Laydeez do Comics Prize celebrates female creators with new comics competition
Fancy winning £2,000 for your comic? Well the fine folk over at Laydeez Do Comics have announced a new female only graphic novel prize, which is the first of it’s kind in the UK. It’s all part of their mission to recognise and celebrate the wealth of comic being produced by female-identifying people in the UK and looks set to be a fantastic springboard for any aspiring comic creators who enter. Not only do you win a cash prize, but you also get your work critiqued by a panel of comic experts!
So what exactly are they looking for? Here’s a quick breakdown from LDC themselves:
LDC’s interest has always been in the drama of the everyday and the autobiographical. Within that remit we are looking for original and innovative work in progress, that stretch definitions of the comics form as well as the subject matter. The Laydeez do Comics prize will be awarded to the graphic novel work in progress that, in the opinion of the judges, shows the most potential.
The judging panel is made up of five invited women, with one vote per judge, who have been carefully selected to represent a range of interests and varying knowledge of the graphic novel form. They include:
Bobby Baker: Activist and multi-disciplinary artist working across performance, drawing and multi media. Artistic director of arts organisation Daily Life. http://dailylifeltd.co.uk/
Kripa Joshi: Illustrator and Comic Artist from Nepal based in the UK.She has self-published her comics and sells them online and at comic conventions. The character Miss Moti has been a part of various anthologies. www.kripakreations.com
Sarah Lightman (Joint chair): Artist, curator, writer and scholar. http://www.sarahlightman.com
Lola Olufemi: Cambridge University Student Union Women’s Officer and English Literature Student. @CUSUWomen
Nicola Streeten (Joint chair): Illustrator, graphic novelist and comic scholar. http://www.streetenillustration.com
The competition is open to anyone based in the UK who self-identifies as female, including trans and non-binary people. Entries must not have been previously published by a commercial publisher and must be original. The drawing and written elements must be produced by one person. Collaborative entries will not be considered.
The winner will get a first prize of £2,000, and five shortlisted entries will win £200 each. Plus, all shortlisted entries will also receive a one-to-one free Laydeez Review session which will include a critique of their work, as well as professional advice from an acclaimed graphic novelist.
The closing date for entry if 12 midnight on 13 January 2018 and any received after that will not be considered.
