About I Need a Hero!

4 December 2006 to 4 February 2007

'I need a Hero!' is an online competition - with a difference!

Ever wanted to create your very own superhero? Well here's your chance! All you have to do is create an Australian male or female superhero with extra-special abilities, then submit your creation to our website and tell us a bit about who your superhero is.

Once your superhero is published, our guest comic-strip artist will offer you some suggestions for developing your creation further. If you'd like to make changes to your superhero you can submit new versions as many times as you like. The guest artist will be dropping in to look at your creations and offering suggestions on:

•  9, 16, 23 and 30 January
• 11, 18 and 25 February.

Who can enter?

Anyone between the ages of 5 and 18 who wants to publish their superhero creation online.

What you need to do

Create an Australian male or female superhero, and include the following elements:

• name
• physical characteristics
• costume
• special abilities
• coolest gadget.  

If you're worried you can't draw then write about your superhero instead! In fact, we'd love you to tell us a bit about your superhero's adventures either way.

When you're ready to submit your creation, simply go to the Enter Competition page, upload a jpeg image of your superhero and answer the questions on the form. You will need to provide a nickname (not your real name) which will be published with your entry, an email address (this won't be published) and your age.

Don't forget to check out the Rules before you enter.

Who is the judge?

Our judge is the same professional comic-strip artist who will be providing feedback on your entries during the competition.

• Bernard Caleo (Cardigan Comics, Tango) 
  Read more about Bernard >

What is he judging?

Once the competition closes, Bernard will choose the best:

• Original male superhero
• Original female superhero. 

He will also produce two composite superheroes - one male and one female - using the best 10 elements (name, physical characteristics, costume, special abilities, coolest gadget) from individual entries.

What will you win?

The prizes for the winning original male and female superheroes are high-quality framed digital prints of the characters and a $50 gift voucher from Minotaur Books.

The prizes for the 10 contributors to the composite male and female superheroes are annotated framed prints of the two characters and a $20 gift voucher from Minotaur Books.

Announcing the winners

Winners will be notified by email and a list will be published on the 'I Need a Hero!' website on Monday February 12, 2007.