International Mon 28-12-2009

5th Edition Africa e Mediterraneo Award for Best Unpublished Comic Strip
Courtesy of Africacomics.net

The Africa e Mediterraneo Association would like to announce that the deadline of the fifth edition of the Africa e Mediterraneo Award for Best Unpublished Comic Strip by an African Author 2009-2010 has been extended. The new deadline is April 30th, 2010.

The competition is open to African artists living in or outside Africa who wish to tell their own stories, to communicate living conditions in Africa , to denounce the lack of human rights, to describe conditions of migration, or to free their mind and sense of creativity.

The Award has always represented a reference point for African creativity, and currently represents one of the most important means for the promotion of comic strip art in Africa, Europe and throughout the rest of the world.

The award is made up of three sections:

- Free Subject;

- Sport;

- Poverty.

Submissions must be received by April 30th, 2010.

For further information please visit www.africacomics.net , where the application form can also be found.

Rules:

1. Africa e Mediterraneo is launching a competition for best unpublished comic strip. The competition is open to African citizens living in or outside Africa (both North and Sub-Saharan Africa ), with three sections:- “free subject”, “sport” and “poverties”.

2. The “free subject” section allows the author to freely choose the subject (i.e. thriller, fantasy, entertainment, etc.). The “sport” section refers to comics which show any type of sporting activity, including both the active participation in sport and spectating as a sports fan.

The “poverties” section refers to comics which give a narrative or reflection on topics relating to various types of poverty, which can be interpreted both as a lack of economic means, and as a restraint on the ability of individuals to freely express their own capacities and potential (to work, talk, enjoy themselves).

3. Comics must be original, unpublished and can be in B/W and/or in colour; maximum length is 4 pages, maximum format is 35 x 50cm. The technique is free. Artwork with texts in Arabic or African languages must have a translation in English, French or Portuguese.

Authors can send a maximum of 3 comics for each section (“free subject”, “sport” and “poverties”). The original artwork, along with the application form and a brief CV, must be sent by post to the following address:

Concorso “ Africa e Mediterraneo”
Via Gamberi, 4
40037 Sasso Marconi
Bologna-Italy

4. Prizes. A single prize for each category will be awarded. The winners of each of the sections “free subject”, “sport” and “poverties” will receive 800 Euros. The Association will seek to raise funds for the publication of a 32 page personal album for the authors who win prizes or receive special mentions, based on the proposals they send in.

Winners will be invited to attend the opening of the exhibition that displays all the artwork that has been sent in. The deadline for the receipt of artwork is 15th December 2009.

The jury will then select the winners for each section. The winning comics will be published on the website www.africacomics.net

The best pieces of work will be published in a collective catalogue by the Lai-momo Cooperative and the Africa e Mediterraneo Association, and will be included in an itinerant exhibition that will travel throughout Italy and Europe .

5. The jury will be made up of comic strip specialists (authors and experts) and of editors of the Africa e Mediterraneo journal.

6. Participation in the contest is completely free, and there will be no charges.

7. The prize winners will be contacted, and all participants will receive information about the contest via e-mail. The materials sent will be returned on demand, at the charge of the author; alternatively they will remain on file with “ Africa e Mediterraneo”, which may decide to publish them and include them in national and international exhibitions.