2019 Ignatz Awards nominees - logoSmall Press Expo announced the 2019 Ignatz Awards nominees on Wednesday, celebrating some of the finest talent in indie and small press comics.

First Second and Drawn & Quarterly each nabbed five nominations, with Lion Forge, Top Shelf Productions, and The Nib coming up right behind. Rosemary Valero-O’Connell and Mariko Tamaki grabbed three nominations total for Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, and Ezra Claytan Daniels received two nominations for Upgrade Soul.

The 2019 Ignatz Awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at 9:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by Kickstarter and the logo was created by 2018 Promising New Talent winner Iasmin Omar Ata.

Without further ado, here are the 2019 Ignatz Awards nominees.

Outstanding Artist

  • Rosemary Valero-O’ConnellLaura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me (First Second)
  • Koren ShadmiHighwayman (Top Shelf Productions)
  • Lucy KnisleyKid Gloves (First Second)
  • Sloane LeongPrism Stalker (Image Comics)
  • Ezra Claytan Daniels Upgrade Soul (Lion Forge)

Outstanding Collection

  • Love Letters to Jane’s WorldPaige Braddock (Lion Forge)
  • Girl TownCarolyn Nowak (Top Shelf Productions)
  • Dirty PlotteJulie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • Leaving Richard’s ValleyMichael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • This Woman’s WorkJulie Delporte (Drawn & Quarterly)

Outstanding Anthology

  • Electrum – Edited by Der-shing Helmer (Alloy)
  • Wayward Sisters – Edited by Allison O’Toole (TO Comix Press)
  • Family – The Nib Magazine – Edited by Matt Bors, Matt Lubchanksy and Eleri Harris (The Nib)
  • Death – The Nib Magazine – Edited by Matt Bors, Matt Lubchanksy and Eleri Harris (The Nib)
  • We’re Still Here: An All-Trans Comics Anthology – Edited by Tara Avery and Jeanne Thornton (Stacked Deck Press)

Outstanding Graphic Novel

  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With MeMariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (First Second)
  • Upgrade SoulEzra Clayton Daniels (Lion Forge)
  • Woman WorldAminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • HighwaymanKoren Shadmi (Top Shelf Productions)
  • Gender QueerMaia Kobabe (Lion Forge)

Outstanding Series

  • The Nib MagazineMatt Bors (The Nib)
  • Daygloayhole QuarterlyBen Passmore (Silver Sprocket Press)
  • Heavenly Blues – Ben Kahn & Bruno Hidalgo (Scout Comics)
  • FrontierYouth in Decline
  • EndgamesRu Xu (NewsPrints)

Outstanding Minicomic

  • Trans Girls Hit the TownEmma Jayne (Diskette Press)
  • Gonzalo Jed McGowan (Shortbox)
  • Silver WireKriota Willberg (Birdcage Bottom Books)
  • CherryInés Estrada (Kilgore Books & Comics)
  • YLLW YLLW YLLWMar Julia (Diskette Press)

Outstanding Comic

  • LornaBenji Nate (Self-Published)
  • Infinite Wheat Paste #7 Pidge (Pidge Comics)
  • The Saga of MetalbeardJoshua Paddon & Matthew Hoddy (Self-Published)
  • Egg CreamLiz Suburbia (Silver Sprocket & Czap Books)
  • Check Please!Ngozi Ukazu (First Second)

Outstanding Online Comic

  • Isle of Elsi Alec Longstreth
  • That’s Not My Name!Hannako Lambert
  • What Doctors Know About CPRNathan Gray
  • About FaceNate Powell
  • Full Court CrushHannah Blumenreich

Promising New Talent

  • Haleigh Buck
  • Ebony Flowers
  • Emma Jayne
  • Mar Julia
  • Kelsey Wroten

Outstanding Story

  • Sacred Heart Vol 2 Part 1: Livin’ in the FutureLiz Suburbia (from Egg Cream #1) (Czap Books)
  • Sincerely, HarrietSarah Winifred Searle (Graphic Universe)
  • Woman WorldAminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)
  • The Dead Eye and the Deep Blue SeaVannak Anan Prum (Seven Stories Press)
  • Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With MeMariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (First Second)

Want to read some of this year’s Ignatz nominees? We’ve covered several of the titles and creators listed in columns like Indie View and Queerness In Comics, as well as our A Year of Free Comics feature. Check ’em out and stay tuned for the full list of winners.

SPX takes place at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in Bethesda, MD Sept. 14-15, 2019.