The Deadline to Apply for the 2016 Cupcake Award is July 31!
This Could Be You!
Pictured above: 2015's Cupcake Award Winner Goda Trakumaite receives recognition at CAKE 2016.The deadline for applying for the 2016 Cupcake Award is coming up on July 31! Please visit our Cupcake Award page to apply.We spoke to last year's winner, Goda Trakumaite, about her experience:What was the process of applying for the Cupcake award like? The award application felt pretty simple and straightforward with just a one page proposal required. It was kind of nice and helpful to go through the application process, because it gave me an opportunity to really think through what comic project I wanted to work on next, whether or not I would receive the award.What did you learn when creating your comic?I hadn't worked on a comic with an external deadline before and this was a good experience. I ended up taking about 7 months to make the book where a similar length comic had taken me twice that long previously. It was cool to push myself and see that that is possible.What was it like working with John Porcellino as a mentor?It was really encouraging to work with John as a mentor. He gave me some helpful tips about process, especially about writing and narrative, but it was also helpful to be able to ask him practical questions like "how many books should I print?" and "how much should I charge for them?" - stuff that as someone new to this world and without lots of connections within it I didn't have a good context for. Marnie, who was my contact for award stuff at CAKE, was also super helpful in regards to these kinds of questions.Do you have any other thoughts about the Cupcake award, or any words of encouragement for people who apply?This was a really cool, positive and encouraging opportunity/experience for me and if you're thinking about applying then you should definitely do it!
Apply Now!
Applications are now open for the third annual Cupcake Award, a juried prize that supports the publication of a new minicomic by an emerging artist whose work is primarily self-published. The winner of the award will receive $250 to print a new minicomic, a free half table at next year’s CAKE (where their minicomic will debut), and the mentor support of our special guest judge Caitlin McGurk, the Associate Curator for Outreach & Assistant Professor at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. In addition, CAKE will promote the winning artist and their minicomic leading up to next year’s show.The deadline for the application is July 31, 2016. Please visit our Cupcake Award page for instructions about how to apply, as well as eligibility guidelines and answers to frequently asked questions. If you have any additional questions, please email us at cupcake@cakechicago.com or fill out the form on the Cupcake Award page. We look forward to receiving some great applications, and we’ll see you at next year’s CAKE!