With the assistance of Carthusia Edizioni and in partnership with IBBY Italia and the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, the Town of Mulazzo and the Association Montereggio Paese dei Librai, IOB International Organisation of Book Towns, present the International Silent Book Contest, which is specifically devoted to silent books, or illustrated books without words.
An unique illustrated book project that has been created and produced solely through the narration of illustrated images will get publication and prize money as part of the SILENT BOOK CONTEST. The SILENT BOOK CONTEST competition invites authors and illustrators to think up and design a book conceived exclusively for the telling of a story through illustrated images, on any subject and intended for a wide and diverse section of the reading public. Given that the illustrated book and the visual language of illustrations and pictures is in no way secondary to written language, with a universal power and potential that transcends any barrier of language or genre,
The finalists will be chosen by an international jury from the submissions, and they will then be presented and shown during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair and the Salone Internazionale del Libro in Turin. The international jury’s winner’s author will get a cash reward of Euro 4.000 as an advance for copyright and a publication contract. Carthusia Edizioni will release the best book proposal.
Gianni De Conno, its instigator and originator, is honoured with a dedication to the Silent Book Contest as of 2018.
Milan was the place of birth for Gianni De Conno (1957–2017), who had a Neapolitan father and a Milanese mother. He adored Milan and never wanted to leave the city, of which he felt a part. After dividing his time between musical studies at the Conservatory and artistic high school, he concentrated in stage design and scenography before transitioning to drawing.
One of the most influential artists in Italian publishing, he worked in a dense dreamlike vein supported by a tendency toward hyperrealism, a magical and surrealistic style, and a deeply distinctive creative contradiction. Gianni De Conno was a great “Grandmaster” who drew and interpreted the universe, taught with love and compassion, and created many other remarkable things in his work in this tiny editorial world.
The Award for Communication Arts of Excellence was given numerous times between 1998 and 2010 as well as the Andersen Prize for Excellence in Illustration in 2005. He was awarded the gold medal by the Society of Illustrators in New York in 2008 and 2010. He has a significant body of work that has been published both domestically and overseas. He has also participated in numerous solo exhibitions in countries like Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.
Competitions
Essay
Photo
Location(s)
Italy
Online
Opportunity is About
Design & Graphic DesignSocietyArts, Video & Photography
Eligibility
Candidates should be from:
AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongo: Democratic RepublicCongo: RepublicCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEast TimorEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsraelItalyIvory CoastJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, NorthKorea, SouthKosovo UN1244 (*not recognized by majority of countries)KuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauNorth MacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian AuthorityPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVatican CityVenezuelaVietnamWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe
Description of Ideal Candidate
Any author, illustrator, or artist, regardless of their nationality, place of origin, or place of residence, may submit original, unpublished work as long as they are at least 18 years old on February 5, 2023. Each Author is allowed to participate with a maximum of three unpublished projects.
Dates
Deadline: February 05, 2023
Cost/funding for participants
Fully Funded
Carthusia Edizioni of Milan will release the winning book concept of the Silent Book Contest 2023 by October 2023. (Italy). The publisher will incorporate it into its editorial repertoire and advertise it. The winning book may not be published by Carthusia Edizioni if it is deemed improper. The author will sign a standard publishing contract and will receive a monetary award of €4,000 as an advance on the royalties, as specified in the contract and the contest’s rules.