A large new scholarship named after a popular comic book character is being established in Sweden. 300,000 kronor are awarded annually to a "visual creator" who has shown talent and ambition.
The scholarship's slightly unusual name – Löken! – comes from the series "47:an Löken" created by Lennart Elworth. He drew the series for the magazine Lektyr for 20 years and it was also made into a feature film in the 1970s.
Elworth was also involved in founding the Swedish Cartoonists, which manages the memorial fund from which the scholarship money comes.
"The Elworth couple knew very well that working as a creator can often involve great economic uncertainty and therefore wanted to make a contribution to the field that Lennart worked within," says Josefine Engström, chairperson of the Swedish Cartoonists, in a press release.
