Who won the 2000 AD talent search at Thought bubble 2024?

What a weekend! The 2000 AD droids have only just recovered from the best Thought Bubble yet!

Held amid the genteel tearooms and healing spa waters of Harrogate, Thought Bubble is the annual celebration of the comics medium – and this year was bigger and better than ever. As well as expanding the show floor and selling out of tickets, the show featured many of Tharg’s greatest creators, plus gave prospective droids that chance to get work with the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic!

Virtually cleared out of books over the course of the weekend, the 2000 AD booth was brimming with the best collections and comics in the universe and, hosted by PR droid Steve Morris, the 2000 AD panel featured two veteran and two brand creators – Judge Dredd artists Mick McMahon and Silvia Califano, Judge Dredd and Proteus Vex writer Michael Carroll, and the winner of last year’s Thought Bubble talent search competition, Sinu Senan.

Scream editor Chiara Mestieri, artist Silvia Califano, artist Sinu Senan, writer Michael Carroll & artist Mick McMahon

And once again, Thought bubble played host to the famous (infamous?) talent searches. The prize – paid work with 2000 AD! This year there were an incredible 38 entrants for the script competition, would-be writers vying for the chance to get just two minutes to pitch their idea for a Future Shock to a top panel of creative talent – writers Ned Hartley, Rob Williams, and former script competition winner Laura Bailey – in front of a live audience!

After subjecting ten randomly-selected entrants to the nerve-wracking experience, the judges chose Evie Roebuck as the winner! She’ll now work with 2000 AD editor Matt Smithy to turn her idea into a fully-fledged script that will appear in a future issue of 2000 AD.

Panel judges (from left to right) Ned Hartley, Rob Williams & Laura Bailey with script competition winner Evie Roebuck (second from right)

The art competition was no less hotly contested, with six entrants selected by 2000 AD graphic novel editor Oliver Pickles to go through to the final panel, with artists Jock, Alison Sampson, and DaNi on the judging panel. All the entrants had drawn the same story, and the panel gave them advice in front of a live audience.

And the winner chosen by the judges this year was Adam Stone!

But, for the first time, Tharg the Generous decreed that due to the incredibly high standard of this year’s entries a SECOND winner should be announced. The judges’ pick was Lucas McCoy, who at just 23-years-old is one of the youngest winners ever!

Congratulations to Adam and Lucas, and well done to all our finalists! The standard this year was incredibly high and the audience may well have witnessed the beginning of some illustrious careers!

Alba Ceide

Daniel Saywell

Jason Measures

Yaya