Ignatz Awards


The Ignatz Awards recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997,., SPX has been held in either Bethesda, North Bethesda, or Silver Spring, Maryland.
The Ignatz Awards are named in honour of George Herriman and his strip Krazy Kat, which featured a brick-throwing mouse named Ignatz. The award itself is in the shape of a red brick sitting on a small wooden stand.

Awards criteria

The Ignatz Awards were designed to honor work that challenges popular notions of comics, highlighting indie and creator-driven comics rather than mainstream titles.
As one of the few festival awards rewarded in comics, the Ignatz Awards are voted on by attendees of the annual Small Press Expo, a weekend convention and tradeshow showcasing creator-owned comics. Nominations for the Ignatz Awards are made by a five-member jury panel consisting of comic book professionals. Publications eligible for award consideration "are published between July 1st of the previous ballot year and June 30th of the current ballot year.... Publication date is determined by date of distribution."
The jury panel remains anonymous until the announcement of the awards. After a 1999 controversy involving juror Frank Cho, jurors are now prohibited from nominating their own work. However, there is no prohibition of one jury member's work being nominated for an award by his or her fellow jurors.

History

The first comics industry awards given the title "Ignatz" originated at the OrlandoCon, held in Orlando, Florida, from 1974 to 1994. The current Ignatz Awards are not connected with OrlandoCon. The SPX Ignatz Awards were conceived in 1997 by SPX organizer Chris Oarr and cartoonist Ed Brubaker. Their original mandate, to set the Ignatz apart from "mainstream" awards like the Eisner Awards, was that the work nominated be creator-owned, and focus more on work done by a single writer/artist.
The Award was administered by Jeff Alexander from 1998 to 2006, when they were taken over by Greg McElhatton. During his tenure as Ignatz Award Coordinator, Alexander drew a strip for the annual award program in George Herriman's style.

Award categories

The Ignatz is awarded in the following categories:
  • Outstanding Artist
  • Outstanding Anthology
  • Outstanding Collection
  • Outstanding Graphic Novel
  • Outstanding Story
  • Promising New Talent
  • Outstanding Series
  • Outstanding Comic
  • Outstanding Minicomic
  • Outstanding Online Comic

    Discontinued categories

  • Outstanding Graphic Novel or Collection
  • Outstanding Debut Comic
  • Outstanding Anthology or Collection

    Award winners and nominees

Outstanding Artist

  • 1997 Seth, Palookaville
  • *Gilbert Hernandez, New Love
  • *Dylan Horrocks, Pickle
  • *C. S. Morse, Soulwind
  • *Gary Panter, Jimbo
  • 1998 Dave Sim, Cerebus
  • *Joe Chiappetta, Silly Daddy
  • *Nick Craine, Portrait of a Thousand Punks: Hard Core Logo
  • *Gilbert Hernandez, Luba
  • *Jaime Hernandez, Penny Century
  • 1999 Frank Cho, Liberty Meadows #1
  • *Eric Shanower, Age of Bronze
  • *Dylan Horrocks, Hicksville
  • *Dave Choe, Slow Jams
  • *Pat McEown, Kissin' Cousin
  • 2000 Dave Cooper, Weasel
  • *Craig Thompson, Good-Bye, Chunky Rice
  • *Rod Espinoza, The Courageous Princess
  • *Francesca Ghermandi, Pastil
  • *Bill Presing, Rex Steele-Nazi Smasher
  • 2001 Ignatz Awards cancelled after 9-11 Attacks
  • *Donna Barr, The Desert Peach
  • *Jason Lutes, Berlin
  • *Carla Speed McNeil, Finder
  • *Tony Millionaire, Maakies, Sock Monkey
  • *Jim Woodring, Frank
  • 2002 Megan Kelso, Artichoke Tales #1, Non #5
  • *Renée French, The Soap Lady
  • *Paul Hornschemeier, Sequential, Forlorn Funnies
  • *John Kerschbaum, Homecoming, Petey & Pussy
  • *Thomas Ott, Greetings From Hellville
  • 2003 Jason Little, Shutterbug Follies
  • *Renée French, Rosetta, Tinka
  • *Dean Haspiel, Aim to Dazzle
  • *Lorenzo Mattotti, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde
  • *Scott Mills, My Own Little Empire, Space Devil
  • 2004 Craig Thompson, Blankets
  • *Chester Brown, Louis Riel
  • *Daniel Clowes, Eightball #23
  • *Juanjo Guarnido, Blacksad
  • *Joe Sacco, The Fixer
  • 2005 David B, Epileptic, Babel
  • * Jeffrey Brown, Bighead
  • * Roger Langridge, Fred the Clown
  • * Seth, Clyde Fans Book 1
  • * Craig Thompson, Carnet de Voyage
  • 2006 Tony Millionaire, Billy Hazelnuts
  • * Jordan Crane, The Clouds Above
  • * Renee French, The Ticking
  • * Anders Nilsen, Big Questions #7 and #8
  • * Chris Ware, Acme Novelty Library #16
  • 2007 Jaime Hernandez, Love & Rockets
  • *Vanessa Davis, Papercutter #4, Kramers Ergot #6
  • *John Hankiewicz, Asthma
  • *Rutu Modan, Exit Wounds
  • *Ted Stearn, Fuzz & Pluck in Splitsville #4
  • 2008 Laura Park, Do Not Disturb My Waking Dream
  • *Warren Craghead, How to Be Everywhere
  • *Lat, Town Boy
  • *Michel Rabagliati, Paul Goes Fishing
  • *Jillian Tamaki, Skim
  • 2009 Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole
  • *Tim Hensley, Mome, Kramer's Ergot #7
  • *Richard Sala, Delphine
  • *Josh Simmons, Mome
  • *Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man
  • 2010 Eddie Campbell, Alec: The Years Have Pants
  • *Al Columbia, Pim & Francie: The Golden Bear Days
  • *Mike Dawson, Troop 142
  • *John Pham, Sublife #2
  • *Sully, The Hipless Boy
  • 2011 Joseph Lambert, I Will Bite You
  • *Michael DeForge, Lose #3
  • *Edie Fake, Gaylord Phoenix
  • *Renée French, H-Day
  • *Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Vol 2: Collateral Damage
  • 2012 Jaime Hernandez, Love and Rockets: New Stories
  • *Marc Bell, Pure Pajamas
  • *Inés Estrada, Ojitos Borrosos
  • *Craig Thompson, Habibi
  • *Matthew Thurber, 1 800 Mice
  • 2013 Michael DeForge, Lose #4
  • *Lilli Carré, Heads or Tails
  • *Miriam Katin, Letting It Go
  • *Ulli Lust, Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life
  • *Patrick McEown, Hair Shirt
  • 2014 Sam Bosma, Fantasy Basketball
  • *Kim Deitch, The Amazing, Enlightening and Absolutely True Adventures of Katherine Whaley
  • *Sophie Goldstein, Darwin Carmichael Is Going to Hell; Edna II; House of Women
  • *Ed Piskor, Hip Hop Family Tree
  • *Jesse Reklaw, Couch Tag
  • 2015 Emily Carroll, Through The Woods
  • *Ed Luce, Wuvable Oaf
  • *Roman Muradov, Lost and Found
  • *Jillian Tamaki, SuperMutant Magic Academy
  • *Noah Van Sciver, Saint Cole
  • 2016 Tillie Walden, The End of Summer
  • *Daniel Clowes, Patience
  • *Ryan Heshka, Mean Girls Club
  • *Kevin Huizenga, Ganges
  • *Noah Van Sciver, Disquiet
  • 2017 Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters
  • *Pablo Auldadell, Paradise Lost
  • *Manuele Fior, The Interview
  • *Keren Katz, The Academic Hour
  • *Barbara Yelin, Irmina
  • 2018 Richie Pope, That Box We Sit On
  • *Yvan Alagbé, Yellow Negroes and Other Imaginary Creatures
  • *Eddy Atoms, Pinky & Pepper Forever
  • *Tommi Parrish, The Lie and How We Told It
  • *Sophie Standing, Anxiety is Really Strange
  • 2019 Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me
  • *Koren Shadmi, Highwayman
  • *Lucy Knisley, Kid Gloves
  • *Sloane Leong, Prism Stalker
  • *Ezra Claytan Daniels, Upgrade Soul
  • 2020 Rosemary Valero-O'Connell, Don't Go Without Me
  • *Ana Galvañ, Press Enter to Continue
  • *Michael DeForge, Familiar Face
  • *Katie Hicks, Guts
  • *Tianran Qu, Slices of Life: 100 Comic Montage
  • 2021 Lee Lai, Stone Fruit
  • *Ashanti Fortson, Leaf Lace
  • *Arantza Peña Popo, Lavender Scare
  • *Damien Roudeau, Crude
  • *Karl Stevens, Penny
  • 2022 Reimena Yee, Alexander, the Servant & the Water of Life
  • *Ron Regé Jr., Halcyon
  • *K Czap, Four Years Collected: Vol 2
  • *Brecht Evens, The City of Belgium
  • *Jesse Lonergan, Faster
  • 2023 Olivia Stephens, Darlin' and Her Other Names
  • *Caroline Cash, PeePee PooPoo #420
  • *Curt Merlo, That Distant Fire
  • *Benjamin Schipper, Joe Death and the Graven Image
  • *Noah Van Sciver, Joseph Smith and the Mormons
  • 2024 Robyn Smith, “Night Fever” from Gladiolus Magazine #1
  • * Nate Garcia, Flippy
  • * Julie Delporte, Portrait of a Body
  • * Aidan Koch, Spiral and Other Stories
  • * Léa Murawiec, ''The Great Beyond''

    Outstanding Anthology

  • 2017 Elements: Fire – An Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts
  • *ALPHABET: The LGBTQAIU Creators from Prism Comics, edited by Jon Macy and Tara Madison Avery
  • *Comic Book Slumber Party's Deep Space Canine, edited by Hanhah K. Chapman
  • *POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology, edited by Joamette Gil
  • *Spanish Fever: Stories by the New Spanish Cartoonists, edited by Javier Olivares & Santiago Garcia
  • 2018 Comics for Choice, edited by Hazel Newlevant, Whit Taylor and Ø.K. Fox
  • *La Raza Anthology: Unidos y Fuertes, edited by Kat Fajardo & Pablo Castro
  • *Ink Brick #8, edited by Alexander Rothmans, Paul K. Tunis, and Alexey Sokolin
  • *Bottoms Up, Tales of Hitting Rock Bottom, edited by J.T. Yost
  • *Lovers Only, edited by Mickey Zacchilli
  • 2019 We’re Still Here: An All-Trans Comics Anthology, edited by Tara Avery and Jeanne Thornton
  • *Electrum, edited by Der-shing Helmer
  • *Wayward Sisters, edited by Allison O'Toole
  • *Family – The Nib Magazine, edited by Matt Bors, Matt Lubchanksy and Eleri Harris
  • *Death – The Nib Magazine, edited by Matt Bors, Matt Lubchanksy and Eleri Harris
  • 2020 Be Gay, Do Comics, edited by The Nib
  • *Sweaty Palms Volume 2, Sage Coffey
  • *Dates III, edited by Zora Gilbert and Cat Parra
  • *The Anthology of Mind, Tommi Musturi
  • *LAAB Magazine #4, edited by Ronald Wimberly and Joshua O'Neill
  • 2021 Glaeolia 2
  • *A Queer Prisoner's Anthology IV, edited by Casper Cendre
  • *Bystander, Kadak Collective
  • *Confined Before Covid: A Pandemic Anthology by LGBTQ Prisoners, ABO Comix
  • *First Wave: Comics from the Early Months of China's Outbreak, edited by Xinmei Liu
  • 2022 Good Boy Magazine ''#1, edited by Michael Sweater and Benji Nate
  • *LAAB Magazine #2, edited by Ronald Wimberly and Joshua O'Neill
  • *Isolated: A Pandemic Comics Anthology, edited by Tana Oshima
  • *Smut Peddler Presents: Sordid Past, edited by Andrea Purcell
  • *Baltic Comics Magazine š! #42 'Scientific Facts, edited by Dave Schilter and Sanita Muižniece
  • 2023 Shades of Fear, edited by Allison O'Toole and Ashanti Fortson
  • *Cram Comics Issue #1, edited by Andrew Alexander
  • *Glaeolia 3,– edited by Emuh Ruh
  • *NOW #12, edited by Eric Reynolds
  • *Home: A Comics Anthology on Belonging in Ireland Today, edited by Katherine Foyle
  • 2024 Pulping, edited by Jenn Woodall, Jon Iñaki, Jonathan Rotsztain, Mitch Lohmeier and Paterson Hodgson'
  • *Let Her Be Evil, edited by Cassandra Jones
  • *We Belong: The All-Black, All-LGBTQ+ Sci-Fi and Fantasy Comics Anthology, edited by Viktor T. Kerney & William O. Tyler
  • *Wheels on the Bus, edited by Lucio Luiz
  • *Won’t Back Down: An Anthology of Pro-Choice Comics'', edited by Trina Robbins