The Alma Clásica International Association, the West Virginia University and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid are pleased to announce “MAX, Iuvenis Gladiator,” the First Annual Contest on Classic Comics aimed at young people interested in creating a comic based on fictional or non-fictional characters and situations set in Ancient Rome or Ancient Greece.

Project goal.

The goal of the project is to introduce Classical culture to young minds through a unique interdisciplinary competition on comic creation. Submissions to the competition must be situated either in Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome. Plots and characters depicted can be fictional.   

The proposed topics for the contest are: 

-The Classical world and sports (e.g. the myth of Heracles, sport heroes, the Olympic Games, ancient sports such as Pankration and ancient Greek boxing; conception of the body and its artistic representation, etc.) 

-The Classical world and biology (e.g. the myth of metamorphosis, Aristotle and other ancient scientists, etc.) 

-The Classical world and technology (e.g. the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, Pythagoras, Dionysus of Syracuse, Archimedes, Hero of Alexandria, agriculture, civil engineering, etc.) 

-The Classical world and language and literature (e.g. the myth of Polyphemus and Galatea, word origins, etymology, literary genres, etc.) 

Contest rules.
 
 By participating in the competition, you fully agree to strictly abide by the following contest rules. There will be no exceptions. 
 
- The comic(s) must be rendered on A4 or letter-format paper, single-sided, and be a maximum of five-pages in length.
- There are no restrictions regarding the number or size of the vignettes. The comic can be monochrome or full color.
- The plot, setting, and characters must be set in Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome.
- The official languages of the competition are Spanish and English. The text can be written in any language, as long as it is accompanied by a translation in one of the official languages.
- This is an international and free competition for individuals between the ages of 10 and 25 years old.
- Participation can be individual or in groups of up to three participants.
- No comics that deal with racist, sexist, and/or xenophobic content or which incite violence will be accepted.
- No more than two comics per participant or group of participants will be accepted.
- The works must be handmade. Works fully or partially done electronically will not be accepted.
- The comic must be original and unpublished, i.e. it must not have been presented in other competitions or projects.
- The Alma Clásica International Association shall possess exclusive rights to reproduce any of the works submitted to the contest.
- The Alma Clásica International Association reserves the right to eliminate from competition the participants that do not meet the requirements established above.

Format and deadline.
 
Submissions may be sent either electronically or by mail.

Electronic Delivery:
Once the comic is finished, it must be scanned in color (even if the originals were in black and white) with a minimal resolution of 300dpi in any of the following formats: .jpg, .tiff, .bmp or .pdf. Completed entries must be emailed to admin@almaclasica.org. Please note that each page of the submission must be saved as a separate file.
 
Submissions by Mail:
The original comics must be sent to one of the following addresses:

ASOCIACIÓN INTERNACIONAL ALMA CLÁSICA
Paseo del Conde Sepúlveda 18
40002 Segovia
Spain

ALMA CLÁSICA INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION
Campus Box 6298
World Languages-West Virginia University
Morgantown WV 26506

-All comic submissions must be accompanied by the following:
 
   * Name and surname of the contestant(s).
   * Age.
   * Full address and telephone number.
   * Contact e-mail address.
   * Brief description of the comic plot and characters.
 
-The deadline for submission is January 10, 2017.

Evaluation criteria and jury's decision.
 
The evaluation of the works submitted to the contest will depend primarily (but not exclusively) on the following parameters:
 
- Artistic expression in the plot and characters.
- Artistic expression in the drawings.
- Artistic expression in text and dialogue.
- Ethical and moral values exalted in the comics.
 
The jury's decision will be announced on February 1, 2017 via the A.I.A.C. website: www.almaclasica.org

Categories and prizes.
 
There are three award categories, broken down by participant age-group:
Category 1:  10 to 13 years old.
Category 2:  14 to 17 years old.
Category 3:  18 to 25 years old.
In the event of a group submission, the age of the oldest group member will determine the group’s eligibility.
 
The winner or winners of each category will receive an AMAZON gift card (one per category), a promotional A.I.A.C. mug (one for each participant in the event group), and other cultural materials. In addition, all works will be published on the website of the Association.
 
The A.I.A.C. reserves the right to reproduce the works submitted to the competition in other, non-related media (such as pamphlets, magazines, and correspondences).  Submissions may also be used for educational and promotional purposes of the activities of the Association.
 
Further information.
 
For further information, send inquiries to info@almaclasica.org

 "MAX iuvenes gladiator" logo designed by Enrique Golderos Ramo