Políticas editoriales y conceptualización del álbum ilustrado en España: un estudio de bases de concursos / Editorial Policies and Conceptualization of Picturebooks in Spain: A Study of Competition Regulations

The research analyzes picturebook publishing awards in Spain between 2000 and 2023, examining their characteristics and dynamics through a comparative documentary analysis of 21 awards and 98 calls for submissions. The results reveal significant complexity in the publishing landscape. In the linguistic domain, 47% of the awards accept works in multiple languages, while 53% restrict submissions to a single language, which may be Spanish, Catalan, Basque, or Galician. Regarding technical requirements, a notable standardization was observed: most competitions require works between 22 and 40 pages, and 71% request mock-ups. In the terminological analysis, the term "picturebook" predominates in 17 out of the 21 awards, and 15 provide conceptual definitions. The study identifies a core definition based on the complementarity between visual and verbal codes, with variations in the prioritization of these codes across different calls for submissions, and two competitions requiring only the text. The findings highlight the progressive legitimization of the picturebook as a distinctive publishing format in the contemporary Spanish landscape.