Have you entered Myriad’s First Graphic Novel Competition?

By John Freeman on January 31, 2020

The deadline for entries to the Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition 2020 – launched at last year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival, which publisher Corinne Pearlman discussed on a previous Festival Podcast, is fast approaching.

The competition is for a graphic novel-in-progress and is open to all cartoonists, and writers and artists working as a team, who have not previously published a full-length graphic work. The winner will be offered the opportunity to develop their work-in-progress with Myriad’s creative and editorial team with a view to being offered a contract and publication.

The deadline for entries is 28th February 2020 and you can enter here.

Longlisted entrants will be notified by end of March 2020; Shortlisted entrants will be announced by end of April 2020. The winner will be announced in late May / early June 2020.

The winning entry will be an extract from a narrative work in progress – nonfiction or fiction. Entries may be from a single author or may be a collaboration between a writer/writers and an artist/artists. Myriad is committed to publishing work that reflects the breadth of human experience and attracting creators who reflect our diverse society, from BAME and LGBQT+ artists to those with physical or mental health challenges and from different social backgrounds.

The three previous competitions have provided a unique opportunity for creators to see their debut graphic novel in print, furthering Myriad’s mission to encourage and nurture new talent, and to provide opportunities for established artists who have not previously embarked upon a full-length work. This is the fourth time Myriad has run the First Graphic Novel competition. Myriad has published the winners of previous competitions – Gareth Brookes (2012) and Jade Sarson (2014) – and four of the shortlisted authors: Henny Beaumont, Hannah Eaton, Paula Knight, and Ian Williams, as well as work by other creators introduced to Myriad through the competition.

Myriad will soon be publishing Biscuits (assorted) by Jenny Robins, winner of the 2018 competition, as well Pluralism by 2018 shortlisted artist Sabba Khan.

Information about the previous competitions can be found here.

The 2020 Competition Judges are Dr Ian Williams, author of The Bad Doctor and The Lady Doctor and Founder of Graphicmedicine.org; Sacha Craddock, independent art critic, writer and curator; Corinne Pearlman, creative director, Myriad Editions; Zoe Adjonyoh, award-winning chef, author of Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen Cookbook and contributor to the New Daughters of Africa anthology; and Julie Tait, founder and director, Lakes International Comic Art Festival

The Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition is supported by The Lakes International Comic Art Festival.

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.