The Hall of Heroes is intended to celebrate original superheroes and the artists behind them. The jury criteria is broad enough to welcome different artistic mediums while giving judges clear standards for evaluating the work.
Yonkers Comic Con uses a 100-point scoring system, so every submission is evaluated consistently.
Criteria 1: Artistic Merit
Points:25
What Judges Consider: Quality of execution, technique, composition, craftsmanship, and overall visual presentation
Criteria 2: Creativity & Originality
Points: 20
What Judges Consider: Uniqueness of the superhero, visual concept, powers, design, and approach
Criteria 3: Story & Backstory
Points: 20
What Judges Consider: Strength of the hero's origin, purpose, motivation, conflict, and connection to the issue they address
Criteria 4: Positive Reinforcement
Points: 15
What Judges Consider: Does the hero inspire hope, resilience, courage, community, empowerment, or positive change?
Criteria 5: Character Design
Points: 10
What Judges Consider: Memorability, visual identity, costume, symbolism, and how effectively the design communicates the character
Criteria 6: Relevance & Social Impact
Points: 5
What Judges Consider: Does the hero meaningfully connect to a real-world issue, community, or experience?
Criteria 7: Presentation
Points: 5
What Judges Consider: Quality of the finished submission, clarity of concept, and effectiveness of the overall presentation
TOTAL = 100
A Guiding Principle for the Jury
The judges have one overarching question:
"Does this artwork introduce a hero we haven't seen before—and does it give us a reason to believe in them?"
This question captures what makes the Hall Of Heroes different from simply judging an art contest. We are evaluating the artwork, the character, the story, and the impact.
Important Consideration
Please note that artistic merit does not mean photorealism or technical perfection. A highly stylized illustration, abstract piece, mixed-media work, or digitally rendered character can demonstrate tremendous artistic merit.
This helps ensure that our jury rewards creative voice and execution, rather than simply favoring artists with the most polished or commercially familiar style.