Redent Camilleri, a 21-year-old student at MCAST’s Institute for the Creative Arts, has won a national cartoon competition organised by McDonald’s in Malta to celebrate the comeback of the iconic chicken, bacon and onion (CBO) burger.

Fourteen participants submitted their entries. All artworks were judged by cartoonist Ġorġ Mallia, who examined all the entries on the basis of creativity, inventiveness, family-friendliness, feel-good moment and finishing.

The CBO had to inspire illustrators and artists to express its comeback in a comic strip that reflected its legendary status and that was stylistically in line with the burger’s launch campaign.

Camilleri, who is currently following a BA (Hons) in fine arts programme, was awarded a cash prize of €1,000 and his winning artwork was published in The Sunday Times.

Speaking about the judging process, Mallia noted that there were a number of very well-drawn panels, using superhero-illustration axioms which would have definitely competed for the top spots had they been ensconced within a scripted comics sequence.

“Redent Camilleri’s entry was the best entry, his drawing was very good and although the strip itself tended to be a bit busy, resulting in some ambiguity in the communication of the storyline, his entry remained the best one that fit the brief,” Mallia said.

The second placed entry was by Alessia Cacciatore, deemed “a very well-drawn and illustrated comic”, while the third-placed entry was by Simon Callus judged as “a very well-drawn comic with a clever denouement”.