ComiX Factor Winners Announced!

A fortnight ago I had the pleasure of spending some quality time at the National Literacy Trust headquarters in London. The purpose of my visit? To judge the Primary and Secondary school finalists in the national ComiX Factor comic-creating competition. You may remember when we first announced this challenge (HERE), but for those who missed that post, Primary school entries had to create a best friend or side-kick for our hero, Dorko, while Secondary school entries were given the first panel for a comic strip and had to create the rest of the story themselves.

So, here I am, judging away, thinking seriously, ably assisted by the NLT's Susie Musgrove, and Renaissance Learning's Gareth Andrews...

Thinking seriously? Wait a minute ... this stuff is FUNNY!

Lorenzo (who couldn't be there on the day but cast his personal votes over the phone) and I were blown away by the volume of entries .... over 1200 from all over the country!!! The standard of drawing and writing was incredibly high.

Of course, there can only be one winner (and two runners up) in each category, so without further ado here are the best of the best for your viewing pleasure.

Primary School Winner - Max from Horsendale Primary in Nottingham, with his brilliant sidekick, 'Okrod'

My verdict: 

"Among the sea of excellent entries, Okrod genuinely stood out. As a character he was well drawn, and most importantly, original. We absolutely loved his back story, the trick with reversing Dorko's name, and the genuine sense of fun and friendship that flowed through the writing. A worthy winner!" 

Runners up 

- Krishan from Thomas Russell Junior School with 'Mr Purple Pancake' 

- Eleanor from Longford Primary School with 'Kitty Katherine'

Secondary School Winner - Niamh from the Sweyne Park School in Essex, with her fantastic comic strip, 'Journey to the centre of the Turlet'

My verdict:

"This category was extremely hard to judge, but Niamh's comic strip managed to contain every single element of great comic story telling. Consistent characters, variation in the comedy, playful dialogue, great use of colour, action, environments and sound effects ... and on top of all that it was beautifully drawn. Congratulations!"

Runners up

- Leanna from Oban High School with 'Dorko and the Gnome'

- Danny from Cheame High School with 'Dorko and the Roman Rampage'

To read all the shortlisted entries and marvel at the art, go HERE!

Well done to everyone who sent in their brilliant characters and stories and strips. You're ALL winners in our book ... but, er... some of you just happen to be the ACTUAL winners.