Graphic Novel Making Contest 2021

The words Graphic Novel Making Contest are in a speech bubble with an illustration of a pencil to the right.

Submit your graphic novel to the annual Graphic Novel Making Contest!

June 1 – July 31, 2021

Calling all comics and manga fans, artists, and storytellers: You are invited to enter San José Public Library’s Graphic Novel Making Contest for all ages as part of our 2021 Summer Learning Challenge.

Submission Guidelines

Create your own comic book/graphic novel with a maximum length of 8 pages, including the cover page.
Use letter-size paper (8.5 x 11) with black-and-white drawings on single-sided pages only.
Each submission must be the creative and original work of the submitting author/illustrator. Any submissions with more than one author/illustrator will be considered a single entry judged under the age category of the oldest author/illustrator listed and will share any prizes possibly awarded.
The contest is limited to amateur authors/illustrators only.
Computer generated images are acceptable as long as they are your original work (no clip art).
Consider submitting a photocopy or digital scan that is an accurate reflection of the original (San José Public Library cannot guarantee the return of paper submissions).
San José Public Library reserves the right to reproduce your work. You can reuse all your work after the contest.
Complete the Graphic Novel Making Contest Entry Form (available in Español and Tiếng Việt). Entries turned in without a complete Contest Entry Form will be ineligible. Entries with more than one author/illustrator must each provide a Graphic Novel Making Contest Entry Form with their submission.
Entries are encouraged to be submitted digitally through our BiblioBoard online portal (as a PDF) or via email to graphicnovels@sjlibrary.org (as a PNG, JPEG, or PDF attachment). Digital entries can be submitted no later than 11:59 PM on Saturday, July 31, 2021. More information can be found in the "How To" guide below.
Entries can also be submitted to any operating San José Public Library location no later than the end of the business day on Saturday, July 31, 2021.
There is a limit of one entry per contestant(s).

Check out our FAQ for more details and answers to frequently asked questions.

How to Submit Your Graphic Novel

We highly recommend submitting your comic digitally as it is the safest, quickest, and most reliable option. Online submissions are completely contactless and are accepted 24/7 until July 31, 2021, 11:59pm. If you don't have a scanner, please refer to our Scanning Guide located in the How To: Submit a Graphic Novel Making Contest Entry for options to digitize your entry. If you are unable to submit digitally, we will accept paper submissions at operating San José Public Library locations until end of business operation on July 31st. Please plan accordingly.

Check out How To: Submit a Graphic Novel Making Contest Entry for a complete walkthrough of each submission process.

Graphic Novel Making Workshop in 2019

Judging

Entries will be judged using a rubric scale covering the following: overall story, originality, creativity, and illustrations; by a panel of library staff and community professionals. To understand what the judges will be looking for, you can view the detailed judging criteria and rubric (available in Español and Tiếng Việt).

Age Groups and Prizes

Children (0-7): Gift and art supply baskets awarded for first, second, and third place winners. Art supply pouch for two honorable mention winners.
Children (8-9): Gift and art supply baskets awarded for first, second, and third place winners. Art supply pouch for two honorable mention winners.
Pre-Teens (10-12): Gift and art supply baskets awarded for first, second, and third place winners. Art supply pouch for two honorable mention winners.
Teens (13-17): First place $100; second place $75; third place $50. Art supply pouch for two honorable mention winners.
Adults (18+): First place $100; second place $75; third place $50. Art supply pouch for one honorable mention winner.

All cash prizes will be awarded as gift cards.

Virtual Awards Ceremony

Save the date for our Virtual Awards Ceremony on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 2:00-4:00pm. Come celebrate the creative efforts of everyone who has participated in the 2021 Graphic Novel Making Contest! At this virtual awards ceremony, contest winners will be announced and guest speakers will offer inspirational messages to contest participants. Our guest speakers this year are Lissa Treiman (comic artist for Giant Days and Disney story artist for Frozen II, Raya and The Last Dragon, Zootopia, and more!), L.L. McKinney (Nubia:Real One, Wonder Woman), Robyn Smith (Nubia: Real One), and Gabby Rivera (Juliet Takes a Breath, Marvel's America Chavez).

Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 2:00pm

All participants and family are invited. This event is also open to the public! Register to receive a zoom invitation.

Flyer with green background, says "graphic Novel Making Contest Awards Ceremony, Saturday, August 28 from 2-4pm" Includes pictures of speakers and some of their comics; Lessa Treiman, L.L. McKinney, Robyn Smith, and E. Lockhart

For those who cannot attend the live Awards Ceremony, the recording and list of winners will be in a blog post on our website early the following week.

Photo of workshop with comic artist at whiteboard talking to students

Graphic Novel Making Workshop with Nick Dragotta in 2019

Graphic Novel Making Programs

Want to cultivate your comic-making craft, hone your illustration skills, and become a better storyteller? Or maybe you just want to have fun drawing and making comics? Check out and sign up for our Virtual Graphic Novel Making Programs! We will be adding more engaging classes throughout the summer, remember to check back!

Comic Creation Resources

If you're looking to build your comic and drawing skills, check our booklist recommendations from staff to help you learn from the experts!

Past Entries

Check out the 2020 submissions and highlights on our Biblioboard Page!

BiblioBoard also hosts our:

Winning submissions from 2011-2016 can be viewed as PDFs in our library catalog!

Questions?

Please check our Graphic Novel Making Contest FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions about the Contest.

If you have any questions regarding the 2021 Graphic Novel Making Contest, please feel free to leave a comment in your preferred language at the bottom of this blog post or send an email to graphicnovels@sjlibrary.org. A member of the Graphic Novel Making Contest Committee will work with a staff translator to respond as quickly as we can. Thank you for your interest!

Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre el Concurso de Creación de Novelas Gráficas 2021, no dude en dejar un comentario en su idioma preferido en la parte inferior de este blog o enviar un correo electrónico a graphicnovels@sjlibrary.org. Un miembro del Comité del Concurso de Novelas Gráficas trabajará con un traductor de personal de la biblioteca para responder lo más rápido posible. ¡Gracias por su interés!

Nếu quý vị có bất kỳ câu hỏi nào liên quan đến Cuộc Thi Vẽ Truyện Tranh năm 2021, xin vui lòng để lại câu hỏi của bạn bằng ngôn ngữ bạn thích ở cuối bài viết này hoặc gửi email tới địa chỉ graphicnovels@sjlibrary.org. Thành viên của Ủy ban Cuộc Thi Vẽ Truyện Tranh sẽ làm việc với một nhân viên biên dịch để phản hồi nhanh nhất có thể. Cám ơn sự quan tâm của quý vị!

Disclaimer

San José Public Library staff members are ineligible to participate.

San José Public Library reserves the right to refuse submissions that are not appropriate for a general audience. This contest is open to all California residents.

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Comments

entry form

if i'm going to submit my graphic novel via BiblioBoard online, do i still need to fill out and send the entry form digitally? Also, I'm planning to combine all the pages of my book into a single PDF file. Do you guys accept PDF file as submission?

Re: entry form

Hi, thanks for your question! Yes, we accept PDF submissions for both Biblioboard and email submissions. For BiblioBoard submissions, the entry form is built into the submission portal (agreeing to the Entry Form terms) so you do not need to submit an entry form if using BiblioBoard. Read more about Biblioboard submissions here: https://rise.articulate.com/share/3RhQoVFfxxtqRyAjNZNQd5fv6rbWwc4P#/lessons/_InHSQRItfEbKEk_dyTNi1LnIMj8Z81u

Graphic Novels

This is such a great opportunity for my kids!
Thank you!
Best regards,
Reagan Speth-Martinez

Graphic Novels

We're glad to hear that! We hope your kids enjoy the programs and the contest. Thanks!

Question

Is this for anyone in California or limited to San Jose?

Question

Hi there, the contest is open to California residents. However, prizes must be picked up at a San Jose Public Library location. They will not be mailed out.

(No subject)

Is this contest limited to SJ/California? I've read your comment above about CA residents, but how about people in other states or countries? Can they also participate if someone (if someone else can pick up the prize for them)?

(No subject)

Hi there, to be eligible to enter, you must be a CA resident. This contest is not open to those who live in other states or countries. Thank you.

Awards

Hi,
I am a past entrant of the contest and I love it! I was just wondering if the awards ceremony will be in person this year

Awards

Hi there, we're glad to hear you love participating in the contest! The Awards Ceremony will be virtual again this year, on Saturday, August 28 at 2pm. Thanks!

Coloring

Do our graphic novels have to be without color, or can we add color is we want?

Coloring

Hi there, unfortunately, graphic novels submitted in color will not be eligible for award. Grayscale, and black and white illustrations and text are acceptable and eligible for an award. Feel free to check out the FAQ linked in the blog (under "Submission Guidelines" and "Questions?") for more details and answers to frequently asked questions. Thanks!

color

in the part were it say's submission guidelines it say's . Picture need to be black and white .But i have do not know if we can color the front and back
cover?

Re: color

Hello, your entire submission should be in black and white or grayscale, no color. Additionally, please do not submit double sided pages, as the drawings and text will often show through on the other side of the paper. There can also be texture changes that make drawing more difficult. We want your comic to look the best it can, use a clean sheet of paper for each comic page. Thanks!

story

is the story allowed to be based off a song plot. Characters, art will be created by the artist, just the plot is based on song lyrics.

Re: story

Thanks for your interest in the Graphic Novel Making Contest. It is the Committee's understanding that lyrics to songs cannot be printed without the permission of the rightsholder. You can base your plot off of song lyrics as long as the lyrics are not written out anywhere within your comic/graphic novel. If you have any further questions, please email: graphicnovels@sjlibrary.org

(No subject)

I think so

Entry Form

Hi, where do I attach the contest entry form in the BiblioBoard online portal?

(No subject)

Oops wait sorry I realized I don't need to submit an entry form for that

Sent in my cover as a jpeg lol

I uploaded my cover as a jpeg on the Bilblioboard portal, is that ok? Because it says to upload entries as PDFs and I didn't realize until I submitted it :(

Re: Sent in my cover as a jpeg

Hi there, please email us graphicnovels@sjlibrary.org with your information and comic title. We'll follow up with any additional instructions. Thanks!

Submission Clarifications

Hi, I apologize if this was already mentioned somewhere but can we submit more than one submission? And if the maximum amount of pages is 8 then is there any minimum requirement for number of pages?

Re: Submission Clarifications

Hi there, there is a limit of 1 entry per person. Additionally, if you collaborate with another person, that counts as each collaborator's 1 entry. As for the page count, there is no minimum! We've received excellent comics in the past that have only been 2 pages! Keep in mind, one of the areas the comics will be judged on is story, so make sure your comic's plot is clear and has a resolution. Feel free to check out our FAQ (linked under "Guidelines" and "Questions" for more details and answers to frequently asked questions, and the detailed judging criteria and rubric linked under "Judging" to see how the entries will be judged. Thanks!

Authors

Hi a person submit multiple entries? Can someone collaborate with 2 different people for 2 separate entries?

Re: Authors

Hi there, there is a limit of 1 entry per person. If you collaborate with another person, that counts as each collaborator's 1 entry.

Text criteria

In the judging criteria there are two boxes for text usage. Can I submit my comic without any text (rather than onomatopoeias)?

Re: Text criteria

Hi, thank you for your question. Nope, your comic is not required to have text! There are many great comics that utilize little to no text. You can get full points in the text criteria if your story is clear without text, as this is a harder task to achieve. However, if your story is confusing or unclear, and the judges feel that text would have been helpful to follow the story, you will receive fewer points. A good way to test this is to have someone who doesn’t know anything about your story read your comic, and ask them if they were able to follow and understand the story clearly in one try. If there is any confusion, or if they had to re-read any portions to understand, you may want to add text or redraw the unclear portions.

Comic questions

Hi I made a comic of 7 pages including cover page and the 8th page is author’s notes. Is it ok? Do I need to make a story that is 7 pages and 1 cover page to make it 8 pages? It says maximum of 8 pages so I am not sure if 7 pages ok. Thanks.

Re: Comic questions

Hello, yes, what you described is fine. 8 pages is the maximum number of pages you can submit, there is no minimum! One of your pages can be the author's note or the cover page, either are acceptable. Cover pages are not required. Only if the total number of pages is 9 or more will your submission be ineligible for award. Hope that helps!

Comic book pages

It says maximum of 8 pages including cover. Is it ok to have 7 pages including cover plus 1 page of author’s notes that also has the comic characters?

Thanks,
Sheau

Re: Comic book pages

Hello, yes, because it sounds like the total page count for your submission is not over 8 pages, you are fine! If the total page count was 9 pages or more, the entry would be ineligible for award. 8 pages in total is still within the guidelines. Hope that helps, thanks!

Submission

Hi I submitted my child’s comic via email. Would I get a confirmation that her entry has been received?

Thank you!
Sheau

Winners

Where can I check out the winners of the 2021 graphic novel contest?

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About Us

Graphic Novel Making Contest 2021

Submit your graphic novel to the annual Graphic Novel Making Contest!

June 1 – July 31, 2021

Submission Guidelines

How to Submit Your Graphic Novel

Judging

Age Groups and Prizes

Virtual Awards Ceremony

Graphic Novel Making Programs

Comic Creation Resources

Past Entries

Questions?

Comments

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