Comic Strip Superstar

[Emperor]

Sounds a little tricky unless you have a great idea you somehow haven't got round into turning into a webcomic but if you have...

www.bleedingcool.com/2009/08/18/universal-press-and-amazon-save-money-on-rd-with-comic-strip-competition/

[Kev Levell]

I can never decide how I feel about competitions.

I like the idea of the increased profile in the event of a win... (and the prizes obviously) but seriously, the odds are so stacked against walking away with the top prize.
And, look at the prizes that are usually on offer... they always seem like an incredibly cheap way to generate ideas for the people running the competition. (You give us a huge amount of your time and effort, we spend no money on the expensive, up front costs, and then we award a prize that's worth a fraction of the the money that would have otherwise been spent).

There are some creatives who steadfastly refuse to enter competitions, like those who're part of the NO!SPEC campaign. Which has well constructed arguments against ever doing anything for free. "If it's good enough to be published, it's good enough to be paid for!" I can't remember where I read that quote but I think it might be a 2000AD one.

I'm not saying don't enter, because, who knows - you might be both talented and lucky enough to be noticed in the deluge of entries... I think you need to be interested and committed to what you're entering, and creating something specifically for a competition is in my experience frustrating as you can't have a dialogue with your client to get the job done right...
Unless it's going to be fun, productive and useful for you in the future, I'd say don't bother.

In the past I've entered competitions and for one reason or another have been massively disappointed with the level of respect the organizers of these things have... A good while ago now, I entered a competition with a major daily newspaper, the deadline for announcing the results came and went without any notification anywhere, months passed and still nothing - a whole year later, something happened that meant none of the work produced will ever see the light of day... this does sound like sour grapes, but that is not my intention.

Another comic strip competition running at the moment (haven't checked whether this has been posted elsewhere) is the Graphic Short Story Prize. I've been working on an entry and there is still plenty of time before the deadline (Sept 25th) but I'm doubting my reasons for wanting to enter...

The question I'm asking myself is this: Am I a professional seeking work or am I an amateur looking for a lucky break?

Another competition/award caught my eye the other day, The Digital Artist Awards: simply enter something you've already done! No mention of any prizes but Dave Gibbons is one of the judges...

[Emperor]

Yes it is always tricky.

Of course, this is the way a lot of things are done in comics and other mediums at the moment, which can be seen as a fad but I suspect it also popular because it is cheap (those TV talent contests must have some of the lowest minute/pound around), although I will admit they are popular.

This cheapness must really help given the state of the comics market at the moment - there just isn't the cash to do things properly. It is also popular with creators because of the way things are there are so few venues to get your work seen these days. 15-20 years ago the field was doing well and I'd imagine there are at least a dozen people here who would have been able to get regular professional comics work. These days the small press is strong and of a very high standard, which means it is a great place for people to get their stories out and hone their skills. Personally, I feel this will mean this and the next generation of pro comics creators will be better from the start of their (earning) career and will better appreciate their success (as opposed to the old days when the British Invasion of American Comic Books was still new and shiny, people would get smoke blown up their asses and presented with the moon on a stick). However, it does mean you are giving your work away for free so perhaps entering these contests isn't such a big issue. For example, the script I've got for the Graphic Short Story Prize this year is one I had already been working on with an eye on getting it published in the small press - I just had to trim it down to fit 4 pages. So there isn't much "wasted" effort, and if it makes the shortlist then I consider that to be a bonus. I find it also forces you to keep pushing yourself: to get it done, polished and out there. This should help you improve too.

Unfortunately, there is a Catch 22 situation at work here. Because the market has shrunk, being able to demonstrate that you can create comics (see the Tony Lee interview I posted in the writers thread). This either means getting published in small press anthologies or doing it yourself and either way you aren't going to make much or any money (unless you have a break out hit like Rainbow Orchid). Making the shortlist in a contest is just another chance to demonstrate this.

The question I'm asking myself is this: Am I a professional seeking work or am I an amateur looking for a lucky break?

Ultimately my answer to that is that (while I am a professional non-fiction writer) I am only an amateur comics writer and, while I'd love to get paid for my work (and would die happy if I could get a Future Shock published in 2000 AD), I am just enjoying writing comics at the moment. If I get a break then there will be an element of luck in there but it will down to all the work I'll have put in improving my writing.


Also to add to the list of contests (that I don't think I've mentioned in this forum) are Comic Book Idol and Small Press Idol (and it'd be rude not to mention the UK/Ireland Rising Stars of Manga, even though the change in terms and conditions have put off a lot of people). If anyone fancies taking a run at those then start a new thread and we can kick ideas around.