China’s First picture books Contest

Launched in 2001 and as one of the series of the Duzhe, China’s No.1 magazine in circulation, the Duzhe Visual seeks to become China’s first-grade visual magazine in pursuit of “creating visual feast, focusing on human concerns and showcasing fashionable charm”.
As a trump column of the Duzhe Visual, “picture books” seems quite simple with just a few words, but it could give readers deep impression and profound clues by demonstrating happiness and expressing feelings through various pictures.
Its imagination, concise pictures, expressions and psychological insights have extended much more beyond picture stories. Therefore, “picture books” is greatly favored by readers.
Although a new literature form in China and a generalized comic type, it conveys a fable-like philosophy and literature art, it has aroused numerous youths’ enthusiasm.

Promoting picture stories will be a great contribution, therefore, the Duzhe Press and Zhongman.com have decided to host China’s first picture books contest.

We sincerely invite illustrators and cartoonists to join the contest.
Host: Duzhe Visual of the Duzhe Press, www.okcomic.net
Sponsors: Beijing Zhongman Network Company, Beijing Zhongyatu Culture Co. Ltd.
Co-hosts:Beijing Shengshiming Advertising Company, www.chinaking.com, Shanghai Film and Art Institute, Hong Kong Comics Association, DDc media
Media sponsors:
www.chinaqking.com, www.sina.com, www.sohu.com, www.people.com.cn,
www.okcomic.net, www.591ac.com, www.21cn.com, www.chinavisual.com,
www.chahua.org, www.huaerqt.com

Contest Time: April 5, 2006 - November 30, 2006

Rules:
1. No limits on age, region and gender for contesters; theme, content, picture style are free. Collaboration is acceptable (for example, one provides words while, the other provides pictures.)

2. Works must be originally done, no publication on any media (including the Internet) prior to the contest. If plagiarism, copy or non-initial publication found, qualification for the contest will be annulled. Works with 20 words or so coupled with pictures will be the best.

3. Works are supposed to be lyrical, philosophic and could reflect a certain meaning or they could also be a criticism on reality.

Works can be sent by following address:
Weibohao 6-3-1101, No.1 Weigongcun Street, Haidian District, Beijing
Receiver: Organization Committee of the First Picture Books Contest
Zip code: 100081
E-mail: duzhexinshang@163.com

Attention please:
1. Works sent by e-mail should be no less than 300 dpi resolution and the maximum margin length of 1000 pixels and compressed quality at 10 best.
2. Please e-mail your works with title: “Works collection of Picture Books Contest”. Works title, author name, address and detailed contact way are supposed to be provided in the e-mail context.
3. Appraisal and awards:
A. Appraisal committee will assess the works and decide the entries which will be later published both on the Internet and magazine.
B. www.okcomic.net and Duzhe Visual will open a voting platform on the Internet to decide entries based on ballot statistics and the two will announce the winner rankings. Winners will be awarded both bonuses and certificates.
C. Selected works will be shown on the www.okcomic.net; outstanding authors could have their individual homepages on the www.okcomic.net.
D. Appraisal Membership List:
Qian Haiyan, renowned cartoonist
Murong Yindao, famous cartoonist
Zhang Yahan, Taiwan illustrator
Yuan Qinhuai, Vice-General Editor of the Duzhe Press
Tang Xiaoling, editor-in-chief of Duzhe Visual
Shi Kesheng，professor of Shanghai Film and Art Institute
Su Yu, editor-in-chief of Zhongman.com
4. Awards:
A. One first prize: 3,000 yuan ($375) and a certificate will be awarded
B. Two second prizes: 1,000 yuan ($125) for each and a certificate will be awarded
C. Five third prizes: 500 yuan ($73) for each and a certificate will be awarded
All the entries could publish their works in Duzhe Visual and www.okcomic.net.
5. Copyright Note: The hosts, sponsors of the contest have the rights to publish and own the works. Authors have the rights for publication and signature. All the works will not be returned. The organizing committee has the rights for interpretation of the above rules.

Organization Committee of the First Picture Books Contest

The contest is believed to be a new stage in China’s picture books.
As a generalized comic form, picture books were ever depicted in China’s animation history. The Famous cartoonist Feng Zikai’s works can be called classical ones.
In recent years, picture books composition has heated up in China: Taiwan’s famous picture books designer Jimi has been very popular both home and abroad, some mainland works like Qian Haiyan’s “little female thieves” series and Murong Yindao’s “knife dogs” are also quite well-known.
The contest tries to find out more excellent works and cultivate new picture books designers so that it could promote the prosperity of China’s picture books composition and hopefully, such form could be greatly favored by more readers.