2024 WINNERS | TOP ENTRIES

Thank you to everyone that participated in the Comic Book Making Contest. The top entries for this year have been chosen, and you can read them by clicking the links below.

1st – 4th School Grade | Top Entries

• The Adventures of Mr. Muffins Book 1: The Cat by Anjelo Vidrio(link is external)
• Capy and the Big Mystery by Connor Massingale(link is external)
• Stray 2 by Lisette Cruz Lopez(link is external)

Honorable Mention
• The Ghost by Ana Daniela Rosales(link is external)
• The Mutant Lizard by Cash A. Dutra(link is external)

5th – 8th School Grande | Top Entries

• YoYo & Gum-Gum Reunion by Julian Crayton-Ramirez(link is external)
• Bunny & Squirrel Adventures: The Movie Theater by Kyrie Barraca(link is external)
• Surf Shark by Max Gutierrez(link is external)

Honorable Mention
• Maya and Her Scary Adventure by Juliette Avelar-Moreno(link is external)
• Bakery Story by Valeria Sanchez-Ochoa(link is external)

9th – 12th School Grade | Top Entries

• Sleepwalker by Sebastian D. Sanchez-Ochoa(link is external)
• Lost and Found by Elysha Kennedy(link is external)
• Alexander the Great by Asher Aranda & Andres Acevedo(link is external)

Honorable Mentions
• The Rise of Chief Pizza by Regina Diaz Flores(link is external)
• The Great Escape by Balery Del Cid Muñoz(link is external)

Information for the Comic Book Making Contest for Kids and Teens 2024

Kids and Teens are invited to make their own comic book and submit them to the Salinas Public Library.  Running from April 22, 2024 - June 29, 2024, Salinas Public Library’s Comic Book Making Contest is open to kids and teenagers from the Monterey County. Prizes and art supplies will be awarded to the winners.

Submission Guidelines

• Open to kids and teens, 1st – 12th grade.
• Limited to a minimum length of 2 pages and maximum length of 20­­ pages, including cover page.
• Entries should be submitted as PDF, JPG, PNG, or physical paper.
• Submissions must be the original work of the submitting author, no copyrighted material.
• Participants may collaborate on a comic book; should a prize be awarded it will be for the submitted work, not per creator.
• Open to all subjects and themes.
• Entries must be library appropriate.
• Salinas Public Library reserves the right to reproduce your work.
• One entry per participant.
• Consider submitting a photocopy as submissions are non-returnable.
• Submission deadline is Saturday, June 29, 2024.
• Open to Monterey County residents.

How to Submit Your Graphic Novel (3 Ways to Submit)

1. Complete an Online Submission Form
2. Print an Entry Form(link is external) for in-person submission. Turn it in to one of the library branches along with a copy of your comic book entry. 
3. Email an Entry Form(link is external) along with a PDF copy of your comic book entry to Luis.Manzo@ci.salinas.ca.us(link sends e-mail)

Judging

Entries will be judged on overall story, originality, creativity, and illustrations by a panel of library and community professionals (Judging Criteria(link is external)).

Art Group and Prizes

• 1st – 4th School Grade - Art supplies awarded to top three entries.
• 5th – 8th School Grade - Art supplies awarded to top three entries.
• 9th – 12th School Grade - Art supplies awarded to top three entries.

Winners will be announced on Friday, July 26, 2024.

Resources

Printable Comic Book Template
If you want to start making a comic book but don’t know where to begin, we have created a comic book template(link is external). Print a few copies to start working on your own comic book.

Creating Storyboards for Graphic Novels, Virtual Interview(link is external)
Fernando interviewed Mat Heagerty and Steph Mided, the creators of Martian Ghost Centaur(link is external), to discuss their process for crafting a storyboard for their graphic novel.

Character Design, Virtual Interview(link is external)
Jax M & Chibs, character designers and library marketing specialists, talked about basic character design.

Interview with Graphic Novel Creator Yehudi Mercado(link is external)
Chris talked to Yehudi Mercado about his upcoming memoir graphic novel, Chunky(link is external), and his previous work. Yehudi also gave advice about working in the comic book industry.

Interview with Graphic Novel Creators Jey Odin & Jarod Pratt(link is external)
Jey Odin and Jarod Pratt talked about their collaboration on the graphic novel Lemonade Code(link is external). They also gave us tips on how to write/draw a graphic novel and other cool tips.

Interview with Graphic Novel Creator Chris Grine(link is external)
Chris Grine talked about his comics The Secrets of Camp Whatever and the Animorphs(link is external) adaptation. He also gave some advice on comic book creation and his experiences working in the industry.

For more information, contact Luis at Luis.Manzo@ci.salinas.ca.us(link sends e-mail)