Winners and Honorable Mentions

Check Out the Winning Entries Book 

Find All Submissions on Biblioboard

• Children Ages 0-7
  • First: A Big World by Juno M.
  • Second: Helping Planet Zoomba by Abhishree K.
  • Third: Glooby and the Slime Monster by Daniella M.
  • Honorable Mention: Penguin and Splash by Evelyn C.
  • Honorable Mention: Elle and Daddy's Golf Adventure by Elliott W.
• Children Ages 8-9
  • First: The Life as a Left Hander by Paxton C.
  • Second: THE ADVENTURES OF IRONWOMAN by Adam S.
  • Third: The Protectors of Peace by Ruana Lia P.
  • Honorable Mention: Dino Adventure by Nathan L.
  • Honorable Mention: The Buff Lifter Showdown by Luke M.
• Pre-Teens Ages 10-12
  • First: Unicron and the Ugly Trash Stealing Bear Named Baer by Vivian H.
  • Second:  Out of Tune (A True Story) by Eleanor W.
  • Third: The Days of a Bobaholic by Celina Y.
  • Honorable Mention: Henry & Joe in Parachute by Jack N.
  • Honorable Mention: Lava Lad: Black and White by Ramin S.
• Teens Ages 13-17
  • First: Not So Bloody Mary by Audrielle W.
  • Second: Shackled to the Moon by Claire C.
  • Third: The Story of a Siren by Laura B.
  • Honorable Mention: Power of the Blank Page by Katherine L.
  • Honorable Mention: Tako Ramen by Oliver Y. and Elliott Y.
• Adults Ages 18+
  • First: 404: Job Not Found!! by Iris M.
  • Second: a cloud at the bottom of the sea by Elise P.
  • Third: Do You Think Love Can Bloom, Even in the Laundromat?!
  • Honorable Mention: Rudy in Wonderland by Perry W.

Ceremony Details

The 2025 Graphic Novel Making Contest Award Ceremony was held on Saturday, September 19, 2025 at the San Jose City Hall Rotunda and Council Chambers.

Photos from the Event

Video from the Event

Guest Speakers

Nidhi Chanani

Nidhi Chanani is an award-winning author and illustrator. Her graphic novels include Pashmina, Jukebox the Shark Princess series and the Super Boba Cafe series. She also creates picture books. Some of her titles are I will be fierce, Strong, Binny’s Diwali, What Will My Story Be and Quiet Karima. When she’s not drawing, Nidhi loves to travel and has visited 20 countries. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Minnie Phan

Minnie Phan is an award winning Vietnamese-American illustrator and writer based in Oakland, CA. Her past clients include the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Chronicle Books, and the San Francisco Public Library, with which she illustrated a citywide reading campaign in 2022. Working in a broad range of media, her accomplishments include collaborating with Pulitzer Prize winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen, painting a 250 square foot mural for Google, and most recently, illustrating the Vietnamese American Model Curriculum for the California Department of Education. Phan has been recognized by the The New York Times, Society of Illustrators, and Eisner Awards. She is the illustrator of the picture books The Yellow Áo Dài and Simone.

Born in Stockton, CA to refugee parents, Phan believes art can transform lives and be a vehicle for social impact. When she isn’t in her studio, Phan contributes to KALW Public Media, whose mission is to ignite conversations, uplift new voices, challenge prevailing narratives, and empower communities to envision a better world.

Jessica Fong

Jessica Fong is a Bay Area based illustrator known for her stunning cover art in DC Comics’ GLAAD Award–winning Poison Ivy series. Her artwork often blends surrealism with nature. Fong’s work captures the “terribly sublime,” a theme that is both haunting and aesthetically captivating. She contributes a range of covers for DC, Marvel, Mad Cave Studios, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Heroic Signatures, and more. Her work can also be found in Wizards of the Coast’s Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, Critical Role’s Midst series, Fandom Inc, and Marvel Snap.

When the opportunity arises she contributes to independent projects, works on personal narrative work, and raises money for various LGBTQ causes at conventions and appearances.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

This program would not have been possible without the prizes and gifts donated by our sponsors.

Our Sponsors:

• San José Public Library Foundation
• Freeman Book Awards
• San Jose Museum of Art
• Jet Pens
• Scarff Comics
• Illusive Comics
• Sakura of America
• The Tech Interactive

Winners and Honorable Mentions

Check Out the Winning Entries Book 

Find All Submissions on Biblioboard

• Children Ages 0-7
  • First: Xin Bai- The "Why" Boy by Luke M.
  • Second: A HAPPY OH NO by Anaya T.
  • Third: The Alien Planet by Dave Peter S.
  • Honorable Mention: Where Is The Dot? by Hanna L.
  • Honorable Mention: Haste Rodgerf and the Witches Attack by Diego P.
• Children Ages 8-9
  • First: Ice Cream by Claire Lynn C.
  • Second: Alge Bros by Vivi M.
  • Third: The Rescue in Pupcorn World by Harnoor K.
  • Honorable Mention: Chilli's adventure: Friends Around the World by Sasha A.
  • Honorable Mention: Life of Vincent - A Haiku Comic by Ruana Lia P.
• Pre-Teens Ages 10-12
  • First: The Seafood Olympics by Oliver Y.
  • Second:  One Last Time by Bella C.
  • Third: Duck Tape by Audrielle W.
  • Honorable Mention: Perplexing Life of a Platypus by George L.
  • Honorable Mention: Lies by Amelie Charlotte R.
• Teens Ages 13-17
  • First: Aime's Library by Luna Y
  • Second: Dear Brother by Sophia L.
  • Third: The Changing of Our Seasons by Emma Y.
  • Honorable Mention: The Differences Between You and Me by Tam Thanh N.
  • Honorable Mention: What if All Wishes Could Come True by Vaishnavi E. and Abhiraam E.
• Adults Ages 18+
  • First: Dog Star by Anna Thao Bich N.
  • Second: My Advice as a High School Grad by Natalie Maria W.
  • Third: songstellation by Elise P.
  • Honorable Mention: Immortal Interlude by Rian Z M.

Ceremony Details

The 2024 Graphic Novel Making Contest Award Ceremony was held on Saturday, September 7, 2024 at the San Jose City Hall Rotunda and Council Chambers.

Photos from the Event

Video from the Event

Guest Speakers

Eddie Ahn

Eddie Ahn is an environmental justice attorney and self-taught cartoonist based in San Francisco. While working as the executive director of Brightline Defense, an environmental justice nonprofit, he was inducted into the State of California’s Clean Energy Hall of Fame for his work in equity and clean energy. Advocate is his debut graphic memoir detailing his story of family, community, and fight for environmental justice.

Sara Alfageeh

Sara Alfageeh is a Jordanian-American illustrator and creative director in San Francisco. She is passionate about history, teaching, girls with swords, and the spaces where art and identity intersect. She co-authored and illustrated the award-winning graphic novel Squire, and her debut picture book is Not Yet: The Story of an Unstoppable Skater. Sara is currently co-founder of One More Multiverse.

Becky MacDonald & Lucie Roberts

Lucie Roberts and Becky MacDonald are twin sisters with a passion for animation and storytelling. With over a decade of experience in the gaming industry and contributions to Oscar-nominated films like The Dam Keeper and Opera, they have played key roles in crafting compelling narratives through animation.

Their careers began at PixelOpus, where they spent nearly a decade working on projects like Entwined and Concrete Genie. Lucie recently served as the sole animator at Thekla Inc., while Becky is now a concept artist at Akili Interactive and Magic Soup Games.

They have contributed to various stages of production, from storyboarding to gameplay and cinematics, but above all, they love the art of animation, games, and comics. Excited to speak at this event, they will share insights from their journeys and inspire young creators.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

This program would not have been possible without the prizes and gifts donated by our sponsors.

Our Sponsors:

• San José Public Library Foundation
• California Cosplay Gala
• FanimeCon
• San Jose Museum of Art
• Freeman Book Award
• Storm King Comics
• Z2 Comics
• Clover Press
• MAGWest
• Maya Kern
• Scarff Comics
• Sakura of America