The Sproing Award is awarded by Norsk Tegneserieforum (NTF), an organisation to promote interest and understanding for comics in
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. Since 1987, the award has been presented for the ''Best Norwegian Strips'', a comic strip or comic book by a Norwegian, and ''Best Translated Strips'', an international comic strip/comic book translated into Norwegian. Since 2003, there has also been awarded a Sproing for ''Best Comics Debut''.
At NTF's annual meeting, a jury is selected which reads all publications of the year and choose five nominees for the national and international classes, and three nominees for the debut class. Initially, voting was exclusive to NTF members, but has been opened to the public in the 2000s.
Bill Watterson
William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip ''Calvin and Hobbes'', which was Print syndication, syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson stopped drawing ''Calvin and Hobbes'' at ...
, for ''Tommy & Tigern #1'' (''
Calvin & Hobbes
''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was Print syndication, syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly cited as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin and Hobb ...
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
, for ''Det glade vanvidd'' (Semic)
*1990: Francois Bourgeon, for ''Skumringens venner'' (''Les compagnons de crépuscule'') (Cappelen)
*1991:
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created for Di ...
, for ''Donald Duck: Tilbake til Xanadu'' (Egmont Serieforlaget)
*1992:
Peter Madsen
Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, ''UC3 Nautilus'', and sentenced ...
and others, for ''Valhall: Frøyas smykke'' (Semic)
*1993:
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade'' and '' Ra ...
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typi ...
, for ''"Blå Italienske Greier" i Fidus'' (No Comprendo Press)
*1995:
Gary Larson
Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist, environmentalist, and former musician. He is the creator of ''The Far Side'', a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to more than 1,900 newspapers for fif ...
, for ''"Madame Qs forbannelse" i Larsons gale verden'' (Bladkompaniet)
*1996: Neil Gaiman and others, for ''Sandman: Lyden av vingeslag'' (Bladkompaniet)
*1997: Carl Barks, for ''"Marco Polos skatt" i Donald Duck & Co nr. 27'' (Egmont)
*1998: Jeff Smith, for ''
Bone
A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...
: Flukten fra Boneville'' (Bladkompaniet)
*1999:
Quino
Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known by his pen name Quino (; 17 July 193230 September 2020), was an Argentinian cartoonist. His comic strip ''Mafalda'' (which ran from 1964 to 1973) is popular in many parts of the Americas and Euro ...
, for ''1 side i Larsons gale verden nr. 4'' (Bladkompaniet)
*2000:
**
Jean Giraud
Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Bandes dessinées, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseu ...
, for '' Blueberry: Geronimo'' (Egmont Serieforlaget)
** Jeff Smith, for ''Bone: Det store kuveddeløpet'' (Bladkompaniet)
*2001:
Martin Kellerman
Martin Kellerman (born 1973 in Växjö) is a Swedish cartoonist, known for the comic strip ''Rocky''.
He was influenced by American and Swedish underground cartoonists such as Peter Bagge, Max Andersson, Robert Crumb, Harvey Pekar, Joe Matt an ...
, for ''
Rocky
''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...
-sekvenser i Pondus nr. 1-4'' (Bladkompaniet)
*2002:
Daniel Clowes
Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typi ...
, for '' Ghost World'' (No Comprendo Press)
*2003:
Peter Madsen
Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, ''UC3 Nautilus'', and sentenced ...
, for ''Menneskesønnen'' (Det norske bibelselskap)
*2004:
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including '' Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', '' The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and '' From He ...
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
, del 2'' (Schibsted Forlagene)
*2005:
Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis'' a ...
, for ''
Persepolis
, native_name_lang =
, alternate_name =
, image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg
, image_size =
, alt =
, caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.
, map =
, map_type ...
'' (No Comprendo Press)
*2006:
Joann Sfar
Joann Sfar (; born 28 August 1971) is a French comics artist, comic book creator, novelist, and film director.
Life and career
Sfar was born in Nice, the son of Lilou, a pop singer, who died when he was three, and André Sfar, a lawyer well kn ...
, for ''Rabbinerens Katt'' (''Le chat du rabbin'') (Egmont Serieforlaget)
*2008:
David B.
Pierre-François "David" Beauchard (; born 9 February 1959), also known by the pen name David B., is a French comic book artist and writer, and one of the founders of .
Biography
After studying advertising at the Duperré School of Applied Arts i ...
, for '' Epileptisk'' (''l'Ascension du Haut Mal'') (No Comprendo Press)
Best Norwegian comics
*1987:
Tor Bomann-Larsen
Tor Bomann-Larsen (born 26 April 1951) is a Norwegian illustrator, children's writer, non-fiction writer, novelist and government scholar.
Biography
Tor Bomann-Larsen was born in Jevnaker, Oppland, and started his career as a satirical illustr ...
, for ''Drama i Bayern'' (Cappelen)
*1988:
**
Arild Midthun
Arild Midthun (born 6 May 1964) is a Norwegian illustrator, cartoonist and comics artist. He was born in Bergen.
Among his early production is the comics strip ''Patrick & Co'' in the newspaper ''Bergens Tidende'' 1977, a spy series written by T ...
and Terje Nordberg, for ''Troll: Sølvskatten'' (Bladkompaniet),
**
Christopher Nielsen
Christopher Nielsen (born 20 April 1963 in Oslo) is a Norwegian comics artist. He is especially known for his subcultural depictions. Nielsen got his first comics printed in 1980 after entering a competition in the Norwegian anarchist magazin ...
, for ''En fettsugers bekjennelser'' (Semic)
*1989:
Christopher Nielsen
Christopher Nielsen (born 20 April 1963 in Oslo) is a Norwegian comics artist. He is especially known for his subcultural depictions. Nielsen got his first comics printed in 1980 after entering a competition in the Norwegian anarchist magazin ...
, for ''UR i Rummpfftillfftooo? nr. 3'' (self published)
*1990:
Bjørn Ousland
Bjørn Ousland (born 14 May 1959) is a Norwegian illustrator, children's writer and comics writer. His breakthrough was the album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another ...
Kåre Holt
Kåre Holt (10 October 1916 – 15 March 1997) was a Norwegian author. He wrote plays, poetry and about forty books.
Biography
Holt was born in the village of Våle in Vestfold, Norway. His parents were Peder Anton Kristiansen (1870-1958) and M ...
, for ''Kristina av Tunsberg'' (Mykle Illustrasjoner)
*1992: Inka-Lill, for ''Ridderne av Dor 1: Hjertets knekt'' (Bladkompaniet)
*1993: Steffen Kverneland, for ''Jonas Fjeld: De knyttede never'' (TEGN A/Lbum)
*1994:
Siri Dokken
Siri Dokken (born 5 July 1966) is a Norwegian illustrator.
Dokken was born in Bærum, and attended the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry. She worked for the newspaper ''Dag og Tid'' from 1994 and then for ''Dagsavisen
''Dags ...
and Baard Enoksen, for ''Kongens Mann'' (Cappelen)
*1995:
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
, for ''Lomma full av regn'' (TEGN A/Lbum)
*1996: Inka-Lill, for ''Ridderne av Dor 4: Lovens Bokstav'' (Bladkompaniet)
*1997: Tore Strand Olsen, for ''"Tore Hund" i Forresten nr. 4'' (Jippi Forlag)
*1998:
Frode Øverli
Frode Øverli (born August 15, 1968 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian comic strip cartoonist, considered one of the most successful in Scandinavia.
Biography
He began his career in 1984 when his parodies of ''The Phantom'' became a regular fe ...
, for ''Pondus: Alt for Norge'' (Bladkompaniet)
*1999:
Karine Haaland
Karine Haaland (born 29 August 1966 in Bergen) is a Norwegian comic strip creator, animator and illustrator, known for the comic strip ''Piray''.
Biography
Haaland made her publishing debut in the student paper ''Universitas'' in 1995, but her b ...
, for ''"Angsten eter sjelen" i Våre venner menneskene'' (Bladkompaniet)
*2000:
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
, for ''Mjau Mjau 10: Si meg en ting'' (Jippi Forlag)
*2001: Odd Henning Skyllingstad, for ''Serie uten tittel i Forresten nr. 11'' (Jippi Forlag)
*2002: Ronny Haugeland, for ''Downs Duck i bl.a. Forresten'' (Jippi Forlag)
*2003:
Frode Øverli
Frode Øverli (born August 15, 1968 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian comic strip cartoonist, considered one of the most successful in Scandinavia.
Biography
He began his career in 1984 when his parodies of ''The Phantom'' became a regular fe ...
, for ''Pondus julespesial'' (Schibsted)
*2004:
Lars Fiske
Lars Fiske (born 21 July 1966) is a Norwegian comics writer and artist, and creator of picture books. He was born in Oslo and is married to illustrator and writer Anna Fiske.
Fiske created the album ''Matje: debutanten'' in 1996, and the follow ...
Christopher Nielsen
Christopher Nielsen (born 20 April 1963 in Oslo) is a Norwegian comics artist. He is especially known for his subcultural depictions. Nielsen got his first comics printed in 1980 after entering a competition in the Norwegian anarchist magazin ...
, for ''Uflaks'' (No Comprendo Press)
*2006: Bendik von Kaltenborn, for ''Seks sultne menn'' (Dongery)
*2007: Sigbjørn Lilleeng, for ''Nebelgrad Blues 3'' (Jippi Forlag)
*2008: Pushwagner, for ''Soft City'' (No Comprendo Press).
*2009: Bendik Kaltenborn, for ''Serier som vil deg vel'' (No Comprendo Press).
*2010: Sindre Goksøyr, for ''Hrmf!'' (Dongery Forlag).
*2011: Børge Lund, for ''Lunch'' (Egmont Serieforlaget).
*2012: Øyvind Holen and Mikael Noguchi, for ''Drabant'' (Cappelen Damm).
*2013: Knut Nærum, Tormod Løkling and
Arild Midthun
Arild Midthun (born 6 May 1964) is a Norwegian illustrator, cartoonist and comics artist. He was born in Bergen.
Among his early production is the comics strip ''Patrick & Co'' in the newspaper ''Bergens Tidende'' 1977, a spy series written by T ...
, for ''Donald Duck julealbum: Skrues barndom: Kampen om jula'' (Egmont Serieforlaget).
*2014: Bjarte Agdestein, Endre Skandfer and Ronald Kabícek, for ''Krüger & Krogh 1: Brennpunkt Oslo'' (Egmont Serieforlaget).
*2015:
Lars Fiske
Lars Fiske (born 21 July 1966) is a Norwegian comics writer and artist, and creator of picture books. He was born in Oslo and is married to illustrator and writer Anna Fiske.
Fiske created the album ''Matje: debutanten'' in 1996, and the follow ...
, for ''Automobilfabrikken Fiske'' (No Comprendo Press).
*2016: Håkon Aasnes, for ''Smørbukk: Jula 2016'' (Norsk Barneblad).
*2017: Øyvind Sagåsen, for ''Radio Gaga'' (in ''Pondus'').
Best debut
*2003: Siri Pettersen, for ''Anti-Klimaks'' (bl.a. Schibsted Forlagene)
*2004: Bjørn Sortland and Øyvind Torseter, for ''On the road again, again'' (No Comprendo Press)
*2005:
Astrid Hansen
Astrid Hansen is a Norwegian orienteering competitor and World champion.Lene Ask, for ''Hitler, Jesus og farfar'' (Jippi Forlag)
*2008: Gunnar Wærness, for ''Bli verden'' (Oktober forlag)