The Center for
Cartoon Studies (CCS)
Students travel from across the U.S. and around the world to study comics at CCS in a diverse and vibrant community in Vermont.
Click here learn more about our programs.
Do you have burning questions about CCS’s MFA and certificate programs but aren’t able to make it to one of our admissions events? Drop us a line at outreach@cartoonstudies.org and we can set up a 1-on-1 video chat session to answer any of your questions about the curriculum, the application process, student housing, financial aid, living in Vermont, or anything else you need to know about applying to CCS!
Applications are open for the 2026 Cornish CCS Residency Fellowship, which will take place October 16- November 16, 2026. The Deadline to apply is April 3, 2026. This month-long residency provides housing, a studio space, access to all The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) facilities, and a living stipend.
Located in Cornish and at the country’s premier cartooning college, The Cornish CCS Residency is designed to create a focused and inspiring environment for cartoonists in order to create exceptional work. Cornish is located 16 miles from CCS in rural New Hampshire. For a complete description of the fellowship, application requirements, and eligibility, visit: cartoonstudies.org/
Join us this summer at The Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont for cartooning workshops! Sharpen your skills, learn new techniques, or make real progress on a project you’ve been working on. To learn more and register, visit cartoonstudies.org/workshops
Our lineup of in-person and online Summer Workshops are live and open for registration:
Graphic Memoir
June 15-19 (in-person)
Single Panel Comics
June 15-19 (in-person)
Horror Comics
June 22-26 (in-person)
Graphic Resiliency
June 22-26 (in-person)
Queer Comics – Waitlisting
July 6-10 (in-person)
Intermediate Comics – Waitlisting
July 20-24 (in-person)
Create Comics
July 27-31 (in-person)
Graphic Novel I – Waitlisting
July 27-31 (in-person)
Graphic Novel II
August 3-7 (in-person)
Coming of Age Comics
August 3-7 (in-person)
Also, for kids and teens this summer:
Summer Cartoon Collective
July 20-24 (in-person)
Summer Cartoon Club
July 6-10 or July 13-17 (in-person)
Celebrating CCS’s 20th Anniversary, two of Vermont’s most acclaimed cartoonists, Alison Bechdel and Tillie Walden ‘16, will share the stage for a rare public conversation about art, place, and the ways Vermont has shaped their work. Both artists have served as Vermont Cartoonist Laureate, and both have made international contributions to the art of comics—Bechdel through her groundbreaking memoirs Fun Home and Are You My Mother?, and Walden through her Eisner Award–winning memoir, Spinning, and space romance, On a Sunbeam.
Each year the Cartoonist Studio Prize will be awarded to work that exemplifies excellence in cartooning. The creators of two exceptional comics for this year will be awarded $500 each.
The two award categories for the 14th Cartoonist Studio Prize are Long-form Comic of the Year and Short-form Comic of the Year.
This is a change from previous years, undertaken to reflect the shifting comics landscape and better spotlight the diversity and innovation of the small press and self-publishing scene. Both award categories are now open for print and web submissions, with eligibility determined by the length of the work.
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Out now, the highly anticipated YA sequel, NUBIA: TOO REAL, illustrated by Robyn Smith ‘16 and written by L.L. McKinney. And it’s getting rave reviews. The new DC installment by Penguin Random House has received starred reviews by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal!
“An essential superhero story for this moment.” —Kirkus, starred review
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Cartoonist and illustrator Leise Hook ‘20 is out with a new book, NAMES AND FACES, a collection of graphic autobiographical essays. Releasing on April 14, it is now available for pre-order via Henry Holt Books!
“In the vein of Cathy Park Hong and Gene Luen Yang, Hook’s graphic memoir-in-essays rendered via her signature, award-winning style, explores what it means to come of age as a mixed-race woman, forging a singular identity in a world intent on putting her into ill-fitting boxes.” —Henry Holt & Co.
MAKING NONFICTION COMICS by award-winning cartoonists and journalists Eleri Harris ‘14 and Shay Mirk is now available for pre-order. The highly anticipated comics guide officially releases 11/11 via Abrams ComicArts.
“The definitive guide to writing, drawing, and publishing nonfiction comics…” —Abrams ComicArts
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A free self-directed eCourse to improve your cartooning skills. Online, Start Anytime!
Click here to learn more and make an online donation now.
We hope Art & Courage, will help readers feel a little more prepared for whatever creative journey they embark upon. Click here to read a free digital edition or to order print copies. This 32-page comic is filled with
Cartooning In An Anxious Age (pdf) is a free comic by Cara Bean on the act of drawing, which focuses your attention and intimately connects you with the generative act of creation. It’s an inspiring read.
Created for middle and high school students, Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health is a lively and educational comic book that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health.
Using the power of comics to teach teens about the way our government works This Is What Democracy Looks Like, A Graphic Guide To Governance is a 32-page comic book created by The Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS). This short comic guide helps to bring democracy back to the hands of the people by explaining what democracy actually means and how the whole thing works. This guide will be a great jumping-off point to learn about our government.
Download a free copy of The World is Made of Cheese, The Applied Cartooning Manifesto.
© The Center for Cartoon Studies
PO BOX 125, White River Junction, Vermont 05001
info@cartoonstudies.org
802.295.3319
