Cartoon Musuem & SelfMadeHero To Fund First Graphic Novels

Posted in: Comics | Tagged: cartoon museum, graphicnovel, selfmadehero

London’s Cartoon Museum and British graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero have launched The First Graphic Novel Award for 2023.

The Guardian newspaper has long sponsored the Guardian First Book Award, awarding the best book by a debut book writer. Chris Ware won it once for his Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth in 2001. But now such a book would have an award all of its own. Because London’s Cartoon Museum and British graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero have launched The First Graphic Novel Award for 2023 for debut authors who have not previously been published. And what’s more, they will publish it.

The First Graphic Novel Award asks authors to submit 15-30 pages of a graphic novel in progress, fiction or non-fiction. A selected author will be given support to complete the work for publication by SelfMadeHero, and awarded a prize of £500 sponsored by the bks Agency. The closing date for all submissions is the 14th of September, 2023. The project is supported by the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), the Lakes International Comic Art Festival (LICAF), Thought Bubble Festival and The bks Agency.

The judges include graphic novel editor Ayoola Solarin, artist Mark Wallinger, Cartoon Museum Learning & Outreach Officer Steve Marchant, broadcast journalist Alex Fitch, graphic novelist Sabba Khan, author of the award-winning The Roles We Play (shortlisted, 2018), and Emma Hayley, Director, SelfMadeHero. James Spackman at The bks Agency will review the longlisted creators’ work.

It also follows the news of the Caliburn Prize of $2500 and support for unpublished British comics creators.

The First Graphic Novel was founded by Myriad Editions in 2012 as the Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition. As well as publishing books by the four finalists, Myriad has also published six other shortlisted authors. Corinne Pearlman, project leader and judge, has steered the award from its outset as Myriad’s former Creative Director. Previous winners were Gareth Brookes (The Black Project, 2012), Jade Sarson (For the Love of God, Marie!, 2014), Jenny Robins (Biscuits, 2018) and Veronika Muchitsch (Cyberman, 2022). Corinne Pearlman has now established the award on an independent platform with seed money from the Authors’ Collecting and Licensing Society (ALCS). She says “I’m delighted to be taking forward the award with the support of new partners The Cartoon Museum, SelfMadeHero and ALCS. Myriad’s celebrated list of graphic novels has seen great benefits from the scheme. Now we can share that experience with others. This is the first time we have been able to offer the winner a prize of £500, thanks to sponsors the bks Agency.”

Emma Hayley, Director, SelfMadeHero, says: “The UK needs more of this. As the future publisher of the winning entry, SelfMadeHero furthers its commitment to fostering and inspiring new talent. I am very excited that we are a part of this.”

Joe Sullivan, Director, Cartoon Museum, says: “There is a long and fantastic history of finding the very best new talent through the First Graphic Novel competition. The Museum is committed to championing emerging artists, and look forward to discovering our new favourite graphic novels later this year.”

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