This contest is open to Kent County residents and students of Kent County schools who are age 11-17 at the time of submitting.

Submission deadline: August 31, 2025

Contest Guidelines 

• Create your own comic book/graphic novel with a maximum length of 8 pages, including the cover page.
• One entry per person.
• Entries must be submitted online via Submittable, no later than 11:59 PM on August 31, 2025. 
• Use letter-size paper (8.5 x 11”) with black-and-white drawings on single-sided pages only. Then scan your pages and submit them as a PDF.
• Each submission must be the creative and original work of the submitting author/illustrator.  All characters and settings that appear in your submission must be your original work and cannot be based on other creations not originally thought up by you as the creator. 
• Entries with more than one author/illustrator should only be submitted once (the form contains space for multiple authors).  Any submissions with more than one author/illustrator will be considered a single entry and will share any prizes possibly awarded.  
• The contest is limited to amateur teen authors/illustrators only.  
• Computer generated images are acceptable as long as they are your original work (no clip art or AI generated images).  
• When submitting a digital scan, ensure it is an accurate reflection of the original. If your work is selected for publishing, what you submit will be printed in the quality it was received. 
• Entries will be judged using a rubric scale covering the following: overall story, originality, creativity and illustration by a panel of library staff and comic industry professionals. The detailed judging criteria and rubric used for this contest is available below.  
• A winner will be awarded alongside four honorable mentions. The winning artist(s) will receive $100 and the honorable mention artist(s) will receive $50 in the form of Meijer Gift Cards. 
• Winners will be announced online in October, and prizes will be awarded during an In-Person Award Ceremony on November 22nd, 2025, at the Cascade Branch.