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Don’t miss your chance to enter this year’s Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story challenge

By John Freeman on November 9, 2021

Are you an aspiring graphic novelist? Do you have an original story to tell? There’s still time enter the Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize 2021, which has a deadline of Friday 10th December.

You need to write and draw a four-page comic, designed to run over a double-page spread in the Observer New Review – a story that will ideally have a beginning, a middle and an end.

Jonathan Cape/Observer/Comica Graphic Short Story Prize 2021

The winner will receive a cheque for £1,000 and their work will appear in the Observer in print and online. The runner-up will receive £250 and their work will also be published online.

This year’s judges include Samira Ahmed, the journalist and broadcaster, and Alison Bechdel, the award-winning author of Fun Home and The Secret to Superhuman Strength.

Last year’s winner was Paul Rainey – perhaps best known for strips such as “Why Don’t You Love Me”, There’s No Time Like The Present”, his regular appearances in Aces Weekly and his occasional contributions to VIZ.

*The opening page of Paul Rainey’s winning entry in the competition last year*

You can read Paul’s strip in full here on The Guardian/Observer web site, and runner up Ellen Durkin’s story, “The Worm”, here.

• Find out more here on the Penguin web site

• Download the Entry Form (Word document)

• Read previous winning strips and interviews with their creators on The Guardian web site

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.