Library Week 2009: Graphic Novel Competition

Above: The first page of a graphic novel, stared by Dylan Horrocks to be continued...by you!

As part of the celebrations for Library Week 2009, the 10th - 16th of August, LIANZA ( the Library & Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa) will be running a Graphic Novel Competition.

Dylan Horrocks, the well known and highly prolific New Zealand comics writer/artist, has created the first 4 frames of a graphic novel and it is up to you to carry on the story and be in with a chance to win yourself a prize!

Artists have a week to illustrate and upload their own 4 frames to follow on from the story posted to the website so far. A winner will be chosen at the end of each week and their frames will be made the next permanent line of the story.

There are 2 age categories (13 – 18 yrs and 19 yrs +) for this competition meaning there will be 2 versions of the story.

Details of competition:

• The competition runs for 4 weeks, from Monday 20th July and will close on Friday 14th August.
• Each week you can read the frames already published on the site, decide what you think should happen next and illustrate the next 4 frames.
• Upload your images to the Library Week website.
• A winner will be chosen weekly and their strip will be made a permanent part of the story.
• There are two age categories for this competition, 13 – 18 yrs and 19 yrs +.

To view the graphic novel in progress, click here for the 13 – 18 yrs page or here for the 19 yrs + results.

There's not too much information available on the site as to what the prizes are or what the future of the finished 'graphic novel' will be; but it is a chance to create a jam comic with Dylan Horrocks (which is pretty cool in and of itself), and it's nice to see the Library community continue to embrace and promote graphic novels to readers of all ages.

Best of luck if you decide to enter. It should be interesting to see the results in the weeks to come, especially from the younger age group.

For more information about Library Week visit www.libraryweek.org.nz

-AK!