Longhorn-Naiccon Comic Book Competition

Longhorn-Naiccon Comic Book Competition

Are you a comic book creator in Kenya? Longhorn Publishers and NAICCON have come together to give you an opportunity like no other. Among the prizes include Ksh. 50,000 and a one-year publishing deal.

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Longhorn Publishers Plc is a Pan-African publishing house that is publicly listed in the Nairobi Securities Exchange. The company has grown its dominance in the publishing sector by establishing its presence throughout the region. In the East African region, the Company has fully incorporated subsidiaries in Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania. The Company has been able to expand its operations across the African continent to include Malawi, Cameroon, Zambia, Namibia, Senegal through distributor partnerships.

NAICCON (Nairobi Comic Convention) is a platform for creatives in the digital arts to enhance their skills, collaborate and showcase their work to reach a global audience. NAICCON’S aim is to facilitate capacity building that will see 200 trained illustrators and animators move on to establish 5 comic book production houses and 3 animation studios.

Details about the Longhorn-NAICCON Comic Book Competition

Eligibility

Longhorn-NAICCON Comic Book Competition is open to all comic creators aged 13 years and above at the time of entry. Any creators under the age of eighteen must have permission from a parent or legal guardian to enter. Age restrictions apply to the individual submitting the comic and accepting the awards and prizes.

Schedule

Submissions for the competition open on 4^th January 2021at 12:00 a.m. EAT and close on 5^th March 2021at 11:59 p.m. EAT. Results of the competition will be announced on 19^th March 2021 for finalists, and 29^th March 2021 for the Winner. However, there may be slight delays if more time is needed to properly judge all submissions.

Comic Themes

Comics may be in any of the following themes:

• African History/Mythology and Identity: Africa has a rich pre-colonial history that needs to come alive again and be retold in creative ways to the current African generations. To know who we are and where we are headed, it is important to understand where we are from.
• Afro Sci-fi/Afro-futurism: The world is turning to Africa as the next scene for innovation, science and technology, economic growth powered by a vibrant youthful population still true to our authentic African cultures. Bring this to life with your creative imagination.
• Adventure: Open ended

Submission Specifications

• All files must be in PDF format with a maximum file size of 100MB.
• Comic books must be 24 pages long (A4 format) and should be fully illustrated by the creators.
• Every interested creator will submit a complete manuscript for the first issue and a synopsis of the second issue in the predetermined niche to ensure continuity.
• Captivating characters and character names will be key.
• Comic books to be packed with humour, action, exploration and technology in the context of the selected theme.
• The comic content should be spot on for children and youth aged between 8 and 18 years old but should encourage general public interest/consumption.
• Comics should be complete when submitting. You should not submit a comic that is still a work in progress. You should not submit a comic script, a comic that is pencilled but not inked, etc.
• All lettering, captions, and titles should be in English. Judges are not required to read anything written in any language other than English.
• You must be the owner or licensee of all rights associated with the comic’s characters and story. Fan fiction and unlicensed works will be disqualified.
• Comic creators can work as individuals or collaborate.
• Submissions to be accompanied by a short bio of the creator(s).

Submissions

All submissions to be done via email. Send PDFs, Zipped files or via WeTransfer to info@naiccon.co.ke and CC (copy to) comicbooks@longhornpublishers.com

Submissions open on 4^th January 2021 at 12:00 a.m. EAT and close on 5^th March 2021 at 11:59 p.m.

Further information on the competition can be found HERE as well as www.longhornpublishers.com