Create Your Own Comics Contest Accepting Submissions October 12 th - December 14th Brought to you by Erie Times-News in Education and the Erie Art Museum There are many ways to tell a story. Some writers prefer pencil and paper or a computer to write about their characters, setting, plot, and conflict. Others enjoy graphics and illustrations to create the same type of story. For the Create Your Own Comics Contest, students in grades K-12 are invited to create their own illustrated short stories with a chance at winning prizes. What are Comics? Comics tell a story. Usually a series of stories released each week, the comics and graphic novels for the CYOC Contest are complete short stories with the art and illustrations advancing the story rather than telling the story through text. Whether using complex illustrations or simple stick figures, comics and graphic novels combine art and writing to tell the story. Creators can focus on the elaborate art or the interesting story depending on the artist s area of interest. How to Enter o Create your own mini comic book with a maximum of 8 pages, including a cover page. o Use letter-sized pages 8.5 x 11 see the guide that follows the instructions. o Create your story and illustrations in black and white or color, with appropriate speech and thought bubbled (See guide). o Each submission must be unique content and not a re-creation of an existing published story. All text and illustrations must be the author s original idea. o The CYOC Contest is limited to all non-professional authors and illustrators. o All designs must be done by hand or original digital non- copyrighted images. Refrain from using Clip Art. o All submissions are non-returnable. Consider submitting a photocopy or PDF of your work to the official contest site. o Erie Times-News in Education and Erie Art Museum reserve the right to reproduce the work; however, authors/illustrators may reuse their work after the contest. o Print and complete the Create Your Own Comics Entry Form. If author is under the age of 18, the form must be accompanied by the signature of a parent, guardian, librarian or teacher. o Entries can be submitted online at NIE.GoErie.com or emailed to NIE@timesnews.com (must be a JPG or PDF). Hard copies can be mailed to Erie Times-News in Education, 205 West 12 th Street, Erie, PA 16534. o Limit of one entry per contestant. Entries will be judges on content and illustrations by a panel of Erie Times-News staff, Erie Art Museum staff, and industry professionals.
Finalists will be announced on January 4th in the Erie Times News. All contestants are invited to a reception at the Erie Art Museum on January 10 th 2016 during the Second Sundays family event. Finalists will be on display in Museum and winners will be awarded prizes at the event. Families will have a chance to tour the Art of the Comic exhibit with Museum educators and participate in a cartooning activity in the classrooms. Participation There will be three categories for the CYOC Contest: Grades K-4 (up to age 9) Grades 5-8 (up to age 13) Grades 9-12 (up to age 18 in high school) There is no fee to enter the contest. Schools can enter as a group, or students can enter individually. Prizes One winner in each age category will receive: One year Family Membership to the Erie Art Museum Autographed comic from artists on display in the Art of the Comic exhibit Gift certificate to Action Toy Man Erie Times News Gift Bag All finalists will receive a one-year student membership to the Erie Art Museum. Educational Component Teachers who wish to use the comics/graphic novel component in their classroom can request curriculum material and/or classroom instruction from Erie Times-News in Education. Whether you are teaching English and language arts, science, social studies or art, you can help encourage students to create their own comics. Each classroom that commits to entering the contest can receive up to three (3) in-class lessons from a Pennsylvania-certified English teacher. Students who create graphic novels and comics develop skills in logic, teamwork, problem solving, and task-completion skills. They can also learn to express thoughts and feelings through the therapeutic art of creating comics. Finally, comics and graphic novels can be used to create cross-curricular projects such as an illustrative history of the Civil War or the life cycle of plants. Career Development
Creating comics and graphic novels is a career path for artistic and creative students. Schools are offering graphic novels and comics as part of their curriculum. Learning how to create graphic novels and comics is a powerful tool for advertising, film-making, and other creative fields. Several colleges and universities offer animation and graphic design programs that help develop these skills into viable careers. For more information about the contest, visit NIE.GoErie.com. To learn more about the Erie Art Museum exhibits, visit ErieArtMuseum.org. *Erie Times-News in Education reserves the right to refuse submissions that are not appropriate for a general audience. Staff members from Erie Times-News, Erie Art Museum and sponsor organization are ineligible to participate. The contest is open to all Pennsylvania residents. Erie Art Museum Art of the Comic Book Original Works from Klaus Janson, John Totleben, and the Museum s Collection Bacon Gallery June 12 through February 7, 2016 KRASH! BOOM! The characters of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and other superheroes have captured the imagination of generations through the medium of comic books. Evolving from the comic strip, the comic book originated in the 1930s with classic heroes like Superman and Captain America. Since then, it has continued to develop as a powerful art and literary medium, maintaining its roots as a chronicler of fantastic adventure but also expanding into the territory of more poignant and nuanced narrative. Treating comic books as masterpieces of storytelling, The Art of the Comic Book exhibit celebrates the visual artistry of comic book illustrators with original pages from the museum collection and two internationally renowned artists, Klaus Janson and John Totleben. The pieces selected from the collection provide a view into the history of comics from the 1940s until the 1970s, representing many of the different genres that were popular in comic books such as crime drama, westerns, funny animals, and superheroes. Major highlights of this collection include a page from Daredevil by the legendary Gene Colan, and a page by Spiderman illustrator
Erie Times-News and Erie Art Museum Create Your Own Comics Entry Form Name: Age: Title of Comics: School: Grade: Email: Phone # Signature (Parent or guardian if under 18 years of age) *By signing this form, above-named gives permission for the Erie Times-News to reproduce the creative works as part of the contest, in promotions, ads or displays. No compensation will be paid to the author during the contest or in the future for use of the creative works. All creations remain possessions of the original creator and will only be used in relation to this year s and future CYOC Contests.
---------------- 8.5 x 11 inches ---------------- Maximum 8 pages (4 sheets front and back) Full color or black and white