Deadline: 19 January 2024
The Nature of Cities opens a call to all creators for proposals for short comics that explore graphic storytelling about the challenges faced as people and societies — climate change, biodiversity loss, stormwater surges, urban heat, inequity of green space distribution, social justice, and more — and how working with and not against Nature can help to create a world that is better for both people and nature.
Want to create a comic about nature that saves the world? About nature-based solutions to the shared global challenges? They are creating a new series of comics called Nature-based Solutions Comics, or NBS Comics; it’s a partnership between NetworkNaturePlus and The Nature of Cities, and funded by the European Commission.
Create a love story to nature. Tell a funny story about how business-as-usual will be the death of all. Or a business or community taking an ecological approach. Convey a scene of nature solving the gathering problems, from floodwaters to urban heat.
The Theme?
- “Nature to save the world”. Submissions must include, as plot elements or central ideas, both people and nature, and specifically with nature as a solution to social/environmental challenges; that is, a “nature-based solution“.
- They invite comic creators — using any comic style, various approaches to storytelling, many languages — to imagine comics about nature and her benefits. Based on submitted proposals, they will commission up to 10 comics and intend to publish them on both public platforms and on their own, purpose-built platform. After that, they’ll do it all again to continue to build a series.
- NOTE: they are not accepting animations at this time.
- One of the hopes for this series is to tell good stories about nature that are both intelligent, entertaining, and change-making; from new voices; stories that reach more people. They want to create dialogue and raise awareness about nature and what essential role it plays in the daily lives.
Funding Information
- Comics that are selected for commission receive €1,500 to complete the finished work and additional €1,000 if it is selected for publication. It is their intention to publish all commissioned comics, but they retain the right to decline to publish any that are not complete or otherwise inappropriate.
Style and Mood
- Any style of comic. They like good storytelling, but the proposed work can be comedic, dramatic, present or future, realistic or fantastic or sci-fi, utopian or dystopian. It could be a love letter to nature. It could be a crime story or a sad tale of people in need. The storytelling can be simple and allegorical, or densely complicated. It can be pitched toward young people or adults. The art can be lush or simple.
Who is Eligible?
- The NBS Comics Call is open to all comic creators, aged 18 or older; final comic submissions can be in any language. The application itself, however, must be in English.
For more information, visit Nature of Cities.
