Introducing the Rachel Cooke Graphic Short Story Prize

The Faber / Observer Graphic Short Story Competition has been renamed in memory of Rachel Cooke, a champion of graphic novels and one of the judges of the prize since its launch in 2007. The prize is still proudly co-run with the Observer.

Are you an aspiring graphic novelist? Do you have an original story to tell?

Faber & Faber and the Observer together offer you the chance to see your work in print and win £1,000.

Each year, entrants submit a four-page story with original illustrations designed to run over a double-page spread in the New Review. This year’s winner will receive a cheque for £1,000 and their work will appear in print and online (the award for the runner-up is £250, and their story will also be published online).

The first prize is £1,000 and publication in the Observer New Review.

The runner-up receives £250 and their work will appear on observer.co.uk.

The judges are Angus Cargill, (Faber) Killian Fox (Observer) Paul Gravett, (Comica festival) and Tom Oldham (Gosh! Comics) alongside this year’s guest judges Helen Macdonald and Chris Riddell.

Terms and Conditions

1. T&Cs – By entering this competition you agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.

2. Entrants – This competition is open to anyone aged sixteen and over who is a resident of the UK or the Republic of Ireland, except for employees of Faber & Faber (promoter), the Observer, Comica, their families and any other company connected with the competition. The promoter will only accept 1 (one) entry per entrant subject to point 6 below.

3. Dates – Graphic story entries will be accepted until Monday 30 November 2026 (closing date). The winning entrant and runner-up will be notified by email ahead of the announcement. The name of the winning entrant and runner-up will also be announced and printed in the Observer New Review.

4. Prizes – The following prizes will be awarded:
(a) £1,000 (one thousand pounds sterling) to the winning entrant; and (b) £250 (two hundred and fifty pounds sterling) to the runner-up.

5. Copyright/Ownership – Entrants will own and retain any copyright in their entries. Where an entry is produced as the result of the collaboration of a writer and an artist (i.e., joint authors), the promoter will accept the joint authors of the entry as joint entrants.

6. Entry Specifications – Entrants are advised to retain a copy of entries. Entries can be with or without words, in black and white or colour, and fiction or non-fiction. Each entry must be:
(a) in English;
(b) an original work of which the entrant is the author (or joint author in respect of point 5 above), which has not been previously professionally or commercially published and is not in breach of any third party right.
(c) complete in itself (i.e., not a fragment of a larger work).
(d) designed to run as a four-page* story across a double-page
spread in the Observer New Review (i.e., so the design should be able to be scaled up or down to fit the dimensions of the paper).
*Each page of your story will appear in the Observer at 150mm wide x 260mm high
NB: No work can be returned. Copies of original works will be accepted.

7. Unacceptable Entries – Entries which are illegible or received after the closing date will not be accepted. The promoter will not be responsible for delayed, undelivered or lost entries.

8. Events – Events may occur which render the awarding of the prizes impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the promoter, and the promoter may, at its absolute discretion, vary, amend, suspend or withdraw the prizes with or without notice.

9. Judges – The competition will be judged by six judges who will look for emerging talent and seek to identify writers/artists of excellent and original graphic short stories. The judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to their decisions or the competition.

10. Winning Entrant – The winning entrant [and runner-up] grant[s] the Observer, the promoter and Comica all necessary and relevant permissions in relation to the publication of the winning entr[y/ies] in the Observer, on www.observer.co.uk and www.faber.co.uk, and at the Comica festival. The winning entrant [and runner-up] also agree[s] to the promoter’s use of his/her name[s] and photograph[s] in relation to publicity material. The Observer, the promoter and Comica each reserve the right to edit the winning [and runner-up] entr[y/ies] in respect of the above publication.

11. Data – Personal details will only be retained and used by the promoter for the purposes of this competition and will be deleted thereafter, unless the box above has been ticked, in which case personal details will be retained as indicated. Personal details will not be passed on to third parties.

12. The Promoter – The promoter’s details are: Faber & Faber, The Bindery, 51 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8HN.

13. AI – We believe in the power of human creation. The use of artificial technology (“AI”) in the creation of an entry is prohibited. In the event that it is determined that AI has been used to create a submission, that submission shall immediately be removed from consideration. Should a winning entry be found to have been created using AI, the promoter reserves the right to cancel such winning entry and demand a return of any prize awarded.