NCS Online Divisional Awards Submissions

First, a reminder to all that the submissions for consideration for the National Cartoonists Society’s divisional awards are due on Saturday, Feb 15th! Here’s a list of all the divisions, the requirements for eligibility, and where to send the submissions.

I’m pleased to say that the online divisions have been receiving a good number of submissions, which is terrific. Even better, we expanded the Online Comics Committee to include several other very knowledgeable and “plugged in” webcomics folks to help with the process. In addition to our committee members from last year:

• Bill Amend– Creator of Foxtrot
• David Allan Duncan– Professor of Sequential Art Graduate Coordinator, Savannah College of Art and Design
• Andrew Farago– Curator, Cartoon Art Museum, San Francisco
• Rick Marshall– Freelance Writer, Editor, and Producer, Time Inc., MTV News, IFC, Movies.com, Digital Trends, CBR
• Gary Tyrrell– Writer/Editor, Fleen.com

This year we are pleased to have added:

• Johanna Draper Carlson– Creator of and reviewer on Comics Worth Reading
• Brigid Alverson– Comics journalist- Robot 6, MangaBlog, Publishers Weekly, Comic Book Resources, MTV Geek, Etc.
• David Brothers– Comics journalist- ComicsAlliance
• Lauren Davis– Comics journalist- ComicsAlliance

So what does the Online Comics Committee do? You can read a detailed post about the process, along with the debunking of several misconceptions, here. but this is the short version:

1. The vet the submissions for eligibility including publication dates, frequency of publication, eligibility for NCS membership and other requirements
2. They recommend webcomics they feel reflect the best work of the last year, and also meet eligibility requirements
3. They recommend ways to make this process better next year

The web is so vast and there are so many comics out there that the input and expertise of a group of knowledgeable individuals like those above are an invaluable part of the process. Like all the other NCS divisions, we try and look outside the submitted work for cartooning that represents the best in the industry, not just among NCS members. The Online Comics Committee is very generously giving the NCS their time and expertise to help meet that goal with the online divisions.

Another move with these divisions this year is that, rather than the NCS board doing the jurying, they are being given to local chapters like the other divisions are judged. Overseen by a board advisor, the selection of the nominees and winner will be done by a chapter (which will change each year), with the field having been vetted for eligibility first. That puts the field in front of fresh eyes every year.

For those online comics creators who are still procrastinating on their submissions, you can email them as a PDF to the relevant recipient up until Saturday night… so you still have time!