Changemakers’ choice award
What is the Changemakers’ Choice Award?
The Changemakers’ Choice Award aims to spotlight and celebrate new, upcoming and diverse talent in the UK small press comics scene and highlight voices and stories that deserve to be heard. The Changemakers’ Choice Award was created by marginalised young people from the Marginal Changemakers programme at Comics Youth in 2025.
We're looking for new styles, formats and stories that haven't been told, that pave the way for new directions in comics creation. This can include experimental, unfinished, and short comics. We want to uplift comics that challenge the mainstream media and are created by marginalised voices that are often overlooked.
The Changemakers’ Choice Award hopes to deconstruct the idea of what comics are and can be, by giving support and recognition to new artists in the small comics press, and creating a space for every voice. We invite anyone who identifies as marginalised in any way, (e.g. LGBTQIA+, POC, working class, disabled etc.), those who feel they are on the outside of the comics industry, and want to challenge what comics can do, to submit their comics.
Award Categories
Best Short Comic
Awarded to comics which tell an engaging, inventive story within 2-10 pages.
We are looking for indie submissions that really utilise the short format to create stories with lasting impact.
Page count does not include cover pages etc.
Best Experimental Comic
Awarded to comic(s) recognised for effectively defying or stretching the limits of (what is considered) conventional storytelling. This could be pushing the form of comics, the narratives or genres you’re telling, or artwork that is unlike anything else we’ve seen!
We want your submissions, from anything between mixing up styles to just straight-up wacky (and beyond!).
Due to the nature of this category, submissions must not break into another medium, e.g. animation.
Best Original Concept
For comics that are still in progress! Are you currently working on a comic that’s highly original and are looking for support to take your idea to the next level? We want to see your concept! Must contain characters and worlds that have never been published before.
Submit between 3 and 20 pages of complete artwork/comic pages.
Best Early Career Artist/Writer/Creator
Awarded to a creator who has started out in comics recently (has started publishing works in the past 3 years) and is considered to have a strong body of work. Submit a comic you’ve completed recently that shows off your skills!
Are you a comic creator?
Public Vote Award
If there a UK small press comic published within the last year that you feel doesn’t get enough love and attention, nominate the comic here for them to be in with a chance of winning!
Members of public can nominate comics here throughout June, before the nominated comics go to public vote.
Are you a public voter?
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The use of generative AI in any part of the comics making process will render your comic ineligible for this award.
No racist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist or otherwise hateful comics will be eligible for this award.
Members of the judging panel, shortlisting committee or current Comics Youth CIC Employees are ineligible for this award.
Comics must have been published between 1 June 2024 and 1 June 2025.
You must be currently resident in the UK to be eligible for this award.
This is an award for small press comics only; e.g. self-published or published by an independent publisher with a print run of less than 1000 copies.
Online comics and webcomics can be submitted however only the portion of the work published in the time frame 1 June 2024 - 1 June 2025 is eligible. Online comics and webcomics must have less than 500 subscribers to be eligible.
The comic must have been made by you, or by a creative team you are a part of.
For any further questions, please contact via email at: ollie@comicsyouth.co.uk