Heart failure and immigrants, winners of the nanoKOMIK prizes

10/06/2016

The prize-giving in the nanoKOMIK challenge took place this afternoon at the headquarters of the DSS2016 (Donostia-San Sebastian Capital of Culture 2016). The first prize was for Crisis cardíaca (Heart Failure), a work that explores applying nanotechnology to biomedicine and which was produced by Dayanne Huayhua (Aranjuez). The second prize went to Asier Murillo (Iruñea-Pamplona) for his comic Milan Man, a topical story about immigration in the Mediterranean. The audience prize and a special prize were also awarded.

Through the nanoKOMIK project, the research centres CIC nanoGUNE and the DIPC (Donostia International Physics Centre) are seeking to get over to the general public the potential of the advances taking place in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology and to stimulate the creativity of youngsters. The most original ideas entered for the challenge will be recreated by a professional cartoonist in an informative comic to be published at the end of the year. The project was funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).

Over one hundred youngsters participated in this first nanoKOMIK challenge entering works in Basque, Spanish and French. In their creations they tackled a whole range of subjects (health sciences, society, environment, technology, etc.) in a comic format. All the entries can be seen at www.nanokomik.com and will be displayed at the headquarters of the DSS2016 over the coming days.

Ricardo Díez-Muiño, Director of the DIPC, Txema Pitarke, CEO of nanoGUNE, Sonia Arnés, representative of the FECYT, and Lorena Montejo, head of the Faro de las Voces of the DSS2016, participated in the prize-giving. The winners received digital drawing tablets, science fiction comics and FNAC membership cards. After the prize-giving, those present had the chance to enjoy a scientific, humorous show specially created for nanoKOMIK by the Big Van monologists.

The prize-winning comics are as follows:

First prize

• Title: Crisis cardíaca (Heart Failure)

• Author: Dayanne Huayhua-Calicho

The judges highlighted the use of a metaphor to make known one of the major challenges facing nanotechnology: the use of nanorobots in biomedicine.

Second prize

• Title: Milan man

• Author: Asier Murillo-Iriarte

The judges emphasised the topicality of the subject of the work: immigrants and small boats in the Mediterranean.

Special mention

• Title: Lizard Guy – El hombre lagarto

• Author: Elena Vergel-Pla

The judges mentioned the good integration of the scientific basis into the script and the use of humour to enrich the story.

Audience prize

• Title: Hielo y fuego (Ice and Fire)

• Author: Claudia Araujo-Vallejo

The works were posted on www.nanokomik.com and were rated by the audience in an open ballot.