The Queer Press Grant, with an award amount of $500 for self-publishers of queer comics, was unveiled this past weekend at Comic-Con International: San Diego.

Comic Book creators who want to self-publish stories of interest to non-straight comics fans now have a little help. The unveiling of an annual Queer Press Grant was just one of several newsworthy items to come out of Prism Comics’ appearance at Comic-Con International: San Diego this past weekend. The nonprofit organization, which advocates for greater inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) characters and creators in the comic book industry, also debuted its Prism WebComics online feature and introduced its new Board of Directors.

“The Queer Press Grant is something that the Prism Comics Board has discussed since the organization was founded in 2003,” said Prism Comics Membership Chair Rich Thigpen. “We are ecstatic that we’re finally in a position to offer something like this to LGBT comics creators. The award amount for 2004 is $500, but we expect that figure to increase in future years as we expand our donor base.”

The application deadline for the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant is September 1. Full details on the application process can be found online at http://www.prismcomics.org/grant.php.