Writing and Book Design for Young Adults and Graphic Novels

Bambi Eloriaga-Amago is a Philippines-based comic book writer and children’s book author. Her graphic novel “Doobiedoo Asks” is an Official Selection of the first-ever Philippine International Comics Festival, a Finalist at the 39th National Book Awards, and a Readers’ Choice Award Recipient at the 7th National Children’s Book Awards. While her children’s book is entitled “Too Loud! Soothing Sensory Overload With Music.” Both books are nominees for the 2025 International Board on Books for Young People’s Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities. Bambi also currently acts as Managing Editor for Seven Seas Entertainment, a USA-based publisher. Her books will soon have German and Turkish editions.

Ardie Aquino is a Filipino komiks creator and illustrator known for crafting engaging and innovative stories since 2011. With a passion for pushing the boundaries of storytelling, Ardie has published numerous works that experiment with format, presentation, and narrative techniques.

Among his most recognized titles is School Run, a suspense-adventure comic following a group of students navigating a zombie-infested city. He also created Balik Tanaw, a deeply personal work exploring memory and nostalgia. His groundbreaking comic Nandito Lang Ako uses tracing paper to enhance its narrative, while Ang Manguulam blends Filipino cuisine with elements of Pinoy mythology, further showcasing his ability to merge cultural storytelling with thrilling narratives.

Ardie’s dedication to the medium has led to significant achievements, including being selected as a co-exhibitor for the prestigious Frankfurt Book Fair 2025, a milestone that highlights his growing international presence. He has also participated in major local and international events, such as the Philippine International Comics Festival and Komikon Grande, where he continues to engage with readers and fellow creators.

With over a decade in the industry, Ardie remains committed to crafting compelling stories that captivate audiences. Whether through heart-pounding adventures, introspective narratives, or experimental formats, his work continues to redefine the komiks landscape.

Luis P. Gatmaitan is a physician, an author of more than 70 books for children, and the current Chairperson of the National Council for Children’s Television (NCCT), an attached agency of the Department of Education. He pioneered the popularization of children’s stories with health and medical themes. He has published two children’s book series on health and hygiene for Hiyas Books of OMF Literature: Mga Kuwento ni Tito Dok and OkiDok. His children’s stories have been translated to Nihongo, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, Bangla, and Danish. Some of these titles were mounted into musical plays, animation, apps, shadow puppetry, audio-drama, and other theater productions. His children’s story Sandosenang Sapatos was adapted into a musical and staged several times by the Tanghalang Pilipino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

He won the Palanca Awards seven times for his children’s stories and essays in Filipino, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 2005. He is one of the ten recipients of The Oustanding Young Men of the Philippines (TOYM) award for his contributions in the field of Literature in 2003. He also received the Gawad Dangal ng Wikang Filipino by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. In 2017, he was awarded the Gawad Pambansang Alagad ni Balagtas, a lifetime achievement award in literary writing given by the Unyon ng mga Manunulat sa Pilipinas. In 2023, he was awarded the Gawad Dangal ng Lahi by the Carlos Palanca Foundation. A “Green and Gold Outstanding Alumni” awardee of the Far Eastern University, he is the First Filipino author to be accepted as an official nominee to the 2025 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for his body of work in children’s literature.