The Graphic Medicine International Collective (GMIC), a not-for-profit organization with a mission to guide and support the uses of comics in health, is thrilled to open the submission process for our third annual award. This award is meant to recognize and honor outstanding health-related comic projects published in 2023. These awards are made possible by a generous matching gift in Honor of Nancy and Herbert Wolf.
There are a few changes this year, so please be sure to read the FAQ below closely.
Graphic Medicine Award FAQ
Q: What qualifies as a work of graphic medicine for this award?
A: Comics of any length that emphasize one or more health-related topics and were completed or published in 2023 are eligible for this award. Graphic medicine comics take as their theme (or meaningfully include) topics that impact health. We define the term “health” here broadly, based on the World Health Organization definition: a state of physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Comics can be fiction or nonfiction, memoir or biography, educational and/or entertaining. Both print and web-based comics are eligible for this award.
Q: Is there only one award?
No, there will again be two awards in 2024. We will have one award for short-form comics (28 pages and below) and one award for long-form comics (greater than 28 pages.)
Q: May a graphic medicine anthology be submitted for the award?
A: Yes. If the entire anthology is being submitted, it should be submitted as a long-form book with the editor or publisher as the contact person. One or two comics from an anthology may be submitted, each submitted separately, as short-form entries.
Q: Are translated comics eligible?
A: Yes. The English translation must have been published in 2023. The original text must also have been published in the preceding five years (i.e., 2018 or more recent.)
Q: Who can submit a work for consideration?
A: Each comic for consideration must be submitted by the creator of the comic or their publisher. Due to the nature of the award process, we will not be able to accept anonymous submissions, but we will respect pseudonyms.
Q: How should works be submitted?
The submission process for the 2024 award has now closed. The deadline was February 15th.
Q: May I submit more than one comic for the award?
A: Yes, but you must complete a separate entry form for each.
Q: Is there a deadline for making submissions for the 2023 GMIC award?
A: Yes. All submissions were to have been made between January 2, 2024 and February 15, 2024.
Q: How will the award winners be selected?
A: Two shortlists of awards (long and short form) will be generated from all submitted works. These lists will be announced to the public around May 1, 2024. The GMIC Award Final Judges will then meet to choose the winners. Both shortlisting and final judges are a diverse group consisting of at least five persons, each representing one or more of these categories: cartoonist, academic, clinician, librarian, person with lived experience of illness, caregiving, and/or disability, and comics critic/reviewer.
Q: When will the award be presented?
A: The winners of the 2024 GMIC Awards will be announced at the Graphic Medicine Conference in Athlone, Ireland on July 18th, 2024. Winners need not be present.
Q: What will the award winner receive?
A: The winning comics will be awarded $1,000 (U.S. dollars) and a keepsake suitable for display. Please note that the monetary award may be subject to taxes for which the winner will be responsible.
Q: You said this was a matching grant – how can we contribute?
EXCELLENT QUESTION! Receipt of this generous gift is contingent on raising matching funds! To help make this award possible, you can make a tax-deductible contribution here or by clicking the bottle above. Please note: donations are not expected or required from applicants for the award.
If you would prefer to mail a physical check, please send it to:
ATTN: Graphic Medicine Award Committee
Graphic Medicine International Collective
PO Box 2267
Worcester, MA 01613
United States
Q: What if I have any questions about the awards?
Feel free to reach out to us with any questions.
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