The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (established in December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually since 2005 during the

Toronto Comic Arts Festival The Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is a comic book festival held annually in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 2003, TCAF has grown to become one of the world’s largest festivals dedicated to the promotion and appreciation of comic arts. Prog ...

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics) and graphic novels published in English (including translated works). The awards are named in honour of Canadian cartoonist

Doug Wright Douglas Wright (born December 20, 1962) is an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2004 for his play ''I Am My Own Wife''. Early years Wright was born in Dallas, Texas. He attended and ...

. Winners are selected by a jury of Canadians who have made significant contributions to national culture, based on shortlisted selections provided by a nominating committee of five experts in the comics field. The Wrights are handed out in three main categories, "Best Book", "The Spotlight Award" (affectionately known as "The Nipper"), and, since 2008, the "Pigskin Peters Award" for non-narrative or experimental works. In 2020, the organizers added "The Egghead", an award for best kids’ book for readers under twelve. In addition to the awards, since 2005 the organizers annually induct at least one cartoonist into the Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall Fame. The Wright Awards are modeled after traditional book prizes, with the intention of drawing attention to the comics medium from a broad range of demographics inside and outside of its traditional fanbase. The Wrights have garnered acclaim as well as earning the support of a diverse range of participating artists and jurors including Scott Thompson,

Don McKellar Don McKellar (born August 17, 1963) is a Canadian actor, writer, playwright, and filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. He is known for directing and writing th ...

, Bruce McDonald,

Jerry Ciccoritti Jerry Ciccoritti (born August 5, 1956) is a Canadian film, television and theatre director. His ability to work in a number of genres and for many mediums has made him one of the most successful directors in the country. Biography Born in To ...

, Bob Rae,

Andrew Coyne James Andrew Coyne (born December 23, 1960) is a Canadian columnist with ''The Globe and Mail'' and a member of the ''At Issue'' panel on CBC's '' The National''. Previously, he has been national editor for ''Maclean's'' and a columnist with ''Na ...

Sara Quin Sara may refer to: Arts, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Sara'' (1992 film), 1992 Iranian film by Dariush Merhjui * ''Sara'' (1997 film), 1997 Polish film starring Bogusław Linda * ''Sara'' (2010 film), 2010 Sri Lankan Sinhal ...

, Greg Morrison,

Chester Brown Chester William David Brown (born 16 May 1960) is a Canadian cartoonist. Brown has gone through several stylistic and thematic periods. He gained notice in alternative comics circles in the 1980s for the surreal, scatological '' Ed the Happy Cl ...

, Lorenz Peter, and Nora Young.

Awards

The Best Book and The Spotlight awards are a large wood-and-glass trophies which are engraved with images from Wright's comic strip (the one difference being the images that are etched on the glass). The award was designed by the cartoonist Seth, who admitted to some embarrassment at being the inaugural winner of the trophy he designed. The Pigskin Peters Award, named in honour of a character from

Jimmy Frise The Canadian cartoonist James Llewellyn Frise (, 16 October 1891 – 13 June 1948) is best known for his work on the comic strip ''Birdseye '' and his illustrations of humorous prose pieces by Greg Clark. Born in Scugog Island, Ontario, ...

's ''Birdseye Center'', is a custom, tailored derby hat with its own unique plaque that doubles as a hat post. It was also designed by Seth. Each recipient of a Doug Wright Award also receives a custom-bound copy of their winning work.

Nominees

Winners are indicated by ***.

2005

(Jurists:

, Rebecca Caldwell, Nora Young, Jerry Ciccoritti and

)

Best Book

* '' Worn Tuff Elbow #1'' by Marc Bell ( Fantagraphics Books) * '' Pamplemoussi'' by Geneviève Castrée (

L'Oie de Cravan L’Oie de Cravan (translated The Goose of Cravan) is a Canadian publishing house based in Montreal, Quebec that specializes in poetry. It was founded in January 1992 by poet and writer . The name is seen as a tribute to the poet-boxer Arthur C ...

) * '' The Frank Ritza Papers'' by David Collier (

Drawn & Quarterly Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, a ...

) * '' DC: The New Frontier vol. 1'' by

Darwyn Cooke Darwyn Cooke (November 16, 1962 – May 14, 2016) was a Canadian comics artist, writer, cartoonist, and animator who worked on the comic books ''Catwoman'', '' DC: The New Frontier'', '' The Spirit'' and '' Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter'' ...

(

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

) * ''

Clyde Fans ''Clyde Fans'' is a graphic novel (or "picture novel") by Canadian cartoonist Seth. The story follows two brothers—one outgoing, the other painfully introverted—as they watch their electric fan business go under in the face of competition f ...

, Book One'' by Seth (D&Q) ***

Best Emerging Talent

* '' Rabbithead'' by Rebecca Dart (

Alternative Comics Alternative comics cover a range of American comics that have appeared since the 1980s, following the underground comix movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Alternative comics present an alternative to mainstream superhero comics which ...

) *
Revolver
#1'' by

Max Douglas Max Douglas (born September 15, 1970) is a Canadian comic book creator. Since approximately 1996, he has worked under the pen name of Salgood Sam which is derived from a reverse spelling of his name. Published works ''Early Career'' Douglas sta ...

Salgood Sam Max Douglas (born September 15, 1970) is a Canadian comic book creator. Since approximately 1996, he has worked under the pen name of Salgood Sam which is derived from a reverse spelling of his name. Published works ''Early Career'' Douglas sta ...

(self-published) * '' Canvas'' by Alex Fellows (Fantagraphics) * ''

Scott Pilgrim ''Scott Pilgrim'' is a series of graphic novels by Canadian author and comic book artist Bryan Lee O'Malley. The series is about Scott Pilgrim, a slacker and part-time musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario, and plays bass ‍in a band. He fal ...

's Precious Little Life'' by

Bryan Lee O'Malley Bryan Lee O'Malley (born February 21, 1979) is a Canadian cartoonist, best known for the '' Scott Pilgrim'' series. He also performs as a musician under the alias Kupek. Career Bryan Lee O'Malley attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Secondary S ...

(

Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Grou ...

) ***

2006

(Jurists:

Justin Peroff Justin Peter Papadimitriou (born October 13, 1977), family name changed to Peroff, is best known as the drummer for the Toronto-based indie rock collective Broken Social Scene. He is a credited actor, appearing in the major motion picture '' How t ...

, Alan Hunt and Ben Portis)

Best Book

* '' Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea'' by

Guy Delisle Guy Delisle (born January 19, 1966) is a Canadian cartoonist and animator, best known for his graphic novels about his travels, such as ''Shenzhen'' (2000), '' Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea'' (2003), '' Burma Chronicles'' (2007), and ''Jerus ...

(D&Q) * ''Scott Pilgrim Versus the World'' by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni) * '' Dragonslippers: This Is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like'' by Rosalind B. Penfold ( Grove Press) * '' Paul Moves Out'' by

Michel Rabagliati Michel Rabagliati (born 7 September 1961) is a Canadian cartoonist born and based in Montreal, Quebec. He was published by Drawn & Quarterly and is currently published by Conundrum Press in English, and La Pastèque in French. Rabagliati has wr ...

(D&Q) *** * '' Wimbledon Green'' by Seth (D&Q)

Best Emerging Talent

* ''Northwest Passage Vol. 1'' by Scott Chantler (Oni) * '' The Unexpurgated Tale of Lordie Jones'' by Marc Ngui ( Conundrum Press) * '' Dark Adaptation'' by Lorenz Peter *** * '' Skim'' by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki * '' Nil: A Land Beyond Belief'' by James Turner (

Slave Labor Graphics Slave Labor Graphics (SLG) is an independent American comic book publisher, well known for publishing darkly humorous, offbeat comics. Creators associated with SLG over the years include Evan Dorkin, Roman Dirge, Sarah Dyer, Woodrow Phoenix, Jh ...

)

2007

(Jurists: Bruce McDonald,

Mark Kingwell Mark Gerald Kingwell (born March 1, 1963) is a Canadian professor of philosophy and associate chair at the University of Toronto's Department of Philosophy. Kingwell is a fellow of Trinity College. He specialises in theories of politics and cultu ...

, Judy MacDonald, Lorenz Peter and Jessica Johnson)

Best Book

* ''Shenzen: A Travelogue From China'' by Guy Delisle (D&Q) * ''This Will All End in Tears'' by Joe Ollmann (Insomniac Press) *** * ''Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness'' by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni) * ''Gilded Lilies'' by Jillian Tamaki (Conundrum Press) * ''Nog-a-dod'' edited by Marc Bell (Conundrum Press)

Best Emerging Talent

* ''Gray Horses'' by Hope Larson (Oni) * ''House of Sugar'' by Rebecca Kraatz (Tulip Tree Press) *** * ''Was She Pretty?'' by

Leanne Shapton Leanne Shapton (born June 25, 1973) in Mississauga, Ontario is a Canadian artist and graphic novelist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoon ...

(Farrar, Straus & Giroux) * ''Bacter-area'' by Keith Jones (D&Q) * ''Mendacity'' by Tamara Berger & Sophie Cossette (Kiss Machine)

2008

(Jurists: Katrina Onstad, Ho Che Anderson,

Marc Glassman Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...

Mariko Tamaki Mariko Tamaki (born 1975) is a Canadian artist and writer. She is known for her graphic novels '' Skim'', ''Emiko Superstar,'' and ''This One Summer'', and for several prose works of fiction and non-fiction."Mariko Tamaki". CBC Radio, '' The Next ...

and Helena Rickett)

Best Book

* '' 365 Days: A Diary'' by

Julie Doucet Julie Doucet (born December 31, 1965)
is a Canadian

(D&Q) * ''Spent'' by

Joe Matt Joe Matt (born September 3, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his autobiographical work, '' Peepshow''. Early life Matt was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started drawing comics in 1987. Career In his autobiographical c ...

(D&Q) * ''The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam'' by

Ann Marie Fleming Ann Marie Fleming is an independent Canadian filmmaker, writer, and visual artist. She was born in Okinawa, USCAR (nowadays Japan), in 1962 and is of Chinese, Ryukyuan and Australian descent. Her film '' Window Horses'' was released in 2016. ...

(Riverhead Books) *** * ''

Southern Cross Crux () is a constellation of the southern sky that is centred on four bright stars in a cross-shaped asterism commonly known as the Southern Cross. It lies on the southern end of the Milky Way's visible band. The name ''Crux'' is Latin for ...

'' by Laurence Hyde (D&Q)

Best Emerging Talent

* '' Essex County Vol. 1: Tales from the Farm'' and ''Vol. 2: Ghost Stories'' by

Jeff Lemire Jeff Lemire (; born March 21, 1976) is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and television producer. He is the author of critically acclaimed titles including the ''Essex County Trilogy'', '' Sweet Tooth'', and ''The Nobody''. His written work in ...

(

Top Shelf Productions Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock and a small staff. Now an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia. Top Shelf pu ...

) *** * ''Pope Hats'' by Ethan Rilly * ''Kieffer #1'' by Jason Kieffer * ''The Experiment'' by Nick Maandag 2008 saw the introduction of a new category dedicated to works that fall outside the bounds of traditional storytelling. Named after a character in the classic Canadian comic strip '' Birdseye Center'', the Pigskin Peters Award recognizes experimental and avant-garde comics.

Pigskin Peters Award

* ''Milk Teeth'' by

Julie Morstad Julie Morstad is a Canadian writer and illustrator of children's books. Career After coming to the attention of Simply Read Books publisher Dimiter Savoff through her work in the Vancouver arts scene, Morstad was asked to illustrate Sara O'Lear ...

(D&Q) *** * ''Little Lessons in Safety'' by Emily Holton (Conundrum Press) * ''Excelsior 1968'' by John Martz (self-published) * ''Fire Away'' by Chris von Szombathy (D&Q)

2009

(Jurists: Bob Rae,

, Martin Levin,

Joe Ollmann Joe Ollmann (born March 25, 1966 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian cartoonist. Ollmann's cartooning style has been described as "scratchy angular angry big steaming slice-of-life comics” and the cartoonist Seth has called Ollmann “one of o ...

and Diana Tamblyn)

Best Book

* ''Burma Chronicles'' by

(D&Q) * ''Drop-in'' by Dave Lapp (Conundrum) * ''Paul Goes Fishing'' by

(D&Q) * '' Skim'' by

Jillian Jillian is both a feminine given name and a surname. A spelling variant of Gillian, it originates as a feminine form of the given name Julian, Julio, Julius, and Julien. Notable people with the name include: Given name * Jillian Armenante ...

(Groundwood) ***

Best Emerging Talent

* ''History Comics'' by

Kate Beaton Kathryn Moira Beaton (born 8 September 1983) is a Canadian comics artist best known as the creator of the comic strip ''Hark! A Vagrant'', which ran from 2007 to 2018. Her other major works include the children's books '' The Princess and the Po ...

(self-published) *** * ''Maids in the Mist'' by Caitlin Black (self-published) * ''Blue Winter, Shapes in the Snow'' by Jesse Jacobs (self-published) * ''Kieffer #2'' by Jason Kieffer (self-published) * ''Jack & Mandy'' by Nick Maandag (self-published)

Pigskin Peters Award

* ''Hall of Best Knowledge'' by Ray Fenwick (Fantagraphics) * ''Ojingogo'' by

Matthew Forsythe Matthew may refer to: * Matthew (given name) * Matthew (surname) * ''Matthew'' (ship), the replica of the ship sailed by John Cabot in 1497 * ''Matthew'' (album), a 2000 album by rapper Kool Keith * Matthew (elm cultivar), a cultivar of the Chi ...

(D&Q) *** * ''All We Ever Do is Talk About Wood'' by Tom Horacek (D&Q) * ''Small Victories'' by Jesse Jacobs (self-published) Winners of the 2009 Doug Wright Awards were announced on May 9, 2009 at the

Art Gallery of Ontario The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; french: Musée des beaux-arts de l'Ontario) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located in the Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, on Dundas Street West between McCaul and Bev ...

during a ceremony hosted by actor and director

2010

(Jurists:

Geoff Pevere Geoff Pevere (born October 1957) is a Canadian lecturer, author, broadcaster, teacher, arts and media critic, currently the program director of the Rendezvous With Madness Film Festival in Toronto.John Semley, "Can we play with madness?: Toronto' ...

Fiona Smyth Fiona is a feminine given name. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of James Macpherson), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinised form of the Gael ...

, and Carl Wilson)

Best Book

* ''Back + Forth'' by Marta Chudolinska (Porcupine's Quill) * '' George Sprott: (1894–1975)'' by Seth (D&Q) *** * ''Hot Potatoe'' by Marc Bell (D&Q) * ''Kaspar'' by Diane Obomsawin (D&Q) * ''Red: A Haida Manga'' by

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is a visual artist, author, and public speaker. His work has been seen in public spaces, museums, galleries and private collections across globe. Institutional collections include the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum ...

(D&Q)

Best Emerging Talent

* ''I'm Crazy'' by Adam Bourret * ''Lose #1'', ''Cold Heat Special #7'' by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press; Picturebox) *** * ''Nicolas'' by Pascal Girard (D&Q) * ''It's Snowing Outside, We Should Go for a Walk'' by John Martz * ''The Hipless Boy'' by Sully (Conundrum)

Pigskin Peters Award

* ''Bébête'' by Simon Bossé (L'Oie de Cravan) * ''Dirty Dishes'' by Amy Lockhart (D&Q) * ''Hot Potato'' by Marc Bell (D&Q) *** * ''Never Learn Anything from History'' by

(self-published) * ''The Collected Doug Wright Volume One'' by

(D&Q) Winners of the 2010 Doug Wright Awards were announced on May 8, 2010 in the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon in the

Toronto Reference Library The Toronto Reference Library is a public reference library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The library is located on the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue, within the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. The Toronto Reference Library ...

, during a ceremony hosted by actor

Peter Outerbridge Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as Ari Tasarov in the CW action series ''Nikita'', Dr. David Sandström in the TMN series ''ReGenesis'', Henrik "Hank" Johanssen in ''Orphan Black'', Bob Corbett ...

2011

(Jurists:

Michael Redhill Michael Redhill (born 12 June 1966) is an American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist.Anita Kunz, Marc Bell and Mark Medley)

Best Book

* ''Bigfoot'' by Pascal Girard (Drawn and Quarterly) *** * ''Chimo'' by David Collier (Conundrum Press) * ''Lose'' #2 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press) * ''Moving Pictures'' by

Kathryn Immonen Kathryn Immonen (; Kuder) is a Canadian comic book and webcomic writer. She has written a number of comic books for Marvel Comics since 2007, in collaboration with her husband Stuart. Biography In 2007 Immonen began working for Marvel Comics wr ...

, Stuart Immonen (Top Shelf Productions) * ''Streakers'' by Nick Maandag

Best Emerging Talent

* Aaron Costain, ''Entropy'' # 5 * Alex Fellows, ''Spain and Morocco'' *** * Keith Jones, ''Catland Empire'' (Drawn and Quarterly) * James Stokoe, '' Orc Stain'' Volume One (Image) * Tin Can Forest (aka Marek Colek and Pat Shewchuk), ''Baba Yaga and the Wolf'' (Koyama Press)

Pigskin Peters Award

* ''Indoor Voice'' by

Jillian Tamaki Jillian Tamaki (born April 17, 1980) is a Canadian American illustrator and comic artist known for her work in ''The New York Times'' and ''The New Yorker'' in addition to the graphic novels ''Boundless'', as well as '' Skim'' and ''This One Summ ...

(Drawn and Quarterly) * ''Stooge Pile'' by Seth Scriver (Drawn and Quarterly) * ''So I've Been Told'' by Maryanna Hardy (Conundrum Press) * ''Spotting Deer'' by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press) *** * ''Wowee Zonk'' #3 edited by Patrick Kyle, Ginette Lapalme and Chris Kuzma (Koyama Press)

2012

Best Book

* ''

Hark! A Vagrant ''Hark! A Vagrant'' is a webcomic published by Canadian artist Kate Beaton between 2007 and 2018. It discussed historical and literary topics in a comedic tone and was drawn in black and white. Recurring themes ''Hark! A Vagrant'' is best k ...

'' by

(Drawn & Quarterly) *** * ''Lose #3'' by Michael Deforge (Koyama Press) * ''Mid-Life'' by

(Conundrum Press) * '' Paying for It'' by

(Drawn & Quarterly) * ''Reunion'' by Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly) * '' The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists'' by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

* Ethan Rilly for ''Pope Hats #2'' (Adhouse Books) *** *

Emily Carroll Emily Carroll (born 1983) is a comics author from Ontario, Canada. Carroll started making comics in 2010, and her horror webcomic ''His Face All Red'' went viral around Halloween of 2010. Since then, Carroll has published two books of her own wor ...

for "The Seven Windows" (from ''The Anthology Project vol. 2''), "Margot’s Room" and "The Prince & the Sea" (and other comics at emcarroll.com/comic) * Patrick Kyle for ''Black Mass # 5 – 6'' * Betty Liang for ''Wet T-Shirt #1'', "It’s Only a Secret if You Don’t Tell Anyone" (in š! #9), "Anna Freud’s Recurring Dream" (and other comics at bettyliang.tumblr.com) * Zach Worton for ''The Klondike''

Pigskin Peters Award

* '' Hellberta'' by Michael Comeau *** * ''Hermoddities'' by Temple Bates * '' Pure Pajamas'' by Marc Bell * ''Untitled'' by Mum Pittsburg, ''Jupiter Leucetius! Send Us a King. We Are So Bored'' (and other comics at connorwillumsen.com) by Connor Willumsen

2013

Best Book

* ''The Song of Roland'' by

(Conundrum Press) *** * ''Lose #4'' by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press) * ''By This Shall You Know Him'' by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press) * ''Pope Hats #3'' by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books) * ''Wax Cross'' by Tin Can Forest (Koyama Press)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

* Nina Bunjevac for ''Heartless'' (Conundrum Press) *** *

Brandon Graham Brandon Lee Graham (born April 3, 1988) is an American football defensive end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Eagles in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft with the thirteenth selection ...

Doug Wright Awards homepage"Doug Wright's family", CBC TV profile of Wright from 1968.

{{Canadian comics

Doug Wright Awards The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (established in December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually since 2005 during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to Canadian cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics ...

Awards

Nominees

2005

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

2006

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

2007

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

2008

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

Pigskin Peters Award

2009

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

Pigskin Peters Award

2010

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

Pigskin Peters Award

2011

Best Book

Best Emerging Talent

Pigskin Peters Award

2012

Best Book

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

Pigskin Peters Award

2013

Best Book

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

Pigskin Peters Award

2014

Best Book

Spotlight Award

Pigskin Peters Award

2015

Best Book

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

Pigskin Peters Award

2016

Best Book

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

Pigskin Peters Award

2017

Best Book

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

Pigskin Peters Award

2018

Best Book

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

Pigskin Peters Award

See also

References

External links