The awards ceremony of the fourth Golden Comic Awards took place at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei on Sept. 4. A special exhibition to promote comics and a ceremony to launch a mobile library program were also held on the same day.
Liu Hsing-chin, Huang Chien-ho and Wan Wan (Hu Chia-wei), cartoonists of three different generations, attended the ceremony, while cartoonist Loic Hsiao presided over the event.
Comics, although being small in size, encompass the collective memories of an entire generation, Culture Minister Lung Ying-tai pointed out. Recent outstanding Taiwanese cartoonists have proven their strength by winning top awards in major comic fairs in France and Switzerland, she added.
The Minister encouraged cartoonists to insist on originality, saying that "have your own sense of history, beauty and imagination; aim to be different from others” and "let people from other countries know your works are from Taiwan with just a glimpse.”
Lung presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to 72-year-old veteran cartoonist Tsao Chun-yen, whose works were described by the jury as having profound insights into humanity. With his skilled painting techniques, he was said to have successfully integrated the tender imagery of children's books into comic strips.
The newly added Special Jury Prize went to the late comic master and promoter Randy Ai, while KoYing-mai (Cory) won both the Best Young Female Award and the Best Comic Grand Prize with her "Make a Wish, Da Xi (II).” The winners of other categories such as the Best New Comic Artist, the Best General Comic Award and the Best Contribution to Comics for the Year Award were also announced.
The comic exhibition will remain open for the next ten days at the Huashan 1914 Creative Park, featuring interactive reading devices, cultural and creative products that combine local comics with pop music, manuscripts and related merchandise. Students from Taibei Senior High School's animation and comic society will also draw comic portraits for visitors to the exhibition this weekend.
In related news, Culture Minister Lung has initiated a mobile library program that will introduce original Taiwanese comics to remote areas.
The Ministry of Culture launched the mobile library program for the Golden Comic Awards with the sponsorship of 11 public and private organizations. Sixty-two vehicles will carry award-winning comics from the past three years to schools in remote townships, including Chaozhou in Pingtung, Guguan in Taichung, and Sanshing in Yilan.
The Minister encouraged cartoonists to insist on originality, saying that “have your own sense of history, beauty and imagination; aim to be different from others.”
Minister Lung Ying-tai presents the Golden Comics Lifetime Achievement Award to illustrator Tsao Chun-yen.
Minister Lung Ying-tai (center) presses a button symbolizing the launch of the mobile library program with Jury Chair Huang Chien-ho (right), cartoonist Liu Hsing-chin (second right), Lifetime Achievement Award winner Tsao Chun-yen (second left), and Teng Chun-hsuan, daughter of the late comic master Randy Ai.