Q&A

As long as you have never published it, you can apply with an illustration that you drew in the past.

You cannot apply with an illustration that has already been submitted to other contests.

You can apply even if you have participated in a Pokémon TCG illustration contest before. However, if you have worked on official illustrations for the Pokémon TCG in the past, you may not apply. Furthermore, works that have already been made public cannot be submitted.

In principle, you should only draw one Pokémon per illustration so it’s easy to tell which Pokémon is the subject of a particular card. However, as long as it is clear who the main subject is, you may draw additional Pokémon. *Please note that the illustration will be judged based on how the main Pokémon is portrayed.

Please do not draw Shiny Pokémon. Please draw the subject Pokémon according to the reference materials.

Please draw them according to the reference materials provided for each Pokémon.

Do not draw Pokémon Trainers.

Please draw the illustration in landscape orientation (wider than it is tall) for standard cards and in portrait orientation (taller than it is wide) for ex cards.

Yes, you can. In that case, please convert the illustration into digital form with a scanner, etc., and crop it to the specified dimensions before submitting it through the submission form.

As long as the digital version you submit follows the specified image dimension, the hand-drawn version may be as large as you see fit. Remember to crop the file to the specified dimensions before submitting it through the submission form.

Yes, you can. There are no restrictions on the art materials used.

Yes, you can. Make sure the picture follows the specified image dimensions, and submit it through the submission form.

Please do not sign your illustration.

Please do not include text of any kind in the illustration.

Please do not include any legible text in the illustration. If you need to include text, make sure it is in a form where its not recognized as normal text and it should be impossible to read.

You may use as many or as few effects as you want, but make sure they do not cover the starring Pokémon or the background to the point that those elements are not visible.

Unfortunately, it’s not possible to check a work after submission. We advise that you make a personal copy for this purpose before submitting.

Make another submission with the corrected illustration through the submission form. However, please note that resubmitted corrected works count toward the maximum submission limit of three pieces. Once you reach this limit, you may not correct your illustrations anymore.

Please do not publish your submitted work before we announce the award recipients. After we announce the award recipients, if your illustration has not received any award, you may publish it as you please.

You are free to include objects from the Pokémon world. However, remember to make the Pokémon you chose the main subject of the illustration.

Please do not draw Pokémon in their Terastallized form. Draw them according to the Pokémon material provided in the submission guidelines.

Please do not use photos of existing historical buildings. However, as long as it would be a good fit for the Pokémon world, feel free to draw existing buildings in the background. The background is one of the criteria for evaluation.

Yes, you can.

As long as you stay within the limit of three illustrations, you can apply for both standard cards and ex cards. For example, you can submit two illustrations for standard cards and one illustration for an ex card.

You can download the template in Art Submission Guideline, where you will also find instructions on how to use it.

Unfortunately, we can only accept submissions from the following six countries: Japan, US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally, applicants must be legal residents (including permanent residents) and must be of legal age in their country of residence.

We cannot accept illustrations made by more than one person. The applicant must be the sole creator of the illustration.

You can use whichever application form you prefer.

Unfortunately, we cannot accept submissions from minors. We can only accept submissions from legal residents (including permanent residents) who are of adult age according to the law of their country of residence.

No, participation is free.

We do not accept applications by mail or courier. Please convert the illustration into digital form with a scanner, etc., before submitting it through the entry form.

While filling the entry form, you can enter a pen name in the “Illustrator name” field instead of your real name. If you do so, and if your work is selected, it will be credited to the pen name you chose.

Make sure to check the size of your illustration (1106 pixels wide x 696 pixels high for standard cards or 1413 pixels wide x 1924 pixels high for ex cards), the file size (less than 3 MB), and the file extension (JPEG, PNG, or RGB).

Please check the official website of this contest for the application requirements.

They do not necessarily have to be illustrations of the same Pokémon. You can freely choose any of the Pokémon from the contest subject for each of your illustrations.

No, there is no popular vote.

We will publish the judges’ comments only for the illustrations that receive an award.

Winning does not guarantee that you will become a Pokémon TCG Certified Illustrator. You will only become a Certified Illustrator if, after consultation, it is decided that you will be drawing Pokémon card illustrations for us.

Please wait for the announcement on the official website of this contest. We do not answer individual queries regarding whether or not you have won a prize.

We are planning to announce the results on the official website of the Pokémon Trading Card Game Illustration Contest 2024 in September 2024 (Date to be announced later).

After announcing the awards, we will contact the winners with details regarding the procedure to receive their prizes.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Illustration Contest 2024 Administrative Office

For questions in English, submit a request to Pokémon Support

• In general, we will respond within five business days. If you do not receive a response within this time, please try contacting us again.
• Please refrain from contacting the Pokémon TCG Illustrators and related companies regarding contest details (including judging criteria, etc.).