V&A Illustration Awards 2026 Winners Announced
The V&A South Kensington hosted the 2026 V&A Illustration Awards ceremony, where winners and runners-up in five categories were revealed. The judging panel evaluated more than 1,600 submissions from 2024 to 2025. Annabel Wright received accolades for Advertising and Commercial as well as the Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year for her poster titled 'Views of Glasgow' created for the Hunterian Art Gallery. Julie Pereira was honored in Adult Factual for her animation about the International Criminal Court. Stephen Smith took home the Adult Fiction award for his covers of Julio Cortázar's books. Baljinder Kaur won in Illustration for Children for 'The Sleeper Train', while Vannysha Chang was recognized as Emerging Illustrator for 'Process'. Runners-up included Mark Oliver, Anna Burel, Sarah Lippett, Grace Easton, and Kaori Tokunaga. The exhibition is free and will be open until 4 October 2026.
Key facts
- Ceremony held at V&A South Kensington
- Over 1,600 entries reviewed
- Annabel Wright won Advertising and Commercial and Moira Gemmill Illustrator of the Year
- Julie Pereira won Adult Factual for ICC animation
- Stephen Smith won Adult Fiction for Cortázar covers
- Baljinder Kaur won Illustration for Children for 'The Sleeper Train'
- Vannysha Chang won Emerging Illustrator for 'Process'
- Exhibition open until 4 October 2026
Entities
Artists
- Annabel Wright
- Julie Pereira
- Emmanuelle Michel
- Jonathan Walter
- Stephen Smith
- Julio Cortázar
- Baljinder Kaur
- Mick Jackson
- Vannysha Chang
- Mark Oliver
- Anna Burel
- Isabel Davis
- Sarah Lippett
- Ziggy Hanaor
- Grace Easton
- Kaori Tokunaga
Institutions
- V&A South Kensington
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Hunterian Art Gallery
- Glasgow University
- AFP
- Vintage Classics
- Walker Books
- The MIT Press
- Cicada Books
- Thames and Hudson
- The First Americans Museum
Locations
- South Kensington
- London
- United Kingdom
- Glasgow
- Scotland
- Oklahoma
- United States
- India
- Java
- Indonesia