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Member only guide to the Australian book industry.
Please read the following terms and conditions carefully before submitting your work to ASA’s Style File. Submissions that fail to comply with the terms and conditions will not be accepted.
Terms and Conditions of the ASA Style File
1. The Australian Society of Authors Limited (ABN 26 008 558 790) of Suite C1.06, 22-36 Mountain Street, ULTIMO, NSW (ASA) is facilitating opportunities for ASA members to have their illustrations viewed by local and international publishing circles, but are not representing illustrators as an agent. While the ASA will make every effort to attract the involvement of as many potential publishers as possible, the ASA cannot guarantee that any submission will lead to a publishing opportunity.
Eligibility
2. The ASA Style File is a service available to ASA members only. Applicants do not need to be an ASA member to submit an entry but, if their submission is successful, then they must join the ASA to be included in the ASA Style File. Applicants can join the ASA at https://www.asauthors.org.au/join-us-today/
3. Each entrant must be:
(a) An Australian citizen or permanent resident; and
(b) Aged 18 years or over.
4. In entering an application to the ASA Style File, each applicant warrants that:
(a) Their illustrations and artworks are their original creation;
(b) They are the sole owner of all rights, including copyright, in the work submitted to the ASA Style File;
(c) Their submitted images have not been wholly or substantially created by the use of generative AI technologies, and where generative AI software has been used to assist the creation of works, the entrant must be transparent about the usage;
(d) To the best of their knowledge, their portfolio contains no defamatory matter, or any matter that invades any individual’s rights of privacy, and all statements in the work purporting to be facts are true;
(e) The entry does not infringe on any existing copyright or other proprietary rights of third parties.
5. Applicants may only upload illustrations not already exclusively licensed to a publisher (or other third party). Illustrators are encouraged to check the terms of their publishing agreements(s) if uploading works that have been published. The ASA is not liable for any breach of contract caused by subsequent use of the images on the ASA Style File.
6. The Assessors, Board members and employees of the ASA, and their immediate families, are ineligible to apply for the ASA Style File. Immediate family means any of the following: spouse, ex-spouse, de-facto spouse, child or step-child (whether by natural or by adoption), parent, step-parent, grandparent, step-grandparent, uncle, aunt, niece, nephew, brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister or first cousin.
How to enter
8. Entrants must complete all required fields and submit the online application form. No paper or email submissions will be accepted.
9. Images submitted must be in JPEG or PNG formats, with square dimensions and a minimum width and height of 1920 pixels (i.e. 1920 x 1920).
10. Entries which do not conform to the image requirements will not be accepted. Applicants will be notified if their entry does not conform to these requirements and will have one opportunity to resubmit their entry, provided they comply with the deadline set out in clause 12 of these terms and conditions.
11. Each image you upload must be assigned a Specialty and Medium. Choose any one speciality from list (a) and one medium from list (b) per image.
(a) Specialty
(b) Medium
12. Entrants provide their illustrations understanding that submitted images will be uploaded to the ASA Style File website if the application is successful. Applicants are welcome to use watermarks or other protective tools on any images submitted to the ASA Style File.
Key Dates
13. Entries open 9am AEDT on Wednesday 26 February 2025.
14. Entries close at 5pm AEST on Monday 21 April 2025.
15. Late submissions will not be eligible for consideration.
16. Successful applicants will be notified on 12 May 2025. Successful portfolios will be published online within two weeks of notification, conditional to the illustrators’ acceptance and payment of fees.
Entry Fees
17. Applications to the ASA Style File incur an administration fee of $20 inc. GST.
18. Successful illustrators will be required to pay an annual subscription fee of $96 inc. GST to have their work featured on the ASA Style File and to receive priority access to Virtual Literary Speed Dating: Picture Books events. The Style File fee is in addition to the annual ASA membership fee.
19. Entry fees and subscription fees are non-refundable. Refunds will not be issued for entries that do not meet the terms and conditions and are deemed ineligible.
Assessment
20. Applications will be assessed by a judging panel comprised of at least two (2) assessors appointed by the ASA. The judging panel will be announced on the ASA website by April 2025.
21. The judging panel will determine the illustrators whose portfolio meets the professional standard required of the ASA Style File. Portfolios will be assessed by the standard/quality of the illustrations and the level of professionalism in presentation.
22. Applicants acknowledge that, in the event that applications fall short of a professional standard in the reasonable opinion of the judging panel, the panel of assessors may determine not to approve any applicants for the ASA Style File.
23. The judging panel’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into either during or after the assessment process. No personalised feedback will be given to applicants.
Privacy
24. You consent to the ASA collecting your contact details for the purpose of running the Style File and if successful, disclosing your name, bio and nominated contact details on your published portfolio.
Disqualification
25. The assessment panel, in their absolute discretion, may disqualify any applicant they reasonably suspect any unlawful or improper conduct, such as infringing a third party’s intellectual property rights, or if there has been a breach of these terms and conditions.
Disclaimer
26. Successful applications will be published online and may be used in ASA material when promoting the ASA Style File. As with any online publication, there is a risk that illustrations can be copied. Illustrators are permitted to use digital watermarks and anti-AI protections on any images submitted. The ASA does not warrant that your uploads to the Style File will be protected against misuse or alteration by third parties. You submit your illustrations to the Style File accepting this risk and releasing the ASA from any liability for any loss or damage arising out of your use of Style File.
27. The ASA will not reproduce, publish, communicate or otherwise use artworks uploaded to the Style File to develop, train, or direct, Generative AI technology or models. The ASA will not share images with third parties beyond the scope of promoting the ASA Style File service.
