2020 Doug Wright Awards Nominees
by BK Munn
The nominees for the 16th annual Doug wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning have been announced. Usually scheduled to take place during TCAF, due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year the awards will be presented online in a special ceremony on Saturday, May 9th. For the first time ever, this year Doug Wright Award winners will receive a modest cash prize along with their award.
This year’s nominees were chosen from 151 books. Nominees and winners were chosen by a panel of three judges per category. The judges include Shanda Deziel, Deborah Dundas, Meags Fitzgerald, Jesse Jacobs, Calum Johnston, Alison McCreesh, Serah-Marie McMahon, Noah Van Sciver, Todd Stewart, Philip Street, Maurice Vellekoop, and Kat Verhoeven. (The poster above is by Hartley Lin.)
As well as the book awards, every year the Wrights honour a pair of Hall of Fame cartoonists in the Giants of the North category. This year, only one entry is scheduled, that being Walter Ball (1911-1995), the creator of the Rural Route comic strip.
Here are the nominees:
The Doug Wright Award: Best Book
This Place: 150 Years Retold anthology
Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Sonny Assu, Brandon Mitchell, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, David A. Robertson, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Jen Storm, Richard Van Camp, Katherena Vermette, Chelsea Vowel, Tara Audibert, Kyle Charles, GMB Chomichuk, Natasha Donovan, Scott A. Ford, Scott B. Henderson, Ryan Howe, Andrew Lodwick, Jen Storm, Donovan Yaciuk, Alicia Elliott
HighWater Press
The Cursed Hermit
Kris Bertin, Alexander Forbes
Conundrum Press
Bezimena
Nina Bunjevac
Fantagraphics Books
Agnes, Murderess
Sarah Leavitt
Freehand Books
Death Threat
Vivek Shraya, Ness Lee
Arsenal Pulp Press
Bradley of Him
Connor Willumsen
Koyama Press
The Nipper: Emerging Talent Award
D. Boyd
Chicken Rising
Conundrum Press
Jason Bradshaw
Things Go Wrong
Paper Rocket
Sylvia Nickerson
Creation
Drawn & Quarterly
Ben O’Neil
Apologetica
Popnoir Editions
Cole Pauls
Dakwäkãda Warriors
Conundrum Press
The Pigskin Peters: Best Small- or Micro-press Book
Boumeries, Vol. 9
Boum
Self-published
Gleem
Freddy Carrasco
Peow Studios
Baby in the Boneyard
Jesse Jacobs
Hollow Press
Curb Angels
Lisa Mendis, Christopher Ducharme, Lucas C. Pauls
At Bay Press
Dejects
Jay Stephens
Black Eye Books
The Egghead: Best Kids’ Book
Brick Breaks Free
David Craig
Self-published
The Worst Book Ever
Elise Gravel
Drawn & Quarterly
Lunch Quest
Chris Kuzma
Koyama Press
Dakwäkãda Warriors
Cole Pauls
Conundrum Press
Alma and the Beast
Esme Shapiro
Tundra Books