With what criteria do you choose your next book to read? It may be particularly difficult to find the right book to read, if it is not strongly advertised or recommended by someone of authority. When it comes to graphic novels, the task becomes even more difficult. So how to find real pearls to read in a sea of books and new releases? When I began to get passionate about reading graphic novels one of the criteria that helped me discover new books was to look for graphic novels that had received international awards. This could be an excellent starting point to get into the world of graphic novels, discover authors and illustrators but above all unique and engaging stories. Let’s discover some award-Winning Graphic Novels.
Award-winning graphic novels
In this post, we will see what are some of the most important prizes awarded to graphic novels and find out who won what.
Pulitzer Prize
The first and most famous is the Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer Prize is awarded for works of journalism, literature and music in the United States and it is among the most popular in the world.
Pulitzer Prize award winners
The first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize was Art Spiegelman’s MAUS in 1992 in the Letters awards category (Special Awards and Citations). Here, the link if you want to know more about it.
In 2018, however, another graphic novel joined the list of Pulitzer Prize winning books. For the Editorial Cartooning category “Welcome to the New World” by Jake Halpern, and Michael Sloan, freelance cartoonist, and The New York Times. To read more about check out my blog post entirely dedicated.
Eisner award
When it comes to graphic novels, you cannot fail to mention the Eisner Award. Will Eisner was one of the first cartoonists and the one who coined the term “graphic novel”. His works and illustrations are among the most famous and award-winning. The Eisner Award was held in his honor and is awarded to comic books with excellent creativity.
Eisner award winners
Among the award-winning graphic novels are
- Blankets by Craig Thompson.
- The Sandman by Neil Gaiman.
- Watchmen by Alan Moore.
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore.
and many others. Here, the complete list.
Hugo Prize
Hugo Prize is one of the most important literary prizes awarded for genres of fantasy or science fiction. It is an international prize awarded for the first time in 1953.
Hugo Prize winners
Among the winning books of the Hugo prize there are:
- As the Last I May Know of S.L. Huang
- No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin
- Cat Pictures Please and Other Stories by Naomi Kritzer.
The full list here.
Bram Stoker award
If horror is the genre you prefer, here you will surely find books that will meet your expectations.
Bram Stoker Award winners
Some winners of the Bram Stoker award are:
- Bad Blood by Jonathan Maberry and Tyler Crook.
- Shadow Show: Stories in Celebration of Ray Bradbury by Sam Weller, Mort Castle, Chris Ryall, and Carlos Guzman.
- Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Damian Duffy.
Check here the official website to find also other winners.
Ignatz Award
The Ignatz Award is an award that is given to comics and cartoons created by small publishing houses or for projects produced by the author that have been distributed by major publishing houses.
Ignatz Prize Winners
Some graphic novels that have received this award are:
- Black Hole by Charles Burns
- Tricked by Alex Robinson
- Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return by Marjane Satrapi
- Blankets (graphic novel) by Craig Thompson
Check here the official website to find also other winners.
National Book Award
The National Book Award is a prize that the non-profit foundation of the same name decides to award for authoritative works of literature.
National Book prize Winners
Also relevant graphic novels have been honored with this award. Some are:
- Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang
- Nimona by Noelle Stevenson
- March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, & Nate Powell
Check here the official website to find also other winners.
Conclusion | Award-Winning Graphic Novels
Clearly this is just a small list that I will try to keep up-to-date and relevant to help you in your next reading.
Enjoy your reading
