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Comics competition promoting GEDSI in the Veterinary Sector

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The World Organisation for Animal health (WOAH), in partnership with the Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations (FAVA), the Asian Association of Veterinary Schools (AAVS) and the International Veterinary Students’ Association (IVSA) is thrilled to announce the opening of a Comics competition promoting gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) in the veterinary sector, a creative competition inviting veterinary students and professionals to develop an original comics story.

This competition aims to celebrate storytelling, artistic talent, Veterinary commitment and GEDSI values and will provide a unique opportunity for veterinarians and veterinary students to express their creativity.

Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just starting out, this is your moment to shine!

  • Win amazing prizes with the winner to be fully sponsored to join the World Veterinary Association Congress 2025 in Tokyo, Japan on 21-24 April 2026 where an award ceremony will be held
  • Get your work seen by the most influential veterinary organisations and networks in the Asia Pacific
  • Be part of a community of passionate veterinarians, veterinary students, and artists.

Ready to Participate? Go take your pencil or your computer and follow the instructions below. 😊

Please note: We have created a flyer to promote the event! You can download the PDF here or scroll to the image below. Please share widely.

1. Competition Theme

The comic should depict the journey/adventures of a veterinarian along their career in the veterinary sector.

  • The story can unfold along many years (from the Veterinary School to retirement) or depict a specific episode occurring during the veterinarian career.
  • The career can unfold anywhere in relation to the veterinary sector (public or private veterinary sector, in farms, clinics, laboratories, private companies, research institutes, academia, international organisations and any other relevant areas…).
  • The story should encompass messages to promote GEDSI in the veterinary profession, in a direct or indirect way.
  • The story should happen in the Asia Pacific.
  • The story can be realistic or fictional.
  • Characters and story should be original and not refer to any existing artistic work.
  • Subtle references to WOAH, FAVA, AAVS, IVSA and Australia DFAT inside the comic will be appreciated (no references to individuals’ real names allowed).

2. Expected format

  • The comic should be 6 to 15 pages with 6 to 8 panels of images on each page.
  • The comic can be drawn manually or developed digitally (submission should be in electronic format – PDF format if possible).
  • The comic should be in English language.
  • To submit a large file, you may upload to Google Drive and share the link. (If you do not have access to Google Drive, please contact us via the email below to discuss.)
  • The comic should be submitted with a short text (1 page maximum, Word format) providing a brief background of the author and a description of the comic.

3. Eligibility

  • Participants must be a veterinary student or a veterinarian from a WOAH Member of the Asia Pacific region (as defined in this link).
  • Participants must be 18+ years old.
  • Submissions must be original and not related to anything already published.
  • Submission should not infringe on intellectual properties or use any existing comics or directly use artistic work/characters/patterns/style.
  • Only one submission per participant is allowed.
  • All submissions will become the full property of WOAH which will be able to use the material for any purpose considered relevant but the authors will always be acknowledged.
  • The organisers reserve the right to disqualify comics that do not meet the guidelines or represent any legal or reputational risk.
Forme

The winner will be offered fully sponsored participation at the World Veterinary Association Congress 2025 in Tokyo, Japan on 21-24 April 2026

where an award ceremony will be held during the GEDSI awareness specific event.

4. Timeline

Events Dates
Competition Launch 1 Dec 2025
Submission Deadline 25 Jan 2026
Judging period 26 Jan 2026 – 20 Feb 2026
Winner Public Announcement World Veterinary Association Congress 2025, 21-24 April 2026

5. Prizes

  • The winner will be offered fully sponsored participation at the World Veterinary Association Congress 2025 in Tokyo, Japan on 21-24 April 2026 where an award ceremony will be held during the GEDSI awareness specific event.
  • The 3 best comics will be promoted and disseminated by WOAH, FAVA, AAVS and IVSA.

 

    • A quality printing of the comic work will be shipped to the author
    • The comics will be published and disseminated in relevant websites and networks
    • The comics will be used as goodies and gifts in relevant events

6. Selection Committee and criteria

The selection committee will consist of technical and communication staff from WOAH and its partner organisations. The criteria for selection and their weight will be the following:

  • Storytelling and creativity (40%): Originality, plot, unique concepts, character development, and dialogue.
  • Overall impact and promotion of GEDSI (40%): Emotional resonance, engagement, and memorability.
  • Artwork (20%): Quality, style, and visual storytelling.

7. Submission

Please submit your comics by Sunday 25 January 2026 end of day (Bangkok time) to the following email addresses: [email protected]  and [email protected].

Please attach to the email both the comics and the short text providing brief background of the author and description of the comic.

Please title your email: Comics_Competition_[authorName]

 

The organisers would like to thank the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) who is providing commitment and financial resources to launch this competition.

Glossary for reference

Disability A long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairment which in interaction with various barriers may hinder a person’s full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

Article 1 – Purpose | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD) (un.org)
Gender The roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society at a given time considers appropriate for men and women. In addition to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, gender also refers to the relations between women and those between men.

Gender Equality Glossary (unwomen.org)
Gender diversity Recognizes that many peoples’ preferences and self-expression fall outside commonly understood gender norms.

Gender Equality Glossary (unwomen.org)
Gender equality The equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men, and girls and boys.

Gender Equality Glossary (unwomen.org)
Gender equity The preferred terminology within the United Nations is gender equality, rather than gender equity. Gender equity denotes an element of interpretation of social justice, usually based on tradition, custom, religion or culture, which is most often to the detriment to women. Such use of equity in relation to the advancement of women has been determined to be unacceptable. During the Beijing conference in 1995 it was agreed that the term equality would be utilised. This was later confirmed by the CEDAW committee.

Gender Equality Glossary (unwomen.org)
Gender mainstreaming The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels.

The primary objective behind gender mainstreaming is to design and implement development projects, programmes and policies that:

  1. Do not reinforce existing gender inequalities (Gender Neutral)
  2. Attempt to redress existing gender inequalities (Gender Sensitive)
  3. Attempt to re-define women and men’s gender roles and relations (Gender Positive / Transformative)

Gender Equality Glossary (unwomen.org)
Social Inclusion The process of improving participation in society, particularly for people who are disadvantaged, through enhancing opportunities, access to resources, voice and respect for rights.

full-report.pdf (un.org)