Kids and teens are invited to create their own comic books and submit them to the Salinas Public Library. The Comic Book Making Contest will run from May 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025, and is open to kids and teens in Monterey County. Winners will receive prizes and art supplies.

Submission Guidelines

• Open to kids and teens, K – 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 Monday, June 30, 2025.
• 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 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 along with a PDF copy of your comic book entry to Luis.Manzo [at] ci.salinas.ca.us

Judging

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

Art Group and Prizes

• K – 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 Saturday, July 26, 2025.

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. Print a few copies to start working on your own comic book.

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

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

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

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

Interview with Graphic Novel Creator Chris Grine
Chris Grine talked about his comics The Secrets of Camp Whatever and the Animorphs 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 [at] ci.salinas.ca.us