What is ICON The Illustration Conference?

ICON The Illustration Conference is the only gathering dedicated entirely to illustration and the people who live and breathe it.

Every two years, we meet in a different US city for a creative free-for-all. It’s four relentless-yet-invigorating days of learning, teaching, laughing, networking, and more. We start early and end late. And sometimes, there’s dancing.

Typical Conference Schedule

Day 1

Workshops
Education Symposium (Prisms)
Portfolio Reviews
Animation Screening (Motion Commotion)

Day 2

Workshops
Education Symposium (Prisms)
Portfolio Reviews
Opening Ceremonies & Keynote (Mainstage)
Pop-Up Market (Roadshow) & Opening Party

Day 3

Keynotes, Presenters & Small Talks (Mainstage & Kaleidescope)
Attendee Gallery Show

Day 4

Keynotes, Presenters & Small Talks (Mainstage & Kaleidescope)
Closing Party

Upcoming Conference

ICON13
Baltimore, MD
July 15–18, 2026

Learn More

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This image shows the illustrated ICON13 poster by Baltimore artist Andrew Haener. The colors are purple, blue, and pink. Yellow letters on a marquee sign on the roof of a building read, "ICON The Illustration Conference". The scene depicts a building at an extreme angle. On the street is a Baltimore Hon selling water ice. On the roof, a character uses an Ouija board, and it reads "Baltimore July 15-18, 2026". There's a boy on a power pole sketching, a rat doing a wheelie on a bike, an Arabber selling fruit, and crows circling.

ICON13 Poster by Andrew Haener

An aerial image of the Mount Vernon neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland.

Mount Vernon Neighborhood, Baltimore

This image shows the Maryland Institute College of Art campus, featuring The Brown Center and The Main Building along Mount Royal Avenue in Baltimore, Maryland.

Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Baltimore

This image shows an exterior photograph of the Parkway Theater in Baltimore, Maryland. Traffic and people outside are blurred by motion.

Parkway Theater, Baltimore

This photograph shows the American Visionary Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The exterior of the building is covered in tiny mirrored tiles with a swirled pattern.

American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore

The Vibe

The conference brings together a delightful assortment of characters from around the globe to talk about all things illustration. We work hard to create a dynamic, supportive space* for conversations across illustration, design, publishing, advertising, and education. No silos. No gatekeeping. No snobbery. Just a bunch of folks obsessed with the art, business, and culture of visual storytelling.

Workshops

The first two days of ICON are packed with hands-on workshops, lectures, studio tours, and events led by illustrators, educators, and creative pros. It’s designed to jump-start your conference experience—and maybe even your career. At the very least, it will remind you why you started drawing in the first place.

Photo showing a woman carving a stamp pad at a Workshop at ICON10 in Detroit, Michigan.

Overhead photo of a man drawing in a notebook with a still life on the table in front of him. This image is from a workshop during ICON11 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This image shows a room full of people sitting at tables watching a presentation during a Workshop at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Prisms: The Illustration Education Symposium

ICON invites conference attendees to see and hear 16 peer-reviewed educators explore the intersection of illustration, research, and teaching. The presentations are interactive, thought-provoking, and often surprisingly fun (even the nerdy ones). It’s where theory meets practice, and where you realize that the future of illustration education is happening in real time, right here.

This image shows a woman standing at a podium, her arm pointing toward the screen, during Prisms at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A crowd shot during Prisms at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Some figures in the foreground are blurry. An Asian woman is in focus. She's wearing glasses and looks very happy.

This image shows a man and a woman standing at a podium giving a presentation during Prisms at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Motion Commotion: Animation Screening

Motion Commotion is a curated screening of the freshest, most innovative animation and motion work. ICON attendees and non-attendees alike are encouraged to submit experimental animation, narratives, motion graphics, or looped animated shorts for consideration.

A theater filled with attendees watching animations at Motion Commotion at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A dark theater filled with attendees watching animations at Motion Commotion at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Portfolio Reviews

It’s like mixed-media speed dating for introverts! ICON attendees are paired with top art directors—from editorial, publishing, advertising, and beyond—for short one-on-one meetings. It’s fast, it’s focused, it’s for newbies and seasoned pros, and it’s a great chance to make contacts, get advice, and maybe even come away with a gig!

Two women during a Portfolio Review at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A man and woman at a table with a black tablecloth during a Portfolio Review at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

ICON12 attendees in the midst of Portfolio Reviews in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Roadshow: Pop-up Market & Opening Party

ICON kicks off with a one-night-only creative bazaar—with illustrators showcasing prints, comics, books, merch, and all sorts of beautiful nonsense. It’s open to the public and crawling with art directors, ICON speakers, and people who “just came to look.” Come for the eye candy, stay for the food and drink, and leave broke (but with a bag full of awesome).

An artist sits at her booth during Roadshow at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

An aerial image of Roadshow at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The room is very large with tons of people shopping at tables with artists' artwork, illustration, comics, and other products for sale.

A photo of several happy people crowding around a booth at Roadshow at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mainstage: Keynotes & Presenters

Mainstage is the heart and soul of ICON. Over two and a half days, you can choose from a curated lineup of 45+ speakers representing the industry’s top talent. You could binge YouTube for a month and still never match the inspiration, knowledge, or good vibes you’ll absorb from this amazing programming.

Rudy Gutierrez speaking on the Mainstage at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Artist Piotr Szyhalski speaking on the Mainstage at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A speaker on the Mainstage at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Kaleidoscope: Small Talks

Sign up to speak your mind and become a part of ICON lore. Kaleidoscope invites eight conference attendees to present for 400 seconds each on whatever relevant, entertaining, or random topic they choose. Think Pecha Kucha, Ignite, or Lightning Talks. Don’t know what those are? Just think 20 slides x 20 seconds per slide. And… Go!

Gallery Show

This is your moment. The Gallery Show is an international juried exhibition featuring work by ICON attendees—including your heroes, your peers, and you! This is a real gallery show: It happens at night, it’s open to the public, and it’s one of the best ways to make connections at ICON. Just send in your best print-ready work (commissioned or self-produced) for consideration.

A photo of the Gallery Exhibition at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The room is bright and airy, with art on the walls and people looking at the art and talking with one another.

Two women looking at a wall of illustrations during the Gallery Exhibition at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A wide-angle shot of the Gallery Exhibition at ICON12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The room is bright and airy, with art on the walls and people looking at the art and talking with one another.

Closing Party

ICON wraps with everyone cutting loose in a celebratory blowout—featuring food, drinks, music, and live performances. It’s part hootenanny and part creative revival. Remember that art director you were too scared to talk to? They’ll seem more human after you watch them dance. That artist you’ve admired your whole life? You’ll become instant besties when you share a mic and belt out some classic karaoke.