The UK Comics Laureate is an ambassadorial and educational role for the comics medium and aims to raise awareness of the impact comics can have in terms of increasing literacy and creativity.
Working closely with the Lakes International Comics Art Festival, the Comics Laureate champions the role of comics in improving literacy through a programme of educational visits, workshop events, guest appearances and conferences. A key focus will be working to increase the acceptance of comics as a creative art form in schools, libraries and throughout the education system.
The Comics Laureate for 2023 to 2025 is Bobby Joseph. Find out more about him here, and check out his Laureate Library List here.
Past Comics Laureates are artists Dave Gibbons (2015 – 2017), Charlie Adlard (2017 – 2019) and Hannah Berry (2019 – 2021); and writer and specialist comics retailer, Stephen L. Holland (2021 – 2023). Stephen L. Holland compiled an extensive graphic novels reading list covering a wide range of genres from science fiction and fantasy to crime and horror, which you can check out of the LICAF website.
SUPPORT FOR THE COMICS LAUREATE PROGRAMME
In 2025, the Comics Laureate programme received support from author John Patrick Green, who chosen to donate his £1000 prize money from his Scholastic Graphic Novel Award win to the UK Comics Laureate programme, with Pan Macmillan’s Making a Difference fund matching the prize. You can read more about this generous support here
The programme has also received support from Lancaster University, Peters (the UK’s leading supplier of books and furniture for nurseries, schools, academies and public libraries), Crescent Purchasing Consortium, and graphic novelist and LICAF Patron, Bryan Talbot.
• For information on the Comics Laureate’s upcoming appearances please contact Carole Tait
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