Leeds Arts University students and alumni announced as winners of the Thought Bubble: Digital Comic Con’s first comic competition.
Image: Prathik Poojary, Adolescent Mutant Warrior Road, 2020. (c) the artist
First prize was awarded to BA (Hons) Animation alumnus, Prathik Poojary, for Adolescent Mutant Warrior Toad. Prathik has recently started his own animation production company, SchwaAnimation, with fellow BA (Hons) Animation graduates, Damian Jenorowski, Cameron Cook, Tisa Rahman and Haraldur Petursson.
Level 4 BA (Hons) Animation students, SR O’Sullivan and Hannah Watts were placed second and fourth for their respective works, Snake Arms and Calling Creekwood. Runners up prizes were awarded to BA (Hons) Visual Communications student, Sophie Clay, for The Waiting Game; Level 6 Animation student, Ben Wilkinson, for The Fly; and Millie Hepworth-Smith who is one of the first students to enrol on the new MA Illustration, for Mittens and Tilly.
Image: SR O'Sullivan, Snake Arms, 2020. (c) the artist
Participants were invited to submit a one-page comic story for the chance to win comic-themed prizes, including a £100 first place voucher and £50 vouchers for second, third and fourth places from comic shop heroes, Travelling Man, and a Thought Bubble weekend guest festival pass for the 2021 con.
Image: Hannah Watts, The Calling of Creekwood, 2020 (c) the artist
Those placed in first to fourth place will see their work digitally published and launched for Thought Bubble’s Digital Comic Con this November and in a printed comic edition of 2,000 of Doctor Simpo’s long running underground-kid’s comic, Things and Stuff: for people of different shapes and sizes! All 41 entrants will receive a copy of the printed comic.
The competition was devised by Doctor Simpo (aka Ben Simpson, RCA), subject specialist leader of our newly launched MA Graphic Novel, and judged by Doctor Simpo; Martha Julian and Chloe Green, Thought Bubble Festival; Richard Bates, Bates Mill Creative Spaces; and Andrew Craske, Leeds Arts University.
Thought Bubble is a Yorkshire-based week-long comic art festival that this year culminates in a two-day online celebration of comics and illustration.
Thought Bubble: Digital Comic Con takes place online from 14-15 November 2020.