FALLING IN LOVE ON THE FAMILY COMPUTER by Lois de Silva

2008: on the adolescent internet, two likewise teenaged girls find each other from half the world away. But in this time when the digital and the physical are still kept at a distance, what does it mean to fall in love through a screen? @loisdolores

FORGET-ME-NOT by Lizz Lunney

Loss and memory. Growing up often comes with both. This collection of autobiographical comic essays looks back on 25 years’ worth of grief, compassion, and moments of humour to create a guide for the bereaved. @lizzlizz

OUR 2025 SHORTLIST

KITTISH BANTER by Calico N.M.

When Irsim finally gets away from their conservative Muslim parents, they’re hardly expecting to end up in Leeds’ gayest Muslim house-share. Soon enough, thanks to new friends and the landlord’s excitable daughter, they’re considering their relationship to religion altogether. @neomintsart

ST BRIGID & ME by Hannah McCann

Brigid: saint and goddess. In this memoir, the fight for abortion rights in her homeland of Ireland inspires the author to reconnect with Saint Brigid, and to connect the dots between traditional folklore and modern social justice. @hannaaghhh

A SLEIGH NO-ONE KNOWS by Yu-Ching Chiu

A story about the meaning of life involving a depressed rabbit, a sheep experiencing an existential crisis, and an utterly ludicrous military project. Philosophical concepts in the strangest of contexts, but somehow true to all… @yuchingchiu.illustration

THE FROZENS by Lauren O’Farrell

Unaware that she’s only days away from a cancer diagnosis, Lauren saves a boy she sees lying on the railway tracks. Based on real life journal entries, ‘The Frozens’ follows her wild journey, from meeting her own alarmingly cute Death, to falling in love with life in spite of its fractures. @deadlyknitshade