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Dundee Comics Prize

Wullie on Tartan BucketDo you think you have what it takes to create a successful comics character like Our Wullie or Dennis the Menace? Could you write and draw a comic story that can entertain and delight readers? Do you know what kinds of stories comics readers in the 21st Century want to see? The University of Dundee, in partnership with DC Thomson, is pleased to announce the creation of The Tartan Bucket Prize, a competition to create a new character and a short story in the form of a comic that will be published by DC Thomson. This must be a humorous story of no more than two pages designed for a young audience and in keeping with the kinds of stories DC Thomson publishes in comics like The Beano and The Dandy. The first prize is £1,000, plus publication of the story. There will also be four runner-up prizes of £250 each. These stories may be published on the DC Thomson website. Winning the prize could launch you on an exciting career as a comic creator!

The deadline for completed submissions is 1st July 2011. The work will be judged by a panel consisting of comic professionals and scholars, with a launch at the Dundee Comic Day 2011, which is part of the Dundee Literary Festival held in November 2011. Winners and runner-ups will be invited to attend. There will also be an exhibition of artwork from the competition at the Festival.

The aim of the prize is to nurture talent in comics, and to help new creators gain recognition. Anyone can enter the competition, and the submission can be in any style, in black or white or colour, but the work must be finished to a high standard (lettered, inked, etc), and it must be a complete story. The work must be original, the creators must own the copyright, and it must not have been published already, or currently offered for publication elsewhere. When submitting work good quality scans are requested in the first instance, although original artwork may be requested at a later stage (although will remain the property of the creators). The prize is awarded to the creator or team who produce the work. If the work is collaborative the members of the team will share the prize money equally. All winners (including runners-up) will be asked to provide a short account of how the comic was created, along with any relevant photos and sketches. These will be used on the website to demonstrate how the winning entries came about. Artwork will also be required on a short loan for the purposes of an exhibition. The decision of the judging panel is final, and DC Thomson reserves control over publication of stories, what is published, how it is published, and in what format.

All queries and submissions should be sent to Chris Murray, University of Dundee: dundeecomicsprize@gmail.com

Dundee Comics Prize - Rules and Guidelines
The Tartan Bucket Prize

  1. Submissions for this prize must be a humorous story of no more than two pages designed for a young audience and in keeping with the kinds of stories DC Thomson publishes in comics like The Beano and The Dandy.
  2. The first prize is £1,000, plus publication of the story. There will also be four runner-up prizes of £250 each. These stories may be published on the DC Thomson website, or in DC Thomson publication. This is entirely at the discretion of the judging panel.
  3. Anyone can enter the competition, and the submission can be in any style, in black or white or colour, but the work must be finished to a high standard (lettered, inked, etc), and it must be a complete story. The work must be original, the creators must own the copyright, and it must not have been published already, or currently offered for publication elsewhere.
  4. The deadline for completed submissions for the Dundee Comics Prize (Tartan Bucket Prize) is 1st July 2011.
  5. When submitting work good quality scans are requested in the first instance, although original artwork may be requested at a later stage (although will remain the property of the creators). Scans of submissions should be sent to Chris Murray, at the following address dundeecomicsprize@gmail.com.  Arrangements for delivery of original artwork will be made once judging is complete.
  6. The work will be judged by a panel consisting of comic professionals and scholars.
  7. There will be a launch at the Dundee Comic Day 2011, which is part of the Dundee Literary Festival held in November 2011.
  8. There will be an exhibition of artwork from the competition at the Festival. Winners and runners up are required to provide material for this exhibition. This may be in the form of preliminary sketches, roughs, or finished artwork. Usually this would be the original artwork. All original material remains the property of the artist and will be returned at the close of the exhibition.
  9. Winners and runner-ups will be invited to attend the launch and exhibition, and will not pay a fee for the Comics Day. Lunch will be provided. Transport and accommodation is not provided.
  10. Please note, the prize is awarded to the creator or team who produce the work. If the work is collaborative the members of the team will share the prize money equally.
  11. All winners (including runners-up) will be asked to provide a short account of how the comic was created, along with any relevant photos and sketches. These will be used on the website to demonstrate how the winning entries came about. Artwork will also be required on a short loan for the purposes of an exhibition.
  12. The decision of the judging panel is final, and DC Thomson reserves control over publication of stories, what is published, how it is published, and in what format.

Posted: 17 January 2011
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