Graphic Novel Making Contest

How long does the contest run?

• Opens: September 18, 2025

• Closes: January 1, 2026

Who can enter?

• Placer County residents: This contest is only open to Placer County residents. For entries with multiple authors/illustrators, at least half of the submitting group must reside in Placer County.
• Ages 4 and up: Submissions will be categorized into 5 different age groups: 4-9, 10-13, 14-17, 18+.
• Amateur Authors/Illustrators Only: Contest is limited to amateur authors and illustrators only.
• Multiple Authors or Illustrators: Submissions can involve multiple authors/illustrators. Any submissions with more than one author/illustrator will be considered a single entry judged under the age category of the oldest author/illustrator.
• Lincoln Public Library staff and volunteers may enter, but are not eligible to place in the contest. 

How to enter 

• Submissions must be received by January 1, 2026.
• There are no entry fees to participate.
• Digital Entries: All entries must be submitted through the online entry form as a .PNG, .JPG, .TIFF, or .PDF attachment. Please ensure your entry is scanned at 300 dpi or higher, so that it can be printed if selected. Need help scanning your work? Please e-mail us.
• Doublecheck Your Entry: Check all names, graphic novel titles, contact info, grammar, and spelling in both your submission and your entry form. Selected works will be published as submitted.

Submission guidelines

• Maximum Length: 8 pages, including cover page. The rest of your comic or graphic novel can only be an additional 7 pages. You are also allowed to use less than 8 pages, if you don’t need that many pages to tell your story.
• Image Size: Each page should fit within an 8”x10” space. Selected entries will be printed at 8”x10” in the published anthology. Submissions should be scanned or saved at 300 dpi or higher. Please click here for an 8"x10" template that can be printed on standard 8.5"x11" paper.
• Color: Color submissions are encouraged.
• Medium: Entries can be produced using traditional or digital mediums, as long as they are original works.
• Original Work Only: Each submission must be the creative and original work of the submitting author/illustrator. The inclusion of copyrighted material will render an entry ineligible.
• No AI. Artificial intelligence (AI) content will not be considered. Use of computer-generated images (via A.I. tools or clip art) will render an entry ineligible.
• Audience Level: We will not accept entries with explicit language or mature content. All age groups will be published in a single volume together.

Judging and awards

• Entries will be judged by library staff and members of the Teen Advisory Board using a rubric scale.
• 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place winners will be selected in each age category.
• Honorable mentions may also be chosen in each age category.
• All winners and honorable mentions will be published in a full-color print anthology.
• All entrants will be notified whether or not they have been selected for publication in early March 2026. Public announcement of winners and honorable mentions will take place at an in-person Award Ceremony in May 2026.
• All winners and honorable mentions published in anthology will receive a free copy of the anthology.
• By submitting works for consideration, authors grant the Lincoln Public Library first serial rights for publication. All rights return to the author following publication. (This means that if we accept your work, we can publish it in our anthology. You can also have it published elsewhere afterwards.)
• No financial compensation is provided to winners.
• Copies of the published anthology may be sold to raise funds for library services, via the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library. Authors do not receive royalties or other compensation related to these sales.