The Alison Brown Young Comics Maestro Award 2026

The Alison Brown Young Comics Maestro Award 2026 competition is now open andwe are looking for the next big comic artist! Send in your very best comic strip, three

pages maximum, to enter the competition and get your work in front of judges from

The Beano, The Phoenix, and The Cartoon Museum.

There will be one overall winner and two runners-up. The winner will receive a £200

prize and the runners-up will each receive £50 prizes. We intend to announce the

winners in September 2026.

The Comics Maestro Award celebrates Cartoon Museum staff member Alison

Brown, who passed away from Covid in 2021 at the age of just 39. Alison loved

comics and championed young comic artists.

Entrants must be aged 18 or under.

To enter please send a three-page comic strip to either The Cartoon Museum, 63

Wells Street, London, W1A 3AE or hello@cartoonmuseum.org

Make sure you include your name and age, and if using email ask a parent or

guardian to send in your cartoon.

The deadline for entries is Sunday 23 August 2026.

Comic strips must be no more than three A4 pages long. We are accepting hand

drawn comics on paper and we are also accepting digital art. Regrettably we will not

be able to return any physical entries that are sent in.

Good luck!

Pepita Coffee in partnership with Fat Boy Slim and The Cartoon Museum Contest

The Cartoon Museum is thrilled to announce a unique collaboration with Pepita Coffee in partnership with Fatboy Slim. We are searching for one exceptional artist to design the artwork for our next highly collectible, limited-edition coffee tin.

For nearly a decade, Pepita Coffee has turned everyday objects into a "Gallery in Motion” illustrated by 40+ leading British contemporary and street artists. Now, we are inviting you to become part of that legacy. Whether you are a beginner, seasoned illustrator, or an emerging talent with a sharp wit, we want to see your vision as part of this prestigious collection.

The prize:

• Your design featured on a limited-edition run of Pepita Coffee tins distributed across iconic galleries and retail stores in London and Brighton.

• VIP launch event at The Cartoon Museum in Fitzrovia, London to unveil your design.

• Your winning artwork displayed as part of a special pop-up gallery at the Museum.

• A formal royalty agreement of 5% on every tin sold featuring your design online.

• Entry into the exclusive Pepita Artist Circle.

• The ability to purchase your own tins at cost price and a free tin to keep for your portfolio.

We want designs that embody The Cartoon Museum’s core values: Accessible, Creative, and Funny. Using the 'power of line and laughter,' show us something visually delightful that people will want to keep on their shelves for years.

• Think ‘Outside the Box’. You can create a wrap-around masterpiece, a classic three-panel comic with a devastating punchline, or a narrative that weaves around the cylinder.

• Could you make coffee funny? Feel free to make it as comedic, satirical, or funny as you want, really lean into your imagination, storytelling, and sense of humour.

• Your design will need to help to create a desirable object that people will want to see sitting on their shelves for years to come.

The Rules:

To keep the competition fair and professional, please adhere to the following:

Eligibility & Submission.

• You must be 18+ and a UK resident. We strongly encourage submissions from underrepresented groups (LGBTQ+, disabled/neurodivergent, Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, or low socio-economic backgrounds).

• The design must be entirely your own original work. Strictly no Generative AI. We celebrate human craftsmanship; entries found to use AI will be disqualified.

• You must use the provided digital template (see below). Designs that do not fit the dimensions cannot be accepted.

• Any materials are welcome (ink, paint, digital), provided you have transferred your design onto the digital template at high resolution to enter.

• Entries infringing on the copyright of others will be disqualified.

• You will need to pay an entry fee of £20 plus the payment processing fee of £1.14. (We have to charge a fee as The Cartoon Museum is a registered charity which receives no regular funding. The entry fees will cover the costs of running this competition and any surplus funds will go back into the museum to help us continue our award-winning work.) 

• Submit your entries to hello@cartoonmuseum.org using the subject line ‘Pepita Coffee Competition’

The Fine Print.

• Entries will be shortlisted by a panel from The Cartoon Museum and Pepita Coffee (with a watchful eye from Norman Cook). The judges' decision is final.

• While the artist retains copyright of the work, the winner grants Pepita Coffee an exclusive licence for the production of the coffee tin, and Pepita and The Cartoon Museum a non-commercial licence for publicity and promotional purposes.

• Designs must align with the inclusive values of the Museum. Offensive or defamatory content will be disqualified.

Mark your calendars! Here is the journey of the competition from launch to the grand unveiling:

• 2 July 2026: The competition opens! Download the template and submit your masterpiece!

• 23 July 2026: Celebratory event to launch the competition at The Cartoon Museum

• 30 August 2026: Deadline for submissions.

• 23 September 2026: The moment of truth. Our panel will make the final selection of the winning artist(s) who will see their designs move into the professional production phase.

• 12 November 2026: The Grand Finale, Announcement & Official Launch: Join us at The Cartoon Museum for a prestigious Grand Event and an exclusive signing session with Fatboy Slim.