The Brief
In recognition of Banned Books Week, National Comic Book Day, and the Year of the Arts at W&M, William & Mary Libraries invites students to explore through visual media some instance of student activism – current or historical, local or from afar – for the inaugural W&M Libraries Draw the Line Comics Contest.
The Draw the Line Comics Contest affirms the importance of the creative arts as a means to transmit knowledge and informed commentary. The contest utilizes the dynamic medium of comics to empower participants to explore and challenge the boundaries of creativity and innovation. We aim to promote W&M Libraries as both a resource for and partner in research and creation in all forms and disciplines.
The overall winning submission, runners-up in each of three categories, and winner of the Mini-Comics contest will receive $750, $250, and $250 respectively; all finalists will be displayed in and digitally preserved by Swem Library.
Comics Contest Submission Form - Submit by October 18, 2024
- WHO is eligible to submit
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This contest is limited to current William & Mary students. Individual and group submissions are both welcome, though prize money will be allocated per submission, not per individual. Only one submission is accepted per individual/group, with the exception of the Mini-Comic category.
- WHAT needs to be submitted
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Main Contest Category:
Submit a single page document that includes all of the panels. Panel layout and the number of panels are up to you. The comic can be in either color or black & white.
For digitally created entries:
The work should be scalable up to 22’’ wide and at least 33’’ long (at 300 dpi).For physically created entries:
Work size should be no larger than 11”x17”.Work can be scanned using Workstation 2 at the Reeder Media Center on the ground floor of Swem Library. Book Workstation 2 online in advance to reserve your spot. If Workstation 2 is unavailable, Workstation 3 can be booked online in advance. Ask for help with moving the scanner. The software app “VueScan” can be used on the computer to scan the work and make sure that the scanning resolution is at 300 dpi. If assistance is needed with this step, consult a student employee at the service desk.
All completed entries should be submitted through the contest form.
Mini-Comic Category:
In addition to (or instead of) the main contest, individuals or teams may also submit to a simplified “Mini-Comic” category. Mini-comics must be made of only all-vertical or all-horizontal panels of 2.75-inch square boxes (up to 14) and may only be in black & white.
Download the mini-comic template (PDF) as a reference. Participants may choose to submit only to this category, but if making a submission to both this category and the main contest, their comics must depict the same event.
All completed entries should be submitted through the contest form.
Contest Submission Guidelines:
For both the main contest and Mini-Comic category, .jpg, .png, and .pdf files are accepted. Comics must consist of only your own original work (read: no AI or borrowed content).
Each submission needs to be accompanied by an artist statement. If submitting to both mini-comic and main comic contest, artist statement may be the same or similar. The artist’s statement should consider the following questions and be around 250-500 words:
- What incident of student activism did you draw inspiration from for this comic? Why did you choose it?
- What do you hope readers/viewers come away with after encountering your comic?
- Was there anything unique about your process of creating this comic that you’d like others to know about?
Finally, please include a list of source(s) consulted in gathering background information about the incident portrayed in your comic, in your preferred citation format (e.g. APA, MLA).
If you have any technical questions about submitting your comic, please email embellamy@wm.edu and rnhogan@wm.edu
- HOW the comics will be evaluated
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All submissions will be judged by a panel of Libraries staff and faculty members from Art & Art History and English/Creative Writing on the following criteria:
- Creativity
- Evidence of research
- Connection to theme
- Clarity of artist statement
- Innovative use of the comic medium
- WHAT prizes are available
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The main contest will have one overall grand-prize winner who will receive $750.
Three runners-up will also be identified in the categories of:
- Best visuals
- Best story
- Best evidence of research
and will receive $250.
Finally, the winner of the “Mini-Comic” contest will receive $250.
Main contest finalists (winner and runners-up) will have their comics displayed in Read & Relax in Swem Library in the Spring 2025 semester. The Mini-Comic winner will be published in W&M Libraries’ Short Story Machine, with the possibility of being further published in Short Story Machines worldwide. All prize-winning comics will be preserved in ScholarWorks, William & Mary’s open-access digital repository.
- WHEN does the contest run
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The submission portal opens September 23, the first day of Banned Books Week, and runs through Friday, October 18, 2024. Winners will be notified by the end of October, and a celebration of contest winners will be held in the Spring 2025 semester.
- HOW can interested students get more information
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An information session for the contest will be held on September 25 at 5pm via Zoom. The session will be recorded. Register here to attend live and/or be notified when the recording is made available.
Questions may also be sent to Liz Bellamy and Rachel Hogan, contest chairs.
The Inspiration Behind This Year’s Theme
In February 1945, The Flat Hat published an article written by then-editor-in-chief Marilyn Kaemmerle ‘45, entitled “Lincoln’s Job Half-Done...”. The editorial advocated for a society in which Black students would be permitted to attend William & Mary as equals to all other students and called for work to be done to “educat[e] ourselves away from the idea of White Supremacy.” The local and national controversy sparked by Kaemmerle’s article was immediate. The Flat Hat’s operations were swiftly suspended by the university’s president, and by demand of the Board of Visitors, Kaemmerle was forced to resign from the paper in order to avoid expulsion from William & Mary. Even further, news rooms from around the nation reported on Kaemmerle’s editorial, stressing her identity as a “co-ed” and unfairly discrediting her understanding of race relations.
Though these views on desegregation were unfortunately unpopular among the student body at the time of the article’s publication, Kaemmerle’s peers showed up over a thousand strong in support of her right to voice her opinion. Kaemmerle did ultimately receive an apology from the Board, but not until 1986. Kaemmerle passed away in 2001.
In an election year expected to be marked by strong opinions and debate, in honor of Kaemmerle, we wish to place a spotlight on the ways protest, activism, and dissent occur on college campuses. Activism takes place in manners both big and small, can be seen as productive or unproductive, and, like Kaemmerle’s editorial, is not always appreciated in its time. However, as with Kaemmerle’s editorial, history may prove the efforts of some activists to be the ones most morally correct. We look forward to reading about all the ways student activism shows up on a university’s grounds.
To learn more about Kaemmerle's article, read our blog post from 2020.