this deadline will not be accepted.
Please email the PDFs to: shaward@orangebeakstudio.com
Terms and conditionsBy submitting your work, you are confirming that this is your own original work and that you are the copyright owner. Entries that do not meet the entry requirements may be disqualified. The judges decision is final.
Please read the eligibility and frequently asked questions below, and ensure you understand them before entering this award.
Eligibility:
The Shirley Hughes Sketchbook Award is open to anyone over the age of 18 years.
Employees of Orange Beak and their family members may not enter.
Entries are limited to one per person (1 PDF per person).
We welcome international entries.
Frequently asked questions-
If you enter final artwork your entry will not be counted. This is a sketchbook/drawing award.
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The work you enter does not need to be new work, however, it must not be previously published in print or awarded in another competition.
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You cannot send in your actual sketchbook, emailed PDFs only.
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Please submit 10 pages from your sketchbook. These could be a combination of single pages from your sketchbook or double page spreads (where one drawing goes across the gutter). For example, you might submit 3 double page spreads (which would count as 6 pages) and 4 single pages.
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You will receive an email saying that your submission has been received. The email will be monitored on a part time basis, and so please allow time for a response.
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If you miss the deadline, you will not be considered for the award.
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If your work is selected for the shortlist, we will contact you via email and your work will feature on the Orange Beak Instagram and our blog. The shortlist will be announced at the end of June 2026.
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If you win, are the runner-up or a highly commended, you will be contacted via the email you submit with and your work will be featured on the Orange Beak instagram and website. The winner will receive £1000 plus an Orange Beak tutorial. There will be one runner up who will receive £250, plus an Orange Beak tutorial. There will be one highly commended entry who will receive an Orange Beak tutorial. These winners will be announced on 16th July 2026.
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For any enquiries or media requests, please email info@orangebeakstudio.com
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We will only access and use this if you are shortlisted or win. This is so we have this information for the winning annoucements. And, should you not be regularly on your email, we can contact you through your social media channels.
Not sure if this opportunity is the right one for you? Don’t worry – take a look at what else we’ve got going on.