Re-Animate Europe

I’m pleased to say that I’m part of the jury for the 2017 Animate Europe comic book competition, organised by Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom.

This is the third round of the competition and its theme this time is ‘Re-Animate Europe’.

Here’s what it’s all about:

After many external crises and internal shake-ups, from the migration crisis to Brexit to a lack of trust, the once strong and confident body of the European Union seems tattered and tired.

The European heartbeat has lost its rhythm.

How can we help to get Europe back on its feet?

Who or what will be the healer, who can find the magic potion for Europe’s ailing heart?

Share your vision with us – send us your „medication“ for a healthy European heartbeat!

Anyone is welcome to participate in “Re-Animate Europe”.

All you have to do is to send us the first page of your graphic short story, together with a summary of your story and the entry form.

Please send it by email to animate.europe@fnst.org by Sunday, 5 February 2017.

End of February, our seven-head strong international expert jury will select seven finalists who will then be asked to finish an eight-page graphic short story by Monday, 22. May 2017. The finalists will receive a grant of 800€. Their entries will be published in an anthology at the end of the competition and they will travel around Europe in form of a travelling exhibition.

The winner will be announced at an award ceremony on 11 July 2017 at the Belgian Comic Strip Centre in Brussels and will receive a prize of €500.

More information about the competition is on the web site.

The jury consists of: Maura McHugh (Ireland) Kalle Hakkola (Finland), Andreas C. Kniggeknigge (Germany), Mélanie Andrieu (French/ living in Belgium), Gert Jan Pos (Netherlands), Tobias Dahmen (German/ living in the Netherlands), and Valérie Constant (Belgium).

I’m very much looking forward to reading through the entries with my fellow jurists.