Comic Book Contest

comic book pages in the background and text 2023 comic book contest

Watsonville Public Library would like to announce the winners of the 2022 Graphic Novel Contest. 


The judges spent a lot of time deliberating on the merits of the excellent entries we received for this contest. 


These are the winning entries

K-3rd:  You Are Not Alone, You Have Your Imagination by K. Flores

4th-8th:  The Missing Axolotl by M. Baker

9th-12th:  Sam Goes to Japan by S. Wilcox

Boom! Pow! Doki-doki!

Welcome to Watsonville Public Library's Graphic Novel Contest!

We invite students in Watsonville and surrounding areas to participate by entering an original comic or graphic novel art. We have also scheduled workshops with local artists and interviews with published graphic novel creators from around the country to help you get inspiration and tips for your own creative work. 

What is a graphic novel?
Graphic novels use sequential art to tell a story. Graphic novels can be fiction, non-fiction, history, fantasy, or anything in-between. Comics and graphic novels share an origin and some format conventions. Wonder Woman to Dogman, Spiderman to Maus, My Hero Academia to Smile, and everything in between!

Contest Information
♦ 3 age groups for judging (K - 3rd grade, 4th-8th grade, 9th-12th grade)
♦ Entry submission period is May 1st, 2022 - June 5th, 2022
♦ Winners will be announced June 10th, 2022

Eligibility
♦ Student in K - 12th grade (home, virtual, traditional, alternative, other)
♦ From Watsonville or Freedom (or related zip codes)

Submission Guidelines
♦ Artwork must be the entrants own original work - including original characters and story. Please do not submit fanart - we love fanart - but we are looking for original works for this contest.
♦ Artwork can be hand-drawn, digital, or both.
♦ Ink, charcoal, water, or a mix of mediums, so long as they are in a recognizable graphic story format. 
♦ Be sure to have artwork and narrative - a story of some sort. It doesn't need to be a complete story - just a scene or a few scenes is fine. 
♦ 10 pages maximum for the entry

Enter the Contest
♦ Register and submit your entry via this Google Form.
♦ OR submit your entry in person at the Main Library or Freedom Branch during open hours. 
Be sure to submit copies of your work, not the original, as we cannot guarantee that we will be able to return your submissions.

Deadline for Entry: June 5th, 2022, 11:59pm

If you need help registering, submitting your entry, or have any questions regarding this program, please contact the library at 831-768-3404. 

What else is happening besides the contest?


A lot of great stuff!

We will be having workshops with local artists and interviews with published comic and graphic novel creators!  Learn some tips and tricks, find out how comic book creators got published, and discover graphic novel created careers.

Nerdville - May 1st, 2022 at Watsonville High School
Nerdville 2022! Come say hi at the Watsonville Public Library table at Nerdville. This is a great time to ask questions about the contest and find out what comics and art books are available from WPL.

Live In-Person Workshop with Jax Mendoza -  10:00am, May 7th, 2022 at the Freedom Branch Homework Center
Jax Mendoza is a local artist. How do you create unique characters? Let local artist Jax show you her method and work on your own characters at this workshop at the Freedom Branch Library. This workshop is for all K-12 audiences.

Live Virtual Interview - 11:00am, May 7th, 2022 at the Freedom Branch Homework Center
Professor Rashad Doucet and Jason Reeves, creators of Pax Samson: The Cookout. This interview will be conducted over Zoom, but you are welcome to come to the Freedom Branch Homework Center and ask your questions live! This interview is intended for all K-12 audiences.

Live Virtual Interview - 4:30pm, May 17th, 2022 at the Main Library Meeting Room
Stephanie Young and Allyson Lassiter, creators of Star Beasts. This interview will be conducted over Zoom, but you are welcome to come to the Meeting Room and ask your questions live! This interview is intended for all K-12 audiences.

Live Virtual Interview - 4:30pm, May 24th, 2022 at the Main Library Meeting Room
Dave Scheidt, co-creator of Agents of SLAM and Mayor Good Boy, and writer of Adventure Time, Avatar, and Trolls graphic novels. This interview will be conducted over Zoom, but you are welcome to come to the Meeting Room and ask your questions live! This interview is intended for all K-12 audiences. Join the Interview Virtual Interview via Zoom

Live Virtual Interview - 4:30pm, May 31st, 2022 at the Main Library Meeting Room
Stan Stanley, writer and artist of Hazards of Love. This interview will be conducted over Zoom, but you are welcome to come to the Meeting Room and ask your questions live! This is a YA graphic novel and the interview is intended for a teen audience. Join the Interview Virtual Interview via Zoom