Eligibility:

Open to students enrolled on a BA or MA course, for the duration of the competition or who are to complete their course in 2024, at a university or academic institution in the UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland) and aged 18 or over, excluding employees and freelancers working for Thames & Hudson Ltd and their immediate families. Thames & Hudson Ltd reserves the right to require any participant to prove that they are eligible to participate in the Thames & Hudson Award for Book Design (‘the Competition’).

If a student ceases to be enrolled at a university/academic institution during the duration of the competition they shall become ineligible, except those who have completed their course in 2024.

Submission requirements:

The Competition will be divided into four separate categories: photography, art, history and children’s books for which Thames & Hudson Ltd shall make available briefs.

Real text and, where appropriate, images will also made available by Thames & Hudson Ltd through a Google Drive accessible via its website thamesandhudson.com.

Using the briefs and materials provided from existing Thames & Hudson books, the students will create their own original designs for a book cover or jacket design and at least 16 interior pages per entry.

Students may take an illustrated approach, if they feel appropriate. The terms and conditions of the competition prohibit students inputting the briefs and any materials provided to them into AI platforms or using them for any purpose other than to enter the competition, in the event that any entrant is found to have done so they will be disqualified.

Entries may be made directly by individual students or through universities and academic institutions on behalf of students enrolled in their courses.

All entries shall comprise the student’s designs along with an entry form and need to be submitted to bookdesignaward@thameshudson.co.uk by midnight on 28 June 2024 (‘the Final Closing Date’). Final designs received after the Final Closing Date will not be considered.

Judging:

There will be 4 winners and 4 highly commended students per category selected by a panel of leading design industry professionals appointed by Thames & Hudson Ltd. The winners and highly commended students will be selected from all complete and eligible entries.

There will be one overall Competition winner of the Thames & Hudson Award for Book Design who will be chosen from the winning designs by the panel.

The category winners and highly commended students will be notified in advance of the award ceremony by Thames & Hudson Ltd.

Students who have not won or been selected as highly commended will not receive notification from Thames & Hudson Ltd.

Prizes and Award Ceremony:

The 4 category winners will each receive a certificate, a monetary prize of £100 (or Euro equivalent), and £150 worth of Thames & Hudson books (‘the Winners’ Prize’). The books must be selected by the winners within 3 months of the award ceremony and will be dispatched to one UK address per winner free of charge.

The highly commended students will each receive a certificate, a monetary prize of £50 (or Euro equivalent), and £100 worth of Thames & Hudson books. The books must be selected by the highly commended students within 3 months of the award ceremony and will be dispatched to one UK address per student free of charge.

The overall winner will receive the Winners’ Prize plus a Pantone set, a voucher from a font foundry to the value of £500 (or Euro equivalent), and an additional monetary prize of £400 (or Euro equivalent).

The category winners and highly commended students will have the opportunity to attend the competition award ceremony with one guest, and their respective universities/academic institutions may send 2 representatives. The award ceremony will be hosted by Thames & Hudson Ltd at a time, date and venue to be confirmed.

All prizes set out above are non-negotiable, non-transferable and non-refundable. No alternative is available.

Thames & Hudson Ltd reserves the right (but is not obliged) to substitute an alternative to any of the prizes set out above which is of equal or greater value should it deem this to be necessary.

In the event that any of the category winners and highly commended students choose not to or are not able, for any reason, to attend the award ceremony to receive their prize in person, their prize will be dispatched to one nominated UK/Irish address free of charge.

Thames & Hudson Ltd reserves the right to terminate or withdraw this offer at any time.

Publicity:

By entering into the competition, the students, universities and academic institutions grant Thames & Hudson Ltd permission to:

• use entries, in whole or in part, to promote the Competition in any media, including on Thames & Hudson Ltd’s websites and social media platforms;
• identify students by name, course and university/academic institution during the promotion of the Competition;
• exhibit the designs by the highly commended students and category winners, at Thames & Hudson’s discretion, at the award ceremony and before and after it for the purpose of promoting the Competition.

The students, universities and academic institutions agree to keep confidential the names of highly commended and winning students and their respective designs prior to Thames & Hudson Ltd’s official announcements.

General:

The students, universities and academic institutions must not make any use of the briefs or materials made available by Thames & Hudson Ltd other than for the purpose of entering the competition.

The students, universities and academic institutions shall not input any of the briefs or material provided by Thames & Hudson Ltd to any AI platforms.

All entries must be the individual student’s own original work. Collaborations with other students or third parties will not be eligible.

The students or their respective university/academic institution, as applicable, will retain copyright in the design concepts submitted for the competition but shall have no rights in the briefs or materials.

Entries that do not comply in full with the entry requirements and/or these terms and conditions will be disqualified.

Thames & Hudson Ltd takes no responsibility for any entries mis-directed, incomplete or lost due to technical reasons or otherwise. Entries made through agents, third parties, organised groups or any entry duplication method will not be accepted.

All entries must fulfil all of the entry requirements.

The highly commended and winning students will be selected by Thames & Hudson Ltd and the panel (as stated) from all complete and eligible entries.

Thames & Hudson Ltd’s decision and/or that of the panel is final. Thames & Hudson Ltd and the panel members will not enter into correspondence regarding the choice of short-listed entries, winners or highly commended students.

Thames & Hudson Ltd may amend these terms and conditions by posting changes to them on its website.

The competition shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales.