The finalists and winners of the seventh annual Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards have been revealed with a staggering number of over 250 titles from 94 publisher imprints submitted. The Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards honors works in the graphic literature space, which includes graphic novels and comics and manga collections, that can push literacy, learning, and social connections in educational settings.
For the first time in the EGL Awards, manga publishers were also included in the list of finalists including Viz Media and Seven Seas Entertainment. Although their titles didn’t win this year, it does open the door for other manga titles to be recognized in the next EGL Awards.
The winners are announced below:
Best in Children’s Fiction: Batcat by Meggie Ramm (Abrams Fanfare)
Finalists included: Cat Kid Comic Club Collaborations by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic), Clementine Fox and the Great Island Adventure by Leigh Luna (Scholastic), Rose Wolves by Natalie Warner (Top Shelf Productions), The Unlikely Story of Felix and Macabber by Juni Ba and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Dark Horse), Walsy: The Red Glove by Sarah Kourkejian (Self-Published), and Your Pal Fred: Low Power by Michael Rex (Penguin Graphic, Viking).
Best in Children’s Non-Fiction: Shapes and Shapes by Ivan Brunetti (TOON Books)
Finalists included: Caterpillars: What Will I Be When I Get to Be Me by Kevin McCloskey (TOON Books) and Tibbles the Cat by David Dolensky (Albatros Media).
Best in Middle Grade Fiction: Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang (Scholastic)
Finalists included: Akane-Banashi Vol. 1 by Yuki Suenaga and Takamasa Moue (VIZ Media), Cross My Heart and Never Lie by Nora Dåsnes, translated by Matt Bagguley (Hippo Park), Global: One Fragile World. An Epic Fight For Survival by Eoil Colfer, Andrew Donkin, and Giovanni Rigano (Sourcebooks), The Love Report by Beka & Maya (Hippo Park), and Wildfire by Breena Bard (Little, Brown Ink).
Best in Middle Grade Non-Fiction: Four Eyes by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza (Scholastic)
Finalists included: Drawn to Change the World by Emma Reynolds (Harper Alley), Frida Kahlo: Her Life, Her Work, Her Home by Francisco de la Mora (SelfMadeHero), Occulted by Amy Rose, Ryan Estrada, Jeongmin Lee (Iron Circus), Paul Bunyan: The Invention of an American Legend by Noah Van Sciver and Marlena Myles (TOON Books), and Pizza, Pickles, and Apple Pie: The Stories Behind the Foods We Love by David Rickert (Kane Press).
Best in Young Adult Fiction: Blackward by Lawrence Lindell (Drawn & Quarterly)
Finalists included: ¡Ay, Mija! By Christine Suggs (Little, Brown Ink), Four-Color Heroes by Richard Fairgray (Fanbase Press), Malcom Kid and the Perfect Song by Austin Paramore and Sarah Bollinger (Oni Press), The Sea in You by Jessi Sheron (Iron Circus), and Turtle Bread by Kim-Joy and Alti Firmansyah (Dark Horse)
Best in Young Adult Non-Fiction: We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga (Abrams ComicArts)
Finalists included: The Bodyguard Unit: Edith Garrud, Women’s Suffrage, and Jujitsu by Clément Xavier, Lisa Lugrin, and Albertine Ralenti (Graphic Universe), Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game by Colin Kapernick, Eve L. Ewing and Orlando Caicedo (Scholastic), Nervosa by Hayley Gold (Street Noise), Smash the Patriarchy by Marta Breen and Jenny Jordahl (Helvetiq), Until I Love Myself: The Journey of a Nonbinary Manga Artist by Poppy Pesuyama (VIZ Media).
Best in Adult Fiction: Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (Pantheon)
Finalists included: Ashes by Álvaro Ortiz, translated by Eva Ibarzabal (Top Shelf), Last on His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century by Youssef Daoudi and Adrian Matejka (Liveright), The Man in the MacIntosh Suit by Rina Ayuyang (Drawn & Quarterly), The Night Eaters: Her Little Reapers by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Abrams ComicArts), and Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott (DC).
Best in Adult Non-Fiction: Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez (Metropolitan Books)
Finalists included: JAJ by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre), Memento Mori by Tiitu Takalo (Oni Press), My Pancreas Broke But My Life Got Better by Nagata Kabi (Seven Seas), Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Joel Christian Gill (Ten Speed Graphic), and The Talk by Darrin Bell (Henry Holt & Co.).
June 10 will see the announcement of the winners for two awards, the 2024 EGL Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards Mosaic Award and the coveted 2024 EGL Book of the Year Award. The Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards Mosaic Award celebrates stories that have diverse perspectives while the Book of the Year Award is decided by jury chairs and The winners will be announced at PopCultureClassroom.org on June 10 at 10 AM.
The finalists for the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards Mosaic Award include:
- Batcat by Meggie Ramm (Abrams Fanfare)
- Drawn to Change the World by Emma Reynolds (Harper Alley)
- JAJ by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)
- Malcom Kid and the Perfect Song by Austin Paramore and Sarah Bollinger (Oni Press)
- Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang (Scholastic)
- Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (Pantheon)
- Walsy: The Red Glove by Sarah Kourkejian and Louay Daoust (Self Published)
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We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga (Abrams ComicArts)
The finalists for the Book of the Year Award include:
- Batcat by Meggie Ramm (Abrams Fanfare)
- Blackward by Lawrence Lindell (Drawn and Quarterly)
- Four Eyes by Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza (Scholastic)
- Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang (Scholastic)
- Shapes and Shapes by Ivan Brunetti (Toon Books)
- Shubeik Lubeik by Deena Mohamed (Pantheon)
- We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga (Abrams ComicArts)
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Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez (Metropolitan)
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners!
Source: Press Release
