Award-Winning Comics That Prove Graphic Novels are Literature

The Pulitzer Prize dates again to 1917 and is introduced by Columbia University for achievements in revealed work throughout the United States. It is among the most highly-regarded literary prizes on the earth, thought-about second solely to the Nobel Prize for Literature. The awards are made in 23 classes protecting journalism, arts, fiction, and letters — which is basically literature or writing as an artwork type. In 1992, Maus was awarded the Special Citation; to be truthful, I don’t assume they actually knew what class to incorporate a graphic novel, and this was one of the best they might provide you with. Up till Maus, the one illustrated work thought-about for Pulitzer Prize awards was for Editorial Cartooning. Maus has since been held as one of the vital influential comics of all time, altering the Western view of comics to incorporate severe artwork varieties.

Every fan of science fiction or fantasy is aware of in regards to the Hugo Awards. They are the final word annual literary award for one of the best science fiction or fantasy works, awarded by the World Science Fiction Society. They’ve been awarded yearly since 1953, eagerly anticipated and enthusiastically supported. Watchmen was the primary graphic novel to ever win a Hugo Award within the Other Forms class, as they had been but to know methods to categorise graphic novels. It nonetheless took a while, however in 2009 the Hugo Awards launched a brand new class particularly for graphic tales; the primary recipient was Girl Genius, Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones by Kaja & Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright. Watchmen nonetheless stands as the one graphic novel to have received a Hugo Award outdoors of the Graphic Novel class.

The National Book Awards have been flashed round since 1935, with a small disruption between 1942 and 1949. It took 70 years earlier than a graphic novel was even thought-about for an award, with American Born Chinese for Young People’s Literature. It was the primary graphic novel ever shortlisted for a nationwide literary award within the USA. It took one other 10 years for a graphic novel to win, with March: Book Three as the primary graphic novel to win in the identical class. This 12 months, one other graphic novel has made it as a finalist: Huda F Cares? by Huda Fahmy. This hilarious sequel to Huda F Are You? is de facto insightful, sharing Fahmy’s private expertise with each her household and her Islamic religion. Stay tuned for the 2023 Winner Announcement on 15 November!

The Kirkus Prize is among the newer literary prizes obtainable to U.S. authors of fiction, nonfiction, and younger readers’ literature. The Kirkus Review began the Prize in 2014, and it’s described as one of the vital profitable prizes in literature. Books reviewed by Kirkus Reviews and obtained a Kirkus Star are robotically chosen for nomination. Unlike different literary awards, the Kirkus Prize has by no means shied away from graphic novels. In its inaugural 12 months, El Deafo by Cece Bell was nominated for Young Reader’s Literature. This stunning, shaggy dog story is a game-changer for teenagers rising up listening to impaired and a favorite for certainly one of our household buddies. Five years later, New Kid was the primary graphic novel to win a Kirkus Prize in 2019.

First up: congratulations to the American Library Association, the oldest and largest library affiliation on the earth (147 years outdated with round 50,000 members). While they do have a class for Best Graphic Novels, the full variety of literary prizes and medals is staggering (try the total record right here). Since 2007, they’ve additionally been essentially the most open to contemplating graphic novels for his or her normal awards. #GraphicNovelsAreNovels. I’m very proud to say there are too many to record on this already very lengthy article. However, notable mentions to New Kid, winner of the 2020 Newbery Medal and the 2020 Coretta Scott King Book Award, and March: Book Three, winner of the 2017 Michael L. Printz Award, 2017 Robert F. Silbert Informational Book Medal, and 2017 YALSA Nonfiction Award.

The Booker Prize has had a number of names through the years, however it has at all times been a high-profile literary award extending past the United Kingdom. It is now merely often called the Booker Prize, awarded to one of the best novel written within the English language and revealed throughout the UK and Ireland. It additionally has fairly the fame for being “elitist,” not helped by Booker judges declaring graphic novels to be “mere comic books” and never worthy of consideration.

Fortunately, that modified with a brand new Chairperson in 2013, and 5 years later, Drnaso’s Sabrina was the primary graphic novel to be nominated for the Booker Prize. At the time, it created fairly a scandal: how might a e book with photos probably examine to the eloquent prose of up to date but structured literature? It was because of the storytelling, the implementation of (very) easy paintings, and the thoughtfulness of the topic. In reality, it was a turning level for graphic novels throughout the UK and the “elite” literary neighborhood.

Some critics imagine the Costa Awards provoked the Booker Prize to think about Sabrina and graphic novels typically. If that’s true, then I’m very completely satisfied to learn extra Costa nominations. The Costa Book Awards as soon as recognised English-language books by writers based mostly within the UK and Ireland. They had been beforehand often called the Whitbread Book Awards after which modified their title in 2005 with the introduction of a brand new sponsor. Unfortunately, the Costa Awards are no extra, ending in 2022. A disgrace since they had been thought-about to be of equally excessive literary benefit however extra populist than the Booker Prize.

In 2012, the Costa Awards nominated two graphic novels: Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot, and Days of Bagnold Summer by Jeff Winterhard. Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes went on to win the Costa Award for finest biography. For a literary award recognized for having a greater sense of what the general public desires to learn, the Costa Awards was one of many few that stored updated with graphic novels.

Singapore’s first graphic novel to win a nationwide literary prize precipitated fairly the controversy. The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye is an sincere retelling of Singapore’s historical past. So sincere, The Singapore National Arts Council withdrew a publishing grant for the e book forward of its launch, stating it “potentially undermines the authority or legitimacy of the Government.” Ironically, this assertion helped with advertising the e book, gaining the eye of many literary awards, together with the Eisners (particularly for graphic novels) and, most notably, the Singapore Book Awards. The story is advised via the eyes of a comic book e book artist named Charlie Chan. Laced throughout the historic and political commentary is a celebration of comics as an artwork type and the place of creators in Singapore.

The Walkley Awards are Australia’s most esteemed awards within the subject of journalism. They cowl all media together with print, tv, documentary, photographic, radio, and on-line. 2015 was the primary time a webcomic received a Walkley, with Villawood: Notes from an Immigration Detention Centre by Safdar Ahmed. Since cameras are not allowed into the Villawood Detention Centre, Ahmed drew his personal photos and included the artistic abilities of a few of the detainees to seize the story and surroundings throughout the Centre. Following this success, Ahmed expanded on the webcomic and revealed his e book, Still Alive. The highly effective graphic novel was vastly anticipated, and final 12 months, it was awarded NSW Premier Book of the Year and the Multicultural NSW Award: proof that not solely can graphic novels win literary awards, however webcomics can win journalism awards too.

In 2008, the Canadian Governor General’s Literary Award created fairly an uproar throughout the graphic novel neighborhood. Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki was nominated as a finalist within the youngsters’s literary class. However, the Canada Council excluded credit score for Jillian because the artist in the identical e book. Fellow Canadian graphic novelists Seth and Chester Brown wrote an open letter to the Canada Council, pleading for a evaluation of the nomination and the absence of Jillian’s worthy recognition. The letter was supported by many different creators, together with Art Spiegelman (talked about above with Maus). Unfortunately, the Council refused to evaluation the nomination, claiming it was “too late,” however would maintain this in consideration for future nominations.

In 2014, each Mariko and Jillian had been nominated for his or her e book This One Summer, although they had been nominated throughout separate classes: Jillian received the award for Children’s Literature (Illustration), and Mariko was a finalist in Young People’s Literature (Text). Clearly, the Canada Council nonetheless doesn’t perceive precisely what a graphic novel is, contemplating they’ve separate nominations throughout separate classes for the collaborative creators of the identical e book. Nevertheless, it goes to show graphic novels can win literary awards in any class you throw them into.