Now in its fifth year, VCU Libraries' Jurgen Comics Contest is again challenging VCU student artists to tell a story of banned art and the relationship between that artwork and society. The 2025-26 competition asks artists to create the cover for an imagined comic book about a real-life incident of art censorship or suppression. 

The deadline for entries is 11:59 p.m. on February 9, 2026.  The original deadline of Feb. 2, was extended to give students a bit more time after schedules were in flux due to winter weather. 

The Jurgen Comics Contest grand prize winner will receive $1,000. Other prizes in the amount of $250 will be awarded to comic book covers displaying exemplary Research, Storytelling and Artistry. The winning artwork will be published in a commemorative booklet and online in Scholars Compass. Contest rules and entry specifications may be found on the contest website.

In addition to cash prizes and publication opportunities, winners' artwork will be exhibited on the first floor of James Branch Cabell Library, and entrants' work will be celebrated as part of an exhibit on the Cabell Screen. 

The Jurgen Comics Contest has become a creative tradition that celebrates freedom of expression and the continuing relevance of the issues faced a century ago by Jurgen author James Branch Cabell. “Since its inception, the contest has grown and changed, and every year we’ve been amazed by the creativity and thoughtfulness that students bring to this challenge,” said Alice Campbell, digital outreach and special projects librarian and contest project manager.

“Reaching the fifth year is a milestone, but we've by no means exhausted the topic of art censorship. Each year, students dig into history for inspiration and develop stunning responses to the question, 'Why do people try to control what art can be made and seen?' We can't wait to see the 2026 contest entries."

Named after author James Branch Cabell's suppressed fantasy, Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice, the first Jurgen Comics Contest, held in 2022, focused on Cabell's legal battle with censors from the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. Erin Crawford won the Grand Prize with Cabell Walks Into a Bar.

In subsequent years, the contest expanded its scope to include other challenged artworks, and three more student artists claimed the grand prize: 

• Rena Bridge - A Quick History of Gay Batman 
• Wanda Felsenhardt - The Right to Read: Censorship in America's Prisons 
• Ingo Taylor - The Red Scare 

Today, VCU Libraries welcomes and encourages students to participate in this annual look at art's uniquely powerful role in our imaginations and culture, and the conflicts over freedom, morality, politics, and financing that have resulted over the years. 

The Jurgen Comics Contest is sponsored by VCU Libraries and supported by the generosity of donors, including The James Branch Cabell Library Associates.