7 Best Comic Book Contest 2023 | Updated

When we talk of Comic Book Contests as an Avenue for bringing students of various Arts and Cultural backgrounds to compete for creativity and speed.

We have gathered the 7 Best Comic Book Contest 2023 from various countries.

See the table below for an insight into everything discussed in this article.

European Comic Schools Contest

Organized by the company Celsys, this competition is aimed at students of art schools in Europe who teach comics, manga, digital arts, and illustration making. Each school and its students can participate in comparing their projects and win numerous prizes.

Each project will be judged by the readers and then by the Mangaka Ken Niimura and the Mangaka and Japanese painter Yoshiyasu Tamura.

The competition is divided into 2 categories: One-shots and Illustrations. Each category has its selection and winners.

The same participant may compete for both but may only win one.

Theme: “Buddies” for both categories

One shot (Manga / Comic): Color or black and white from 8 to 16 pages, cover included

Illustration: Original colorwork

Style: Free (The manga style is not imposed)

Tools: Free (Traditional or digital as desired). Clip Studio Paint Ex 6-month version is available for all applicants for free: https://jp.surveymonkey.com/r/comiccontest

Dimensions: Minimum width of 800px required for Mangadraft online betting

Read direction: No obligation – optional

General public: Your project must be adapted to an audience of all ages

Language: No language requirement for projects – If you want to add several languages, create a different volume for each.

Other: An avatar of 600 x 600px must be added to your project file. You can crop a page of your project to put it as an avatar instead of creating one specifically.

How to Participate in European Comic Schools Contest

One of your school teachers must send the necessary information from your school to the administrative secretariat of the contest at this address: [email protected]. You will need to provide the following information:

  • Country name
  • Name of school
  • Name of a teacher in charge
  • School e-mail address
  • Telephone number
  • School website URL

And as a subject of the mail: “European comic schools contest” Registration

The administrative secretariat will answer your teacher by e-mail when your school profile is created and completed. This mail will explain the procedure for publishing on Mangadraft the works by the students.

To submit artwork on Mangadraft for the contest, every student must register on mangadraft.com and indicate the school number provided by the teacher in charge.

Terms and Conditions

  • The contest is for students enrolled in art schools in European countries, where comics, digital art, and illustration are taught.
  • Registration for participating schools by a school teacher is necessary.
  • Entries must be original works suitable for all ages.
  • One person may submit multiple works.
  • Works presented in other commercial magazines or winning works in other contests are not eligible. We also ask that submitted results to this contest are not simultaneously entered into other contests.
  • Minors need to apply with the consent of their parent or guardian.
  • CELSYS, Inc. and other sponsors may use winning works for promotional purposes.
  • Winning works will be requested as original high-resolution data. (In the case of traditional media, scanned images must be 350dpi or higher)
  • Submitted works may be translated into different languages for presentation in other countries.

The following works may not be submitted,

  • If an application with the stated content is submitted, it will not be subject to review.
  • Entries that violate the privacy of others.
  • Entries that violate the copyrights of any third party.
  • Entries that are contrary to public order and morals.
  • In addition, the decision to exclude entries from the contest may be made at the organizer’s judgment during a review. Inquiries regarding the such exclusion of works will not be answered.

For winners to receive their prizes and prize money, please provide the information below:

Name, bank account, address, phone number, and E-mail address. The information will be handled according to the organizer’s privacy policy (Celsys).

Selection of Winners

The public will make a first selection for each competition category, where each reader can vote for the projects they prefer. These votes will allow a first ranking to emerge.

Then there will be the jury’s votes, where each member will choose his top 3 and allow to bring out the final winners of the 2 categories.

The jury is composed of mangaka Ken Niimura and Japanese painter and mangaka Yoshiyasu Tamura.

Ken Niimura

www.niimuraweb.com

Cartoonist and illustrator. His graphic novel “I Kill Giants” was adapted into a Live action feature film in 2019.

Yoshiyasu Tamura

www.tamurayoshiyasu.com

Manga artist, illustrator, and painter. Holds worldwide exhibitions and illustration/manga workshops at events and schools.


2023 Fumetto International Comix Competion

Deadline: 4th January 2023

Eligibility

The competition is open to anyone.

The Fumetto International Comix-Festival Lucerne is now accepting submissions for the 2023 International Comic Competition. The theme of this year’s competition is “Bike.” We love our bikes, cycle, or two-wheeler.

No matter what you call it, biking is the best way to get around: fast and flexible! We enjoy whizzing away and feeling the wind in our faces – full of energy but emission-free.

What do you think about that? Are you in a bike paradise, fighting through the urban jungle, headed to Kilimanjaro, or just to the next bakery – draw us your bike story!

You may submit only one comic (story in picture form). 4 pages maximum. Format A4 or A3. Entry is free.

Prizes

Fumetto will award three prizes in each category (18 years or older | 13 to 17 years | and up to 12 years of age). The winners will receive cash prizes.

Apply here:

https://www.fumetto.ch/en/wettbewerbe/fumetto-wettbewerb/


International Short Comics Story Competition

This prestigious short comics (up to 8 pages) competition features the following prizes: the Grand Prix, 3 main prizes, and 3 special awards.

All winners get cash and an in-kind prize. The Grand Prix winner additionally gets the Komiksus statue. All works are presented at the exhibition, and the best-selected ones are printed in a catalog.

Location: Online, Poland

Benefits

The works allowed in the competition will be shown at the exhibition of competition works

during the 29th International Festival of Comics and Games. The organizers reserve the right to verify the participants’ results to be presented in the exposition.

After the end of the festival exhibition, the works might be shown in other cities in Poland.

All participants will be granted free entry to all festival events.

All participants whose work will be featured in the festival catalog will get a free copy.

After examining all the submitted works, the jury will choose the Grand Prix, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes, and three special awards.

All the winners will obtain monetary prizes. Grand Prix – 7 000 PLN, 1st prize – 4 500 PLN; 2nd prize – 3 500 PLN; 3rd prize – 2000 PLN; three special awards – 1 000 PLN each. The proper tax will be deducted from all prizes.

Eligibility

The competition is open to everyone, and the works have no theme. The allowed techniques are drawing, painting, digital art, and photography.

A participant can submit one complete and a whole story, up to 8 pages. By ‘participant,’ we understand one person responsible for the story and drawings, a duo of artists, or a larger group of artists. One artist (drawer or writer) can be a part of many duos or groups.

Eligible Regions: Open for All

Submission Requirements:

  • The pages should be in a vertical A4 (210 x 297 mm) or A3 (297 x 420 mm) format. On the back of each page, there should be the title of the work, page number, name, and surname of the author/s, their functions (artist/scenarist, etc.), home address, e-mail, and phone number.
  • The authors’ names should be written only on the back of the page.
  • When sending original pages, copies, or prints, you should enclose a CD or DVD with the digital version of the work (tiff or jpg, CMYK, A4 – 300 DPI).
  • The package with submitted work should also include a filled-out and signed entry form of each author, available at www.komiksfestiwal.com.
  • The works should be securely packed in a stiff, cardboard folder, which should be signed, enabling the organizers to send it back to the owner by post (copies and prints will not be returned). The organizer is not responsible for lost, incomplete, damaged, or untimely competition entries.
  • The works should be sent to the following address: “EC1 Lodz – Miasto Kultury”, ul. Targowa 1/3, 90-022 Lodz, Poland, with a note on the package ‘KOMIKS 2018’.
  • The participation fee is 30 PLN for participants from Poland and 10 Euros for participants from other countries. The amount should be transferred to the account:

Stowarzyszenie Tworcow CONTUR, ul. Roosevelta 17, 90-056 Lodz, mBank,

Account no. PL66 1140 2017 0000 49020245 4189 (SWIFT: BREX PL PW MUL), and the payment confirmation should be attached to the submitted work.


UNICEF School Superhero Comic Contest

The comic contest allows you to publish your global comic book. For persons aged 25 and below, you can submit a comic book containing the superhero of your imagination.

The top entries will be selected for a global vote which offers you the exciting opportunity of bringing your superhero to life if you win.

You will get to work with a comic artist to publish your very own comic, which will be shown worldwide.

Benefits

The global winner will work with an artist and vendor to bring his/her superhero/heroine and their story to life;

The comic will be launched in July 2023 online and at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, where Education and Peace’s goals are under review. The winner will be asked to participate in the global launch activations, which may require traveling;

The winning comic, along with the finalists’ submissions, may be showcased on UNICEF’s social

media channels, as well as at major global events like ComicCon, the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, and the United Nations General Assembly at UNICEF’s discretion;

From the opening of this contest on October 5, UNICEF will feature submitted entries and finalists’ work at its discretion.

Names of individuals may or may not be included with the featured superhero/heroines when published on the UNICEF websites, social media, or in any other medium, digital and printed, at UNICEF’s discretion.

Eligibility

  • All young people up to 25 years old from all countries are eligible. Proof of age may be required to demonstrate eligibility;
  • Ensure your submission includes your superhero name, their superpower to make schools safe, and one of their school-saving adventures (a simple storyline of a maximum of 1600 characters), and attach a doodle/drawing/sketch of what they look like via the online form.
  • Only one application per participant is allowed;
  • Your submission MUST include an attached graphic for UNICEF to consider it.
  • Your submission must be your own, and you must own the copyright of the graphic representation, storyline, and concept;
  • The selection panel will consider the only superhero submitted during the call dates;
  • If you are under 18, you must discuss your interest in participating with your parents or guardians before applying. In the application, you will be asked to provide the contact detail of your parents/guardians. Only applicants under 18 whose parents/guardians have consented will be considered potential finalists.

Apply Here:

https://www.unicef.org/end-violence/school-superhero-comic-contest/enter

If you have difficulty submitting your entry using the form, you can send it directly to [email protected]. Only entries that address all fields on the form will be considered by

email and the subject line must say ’Entry: Comic Contest.’

Deadline: June 2023.


CBLDF Writing Competition for Excellence in Comic Book Scholarship

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund sponsors the competition. Its website is available at http://cbldf.org

Eligibility:

The Contest is open to individuals who are at least 21 years of age at the time of Entry

In the U.S., who are part-time or full-time students in good standing (e.g., not on probationary status)?

Law school at the time of Entry. As used herein, “Entrant” shall refer to an individual or group entrant. If a group of individuals submits an Entry, all group members must meet the eligibility requirements outlined in these rules. The Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, commonwealth, territory, and local laws and regulations.

How To Apply:

Submissions should be sent to [email protected] during the Entry Period.

Each Entry must comply with the Submission Requirements below and will be screened by the Sponsor for compliance with these Official Rules. The sponsor’s decisions regarding whether an Entry complies with these Official Rules are final and binding.

Submission Requirements:

All Entries must meet the following requirements to be eligible:

Each Entry must be an original piece of legal writing addressing a legal issue or issues related to comic books, the comic book industry, or a matter that relates to or affects comics.

Each Entry must be the Entrant’s (including each member of a group Entrant) original creation. Each Entry may be either an unpublished manuscript or a published article issued no longer than one year before the competition deadline.

Entrants must own or hold a license to all necessary rights, including, without limitation, rights of copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights, in and to the Entry and any Third Party Material incorporated therein.

Entries must also not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, rights of privacy, publicity, or other intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity.

To the extent that the Entry incorporates or uses any Third Party Material, Entrant has obtained all rights, permissions, clearances, and releases necessary for Entrant to use such Third Party Material and grant to Sponsor the licenses described herein, including, without limitation, permits from the appropriate licensor.

Entries not compliant with these Official Rules in accordance with Sponsor’s sole discretion will cause the Entry to be void.

All eligible Entries received by Sponsor during the Entry Period will be judged by a panel of judges based on various criteria. The one (1) Entry with the highest score will be deemed the “Grand Prize Winner.”

Benefits

The up to two (2) Entries with the following highest scores will be deemed the “Runners-Up” (each a “Runner-Up”; together with the Grand Prize Winner, the “Winners” and each a “Winner”). The Winners will be notified within a reasonable time after the Entry Period.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive a $500 cash prize, a complimentary one-year membership to the Sponsor, the prominent display of the Entry on the Website in a manner and for a period to be determined at the sole discretion of the Sponsor.

The Runners-Up will receive a complimentary one-year membership to the Sponsor and display their Entries on the Website in a manner and for a period to be determined at the Sponsor’s sole discretion.

If a Winner (including any member of a group Entrant) is found to be ineligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules or declines to accept its Prize, or if Sponsor is unable to contact a Winner within a reasonable period, or if a Prize notification is returned undeliverable, the Sponsor may, at the Sponsor’s sole discretion, select the next highest rated Entry, if time permits.

GEEK Partnership Society Writing Contest 2023

This contest provides a forum for new talent of any age and allows them to learn about the publication process and its requirements.

The submission requirements are not negotiable, nor should teachers use this contest as a required class exercise. Teachers, please encourage your students to enter our contest but don’t make it a homework assignment.

Entries must be science fiction, fantasy, horror, a supernatural, and alternate history in short fiction, poetry, or comics.

All entries remain the writers’ intellectual property, although by entering this contest, the writer gives GPS limited rights to share a winning entry.

Benefits

The winner of each Youth Division will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate, with a second $50 gift certificate awarded to the winner’s school.

The Poetry Division winner will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate. The general winner of the Open Division will receive a $75 Amazon.com gift certificate. The Scott Imes Award winner will receive a $100 gift certificate from Uncle Hugo.

The Graphic Novel (Comics) Division winner will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate.

Entries for the 2023 contest will start on January 1, 2023.

The deadline for entries to be emailed as attachments to [email protected] is 11:59 pm CDT on May 2023.

Winners will be notified by the end of June and publicly announced at the Opening Ceremony of Convergence in July. Winning entries will be shared on the webpage by the end of August.

You may only enter one short fiction division. You can also enter a poem in the Poetry Division and/or a short comic in the Graphic Novel (Comics) Poetry: Poems only. Open to writers of any age. Graphic Novel (Comics): Short comics only. Open to writers of any generation.

For more inquiries, contact the Writing Contest Coordinator at [email protected]

Rules

  • All entries must be original, unpublished works by nonprofessional (amateur) authors.
  • All entries must have elements of science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural, or alternate history.
  • Only one entry per person for the short fiction divisions (Open, Youth 1, and Youth 2), and you may only enter one short fiction division.
  • Only one entry per person for the poetry and graphic novel (comics) divisions. Because these are different formats than short fiction, writers may enter these divisions in addition to one of the short fiction divisions.
  • There is NO entry fee for any submission.
  • Division winners from the previous year are not eligible to win in the same division the following year but are allowed to enter a different division.
  • Entries must meet the contest rules and submission requirements, or they will be refused.
  • By entering the contest, the author of a winning entry permits GPS to publish their entries online and in print as determined by GPS and any future anthologies of winning entries.

Requirements

A cover page is required for each entry and must be separate so that it may be separated from the entry. The cover page should include the following information.

title of entry the division entered: if a youth division, additional information is required; please see below the word count for short fiction or poems OR the number of pages for short comics writer’s name writer’s complete mailing address (street, city, state, zip code) writer’s an email address

Youth divisions’ (the writer is 16 or younger) cover pages ALSO require:

  • writer’s age
  • writer’s birth date
  • name of a parent or guardian
  • email address of a parent or guardian
  • Name of the school city where the school is located

Short Fiction and Poetry Entries

Entries must be an attachment to the email and in a word processing format with extensions such as .doc, .docx, .txt, or .rtf. We cannot accept PDFs, .odt files or shared Google documents.

Entries must be 5,000 words or fewer. Entries must follow this format:

  • 8.5″ x 11″ size
  • 1-inch margins
  • Double-spaced
  • Minimum 11 pt font
  • The black font in Arial, Verdana, or Times New Roman
  • Numbered pages
  • The entry title should appear on each page of the manuscript.
  • The author’s name should only appear on the cover page.

Graphic novels (comics) entries

Entries may be submitted in either digital or paper format. You may collaborate with one other person.

Since the prize is one $50 Amazon gift card, this award may be shared, or we can divide it into two $25 Amazon gift cards.

Paper entries must be black and white on A4 paper and limited to 10 pages or less. They should be photocopies of the original artwork. Paper entries will not be returned.

How to apply

Mail paper entries to Geek Partnership Society, 1121 Jackson St Northeast, Suite 106, Minneapolis, MN 55413.

Digital entries should be scanned and submitted by emailing attachments to writingcontest@geekpartnership.

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