Office of the Vice President Announces Comic Strip Contest

Santo Domingo, April 4, 2019 – The Office of the Vice President, the Children and Youth Library of the Dominican Republic and the Moro Studio Ad Agency, announced the opening of the Second National Comic Strip Contest. The goal of this initiative, sponsored by Vice President Dr. Margarita Cedeño, is to promote the development of sequential art in the country as a language of communication and a means to motivate reading among the younger population.
According to the contest organizers, participants between the ages of 12 through 35 may participate. They will be divided into three categories: A (12-15); B (16-20); and C (21-35).
Participants must present, in a creative format, stories relating to national writers, such as: Juan Bosch, Virgilio Díaz Grullón and Elizabeth Balaguer. The contest deadline is May 4, and all original works must be deposited at the Children and Youth Library, situated on Dr. Delgado Street, corner of Francia Avenue. Works may also be sent electronically at bijrdblog@gmail.com.
Contest winners will receive laptops with special illustration programs, Wacom Intous Touch tablets, and a Prismacolor Color Kit. The winners will be announced during the celebration of the Third Comic Feast 2019, scheduled to take place on July 5 in “Galeria 360,” one of Santo Domingo’s most important shopping malls.

In last year’s contest, contest organizers received 41 entries from all over the country. The winners will be chosen by a specialized jury consisting of Dominican senior journalist Huchi Lora, publicist
Rafael de los Santos (Poteleche) and Dominican storyteller Elisa Félix. The jury will take into account the sketches, spelling, temporary sequence, relationship between text-drawing, and the creative style used to illustrate the stories written by Dominican Juan Antonio Alix, José Núñez de Cáceres, Pablo Pumarol, Felipe Dávila Fernández de Castro, Nicolás Ureña de Mendoza and José Dubeau y Bremón.

Contest Rules

Participants must illustrate one of the five short stories suggested or fragments of short stories written by the Dominican writers mentioned above and selected by the Library. The short stories must be adapted to comic format, and must have a maximum of three pages and an illustrated cover (optional).
The entries, either in black and white or in color, must be presented in an 11 x 17 inch-format, and must be correctly identified (name, telephone number and email). Contestants may use whatever style they wish. Emphasis will be placed in the final presentation of the works presented and cleanliness of the piece.
All works must be original, and may be signed by one or more authors (a storyteller, artist, for example). In case the winning piece is the product of two artists, the award will remain the same and will not be duplicated.
Participants may present as many entries as desired, in each of the categories. The entry may be sent in physical format or electronically: JPG, GIF or PNG. Other formats will not be accepted. Electronic entries may be sent to the following address: bijrdblog@gmail.com.
Contest rules are available in the following electronic address: https://bijrd.gob.do, as well as the Library’s social media outlets @Tubiblioteca (Instagram) and Tu Biblioteca Infantil y Juvenil in Facebook.