April 15, 2025
April 15, 2025
For Immediate Release
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERMONT – The Center for Cartoon Studies is thrilled to announce the 13th annual Cartoonist Studio Prize winner whose work exemplifies excellence in cartooning. The two creators of these exceptional comics will be awarded $1,000 each. An astonishing volume of work was submitted for this year’s award, with twelve nominees in each of the “long-form” categories, and the “short-form” categories were selected in March. The winners for each category are listed below.
Best Long-Form Comic: Evil Eyes Sea by Ozge Samanci
Set against the backdrop of Istanbul during the 1995 elections, Ozge Samanci’s Evil Eyes Sea follows a group of university students whose lives unfold in the shadow of political unrest. While the narrative touches on weighty themes—class, religion, feminism, and the uneasy pulse of Turkish politics—it does so with a light hand, keeping its focus on the intimate dramas of friendship, dorm life, and a lingering mystery sparked by a death the protagonists witness while scuba diving.
The book’s greatest strengths lie in its originality and voice. The tone balances wit and melancholy with remarkable ease. The artwork is expressive and the cartooning inventive. At times, the story flirts with familiar tropes, but always on its own terms—eschewing highbrow convention for something more emotionally direct. Samanci has created a heartfelt, captivating work that deserves wider attention.
Buy the book: uncivilizedbooks.com/evil-eyes-sea
Ozge Samanci’s site: ozgesamanci.com
Best Short-Form Comic: Autobiography Has Become A Stone In My Shoe by Peony Gent
Peony Gent’s Autobiography Has Become A Stone In My Shoe is an exploration of attention: how we spend it, and what it means. Analyzing everything from the performance of pain in autobio work to contemporary art’s place in the attention economy, Gent’s comic is an arresting and powerful meditation on the online forces shaping comics today, and one of the highlights of the 2024 ShortBox Comics Fair.
Buy the comic: peonygent.com
Peony Gent’s site: peonygent.com
About The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS)
The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) offers a two-year course of study that centers on the creation and dissemination of comics, graphic novels, and other manifestations of the visual narrative. Experienced and internationally recognized cartoonists, writers, and designers teach classes for our students. CCS programs include a two-year Master of Fine Arts Degree, One- and Two-Year Certificates in Cartooning, and annual summer workshops. The school is located in the historic downtown village of White River Junction, Vermont. cartoonstudies.org
