Graphic Novel Competition 2020
Graphic Novel Competition 2020
Congratulations to our 2020 LDC Award Winners
Thank you to everyone who participated in our 2020 LDC Festival LIVE ONLINE
Have a look at our You Tube channel to see presentations
2020 LDComics Award: Rima Sabina Aouf: Yugo
2020 Rosalind B. Penfold Award: Denise Dorrance: Polar Vortex
And to all our shorlisted:
Aislinn Evans: Bad Blood Moon
Nancy Henderson: Looking Through Varifocals
Christine Humphreys: You Are My Daughter
Lu Powell: Impersonal
To see more of the works click here
We are thrilled to announce our 2020 LDC Awards Shortlist …
See longlist listings for further details of the shortlisted entries
Rima Sabina Aouf: Yugo
Denise Dorrance: Polar Vortex
Aislinn Evans: Bad Blood Moon
Nancy Henderson: Looking Through Varifocals
Christine Humphreys: You Are My Daughter
Lu Powell: Impersonal
2020 LDC Awards Longlist
Rima Sabina Aouf
Yugo
“Yugo is a biography of my mother that contains the history of Yugoslavia as a nation. It examines the nature of historical memory, nostalgia and national identity, while telling the story of one ordinary life in an extraordinary place and time.”
About Rima:
“I am a writer, journalist and illustrator, with a background in history. I started making comics two years ago, because it seemed like the right medium to tell this specific story. Now I’ll make a comic for almost anything. I’m from many places and live in London.
www.rimasabina.comRima on Insta Rima on Twitter
Gretchen De Soriano
Untitled
“This illustrated graphic novel is an academic study made accessible to a wide audience. Many who practice, and who receive alternative medical care cannot access original materials that form the basis of their therapy. Here the conjoined methodology of history and anthropology become tools of exploration and discovery. This graphic work is personal to me – a dysprexic academic who “thinks” in images.”
About Gretchen:
Gretchen trained in the practice of acupuncture and Japanese herbal medicine in Tokyo and has a clinical practice in London. She has translated Japanese medical texts into English, and holds an MSc in medical anthropology. Unexpected illness in her 20s diverted her plan to become an artist into a journey into alternative healing practices.
http://www.gdesoriano.co.uk/Anita_nin on Instagram
Denise Dorrance
Polar Vortex
“An adult daughter escorts her dementia-ridden mother across the USA’s Midwest during a harsh snowstorm, while placating her estranged sister and unwanted visits from the Grim Reaper. POLAR VORTEX is a humorous and touching tale of confronting life and death, revisiting your past, and the universally complex nature of family.”
About Denise:
Denise Dorrance is a cartoonist and illustrator who lived in New York before moving to London. Her sharply ironic and elegant illustrations have been featured in magazine and newspapers around the world. A collection of her work is published in her first book, ‘It’s All About Mimi’.
denisedorrance.comTwitter @denisedorrance
Instagram @denisedorrance
Aislinn Evans
Bad Blood Moon
“A Girl becomes an adult and a wolf. The werewolf as a vehicle to explore the trauma of trans puberty and alienation from womanhood. We follow the Girl as she investigates her absent father, tends to the family’s sheep, goes to sleepovers, and grows fangs and hair all over.”
About Aislinn:
“I am an interdisciplinary storyteller working in comics, performance, and participation. I navigate the peripheries of culture at the intersection of working class, neurodivergent, and queer experiences. Embracing the radically lowbrow, I reclaim archetypal narratives and retell, reframe, reimagine the story of the outsider.”
aislinnn.carrd.coTwitter @AislinnEvans_Instagram @fomorii
Marta Gèpe
Mind The Gap (A London Tale)
“It took a break up to fall in love again. But this is not a conventional love story. This is a story about re-discovering and re-learning a hectic city and, ultimately oneself. Through the main character –Minieme, the story tells the struggle of growing as a young adult in the Londoner culture, dealing with daily aspects such us an endless commute, housing, finding friends or dating.”
About Marta:
Marta is a Spanish cartoonist and teacher based in London for more than 6 years. She attended the Children’s Picturebook course at the Cambridge Summer School and several courses on graphic novel by House of Illustration. When she is not teaching languages, she enjoys telling stories with her cartoons and discovering London with her disposable camera and her sketchbook.
www.myillustratedthoughts.comTwitter @sevilondonerInstagram @myillustratedthoughts
Nancy Henderson
Looking Through Varifocals
“A comic strip story about a couple at the varifocal stage of life. Retirement looming, the nest empty and things in flux. Looking back, looking forward and living in the moment. The juice of life looked at through her specs: sleep. Love, family, friends, health, holidays, habits and hopes. Life’s not over…”
About Nancy:
“As a child I drew cartoons and then as an adult I stopped. The next 30 years or so disappeared like this: Art school, waiting on tables, painting, boyfriend, whoops pregnant, marriage, serious illnesses for myself and son, retrained for ‘proper’ job, worked and doodled in meetings. Time passed…until a few years ago a cartoon window opened again in my head, and here I am.”
nancyhenderson.bigcartel.comNancy on InstagramNancy on Twitter
Lynne Hood
Hongertocht 1945
“Hongertocht 1945 is a coming of age, adventure story based on the experiences of my aunt and her sister growing up in occupied Holland during WW2. As the story progresses we see the relationship between the two sisters change as they rely on each other to survive.”
About Lynne:
“I grew up on Anglesey, a small island off the top left hand corner of Wales, within a family of storytellers. Since graduating from Central St Martins in 2002, I’ve worked consistently in animation, juggling both stopmotion puppetry and digital. Recently I’ve returned to my first love, drawing comic books.”
www.lynneghood.comTwitter/Insta @Gingermog
Christine Humphreys
You Are My Daughter
Born in Canada, CA Humphreys studied in Montreal has worked as an architect since qualifying in the UK. She has two grown children and lives in North London. Whenever possible, she practices drawing and yoga and, as a reader at the British Library, researches graphic novels, architecture and urbanism.
@si_ei
Sophie Kamlish
Out on a Limb
Addy – A prosthetist running away from their responsibilities who dislikes most of their new colleagues. Aaron – a new amputee who dreads starting secondary school after Meningitis took his feet and fingers during the summer holidays. Lyssa – Aaron’s neurotic mother who blames herself for his illness and subsequent disability.
About Sophie:
“I graduated with a 1st from Kingston School of Art in 2019 with a degree in Illustration Animation. My final year animation was shortlisted for the London International Animation Festival in the documentary category. I am an amputee sprinter and have been competing for Great Britain since 2012.”
Sophie KamlishTwitter/Instagram @sophiekamlish
Kayla Lui
Grapefruit
A girl learns about the taboo of sugar whilst struggling to fulfil her mother’s expectations.About Kayla:
Kayla is an illustrator and storyteller currently based in London. Her first to-be graphic novel Grapefruit is inspired by a period of “healthy eating”, and she is interested to further exploring our modern relationship with food in her work. She is from Hong Kong.
https://www.kaylalui.southguah.com/Kayla on InstagramKayla’s Webtoon
Bruna Martini
A Time of War
Bruna Martini
A Time of War
What was it like to be a girl during WW2? This book explores the indoctrination young women were subjected to in Fascist Italy. By mixing drawings with real propaganda from school books, homework and posters, this long form book explores Fascism and its methodology, in order to recognise its resurgence today, and fight it.
About Bruna:
“I am an animator and illustrator with 10 years’ experience doing work that matters. My work has a feminist focus and gives a voice to under-represented groups. For example, I made animated documentaries about the challenges of disabled women in Africa and Asia, and I self-published a graphic novel about the increase of dementia amongst women.”
Instagram @Brunamartinibee
Nicole Mollett
Luton
Graphic novel for Luton is a collaborative project, based on real-life true experiences of people who live in Luton. Artist Nicole Mollett is working together with 20 Luton writers to make a collection of hand drawn stories about Luton. The project engages communities, celebrate diversity, and encourage intercultural connections. About Nicole: Nicole Mollett’s multifaceted practice includes drawing, sculpture, magic lantern performances and socially engaged projects. She makes work collaboratively with many other writers and performers. Her drawings are rich in detail, influenced by 18th century art, Germanic culture and the baroque. Her work often celebrates alternative histories and forgotten places. http://www.nicolemollett.co.uk/
Twitter @KENTBaton
Instagram @nicole.mollett
Lu Powell
Impersonal
A comic about depersonalisation disorder
About Lu:
An artist new to the medium of comics. Struggles with mental health and thought to try expressing these issues in comic form.
Instagram @limbremoval
Twitter @supermarket__
Alexandra Pullen
The Night Butterfly
“This is the story of my journey through growing up, fighting, and eventually, overcoming anorexia. Starting as a child, the narrative follows my diagnosis, hospitalisation and recovery from this eating disorder, whilst becoming tangled up in the adventures that life brings: school, university, love, loss and adulthood.”
About Ally:
“I am a recent graduate from the Royal College of Art, and before that studied at the Ruskin in Oxford. Drawing is so important to me and I am passionate about comics and bande dessinée. I hope to create something that both helps me, and might help others too.”
https://www.alexandracharlottepullen.com/Twitter @AllyPaxInstagram @ally_pax
Kate Rolison
Abnormal Feeling of Wellbeing
“An embroidered tale of how my mind shattered and was stitched back together with needle and thread. A social history of others who found salvation in stitch when their minds were in disarray. Embroidered into the narrative are myths and folklore of needlecraft and those in adversity finding their way.”
About Kate:
Kate is a London-based artist working predominantly in hand embroidery (amongst other mediums) and, increasingly, comics. She began embroidering as a means of mending what was broken, and hasn’t stopped since. Kate works with young people with learning disabilities, using craft as a tool to empower and build skills.
Twitter/Insta @poesiegrenadine
Zoe Savory
Do It Again
From the enclosure of the commons to the current climate emergency, history is woven with poetry and personal testimony to tell the story of our relationship to the land and environment. We begin half-way through, at the 1932 trial of Benny Rothman, leader of a mass trespass across private countryside.
About Zoe:
Growing up I was the last one out of the door for family hikes, until I discovered I could slip a sketchbook in my pocket. I studied Philosophy and Politics before more recently completing a scholarship at the Royal Drawing School. I make a living in housing advocacy and campaigning.www.zoesavory.co.uk
Twitter/Instagram @ZoeSavory
Indigo Wilde
Live Together
A process of recovery from trauma. The physical form of the novel changes colour over the length of the story from blue to yellow to signify a process of recovery – from night to sunrise.
About Indigo:
Indigo Wilde creates work about darkness within daylight, focussing on recovery as a transitional and changing state grounded in togetherness and communality, necessarily defined by the love which pervades it. Hope is Indigo’s middle name, and true to form, hope sits in crucially at the center of all her work.
Twitter @iggywildeInstagram @pierrettevit
Judges’ Mention:
Jennifer Gloster Ariadne Rails the Rails
Visit her website here
Visit this page for more information about the LDComics Festival 2020
THE LDC AWARDS and DATES
First Prize: £2,000Five shortlisted entries: £200 each 10 February 2020: Shortlist announced 29 March 2020: Overall winner 2020 announced at LDC Festival ONLINE this year. This is our third year running the women-only LDC Awards for graphic novels in progress. Scroll down this page to find details about our prize and of this year’s judges: Hannah Berry, Ritika Biswas, Helen Lederer and Dr Golnar Nabizadeh In addition, we have another prize to mention…
We are thrilled to be partnering with CWIP who are running a competition for Published Humorous Graphic Novels by Women UK Details https://www.comedywomeninprint.co.uk
ABOUT LDComics Awards
LDComics’ interest has always been in the drama of the everyday and the autobiographical. Within that remit we are looking for original and innovative works in progress, that stretch definitions of the comics form as well as the subject matter.
The LDComics Awards are the first women’s prizes for a long form graphic novel work in progress in the UK. This represents a recognition and celebration of the wealth of comics work currently being produced by women in the UK. The LDComics Awards will be awarded to the women whose graphic novel work in progress, in the opinion of the judges, shows the most promise.
THE LDC AWARDS
First Prize: £2,000Five shortlisted entries: £200 each29 March 2020: Overall winner 2020 announced at LDC Festival, Freeword Centre, London.
The Rosalind B. Penfold Prize for “finding your voice over the age of fifty”
will be presented as one of the shortlisted prizes. Rosalind B. Penfold was aged 59 when her first graphic novel, Dragonslippers: this is what an abusive relationship looks like, was published by Penguin (Canada) in 2004. It was subsequently translated into nine languages, becoming an important resource worldwide. Discussing the genre of graphic memoir in The Guardian in 2012, Mary and Bryan Talbot wrote: “Dragonslippers is a visceral account of domestic violence … It’s hard to think of a more effective medium for communicating this kind of painful experience. Anyone who’s concerned about the prevention of violence against women should read it.” The Penfold Prize recognizes that many women come late to the table with a lifetime of important domestic experiences worth documenting. This is to encourage and reward their voices. http://www.dragonslippers.com/home.html
All shortlisted entries will receive:
- A one-to-one free review session with an experienced graphic novelist on day 1 of the LDComics Festival on Saturday 28 March 2020. This review session will offer a critique of their work, as well as professional advice.
- Invitations to the LDC 2020 Festival where a short film of their work will be shown to a public audience. in 2020 this is taking place online in response to Covid-19.
WHY ENTER?
ALL ENTRIES to the competition will:
- Have their printed entry included in the LDC Lounge display of all the entries received this year. This will be exhibited for a public audience during 2020 Covid-19 crisis permitting, touring nationally and internationally and will be finally deposited at the University of Dundee’s Comics archive.
- Be offered first refusal on booking for the LDC review sessions at the LDC 2020 Festival – this year taking place online, plus the LDC online mentoring sessions and places on the LDC residencies 2020.
Everyone is a winner! The judging panel is made up of invited women. The judges have been carefully selected to represent a range of interests and varying knowledge of the graphic novel form.
THE 2020 JUDGES
HANNAH BERRY is an award-winning graphic novelist, comics creator, writer, illustrator and UK Comics Laureate 2019-21. In 2018 she was inducted as a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her published graphic novels include BRITTEN & BRÜLIGHTLY (2008, Jonathan Cape), ADAMTINE (2012, Jonathan Cape) and LIVESTOCK (2017, Jonathan Cape). Hannah currently does a monthly cartoon strip for Prospect and formerly did a weekly cartoon for the New Statesman. She has contributed to a number of national and international comics publications and projects. http://hannahberry.co.uk @streakofpith
RITIKA BISWAS is curator and special projects producer at New Art Exchange, Nottingham. She works at the nexus of artistic, curatorial, and academic practice, inflected by ecological and socio-political crises. Born in India, Ritika studied Liberal Arts in Yale-NUS College, Singapore, and completed her MPhil in Film and Screen Studies from the University of Cambridge in 2019. She was previously co-director of non-profit organisation Storybook Me publishing personalised storybooks for underprivileged children in Bangalore, India. Ritika also directs theatre productions and creates inter-medial installations and experimental documentaries. Insta: Ritika.biswas77
HELEN LEDERER is acomedian, writer and actress who emerged as part of the alternative comedy circuit during the 1980s. Her television credits include the BBC Two sketch series Naked Video and BBC One’s Absolutely Fabulous, in which she played the role of Catriona. Her comedy novel Losing It (2015, Pan Macmillan) was nominated for the P. G. Wodehouse Comedy Literary Award and the Edinburgh Book Festival First Book Award. In 2019 she launched the women-only prize for comedy prose novels Comedy Women in Print. In 2020 CWIPis partnering with LDC to add a new category for published Humorous Graphic Novels by women. https://www.helenlederer.co.uk @Helenlederer @CSIPprize
Dr GOLNAR NABIZADEH is Lecturer in Comics Studies at the University of Dundee. Her research focuses on comics and visual studies and particularly on representations of trauma, migration, and memory in these fields. Golnar received her PhD in English and Cultural Studies from The University of Western Australia, and her monograph with Routledge is entitled Representation and Memory in Graphic Novels (2019). https://www.dundee.ac.uk/people/golnar-nabizadeh
