In a press release, the details concerning the Fifth Annual Prism Awards presentation were revealed!
The Fifth Annual Prism Awards presentation will be held on the Prism Comics YouTube channel on Monday, December 27th, 2021 at 5:00 PM Pacific Time. There will be no cost to view the presentation, and the video will remain online afterwards.
The Prism Awards are presented by Prism Comics, the Cartoon Art Museum, and the Queer Comics Expo. If you’re interested in last year’s event, you can read about the winners of the Fourth Annual Prism Awards here. However, do note that the Fifth Annual Prism Awards includes the addition of a new category for Young Readers (age 13 and under).
The finalists for all six categories (as well as the judges for each category) are reported in the press release, which is included here:
Fifth Annual Prism Awards Winners and Finalists to Be Announced Online Monday, December 27, 2021
What: Fifth Annual Prism Awards Presentation
When: Monday, December 27, 2021 – 5 pm Pacific Time
Where: Prism Comics YouTube page – https://www.youtube.com/user/prismcomics
Prism Comics, Queer Comics Expo and the Cartoon Art Museum are pleased to present the 2021 Prism Awards – a virtual awards ceremony honoring excellence in LGBTQ+ comics and graphic novels. This year’s winners and finalists will be announced starting at 5 pm Pacific Time on Monday, December 27, 2021 on Prism Comics YouTube page – https://www.youtube.com/user/prismcomics
The program will feature video clips from both winners and finalists in six categories including a new category this year – Young Readers (recognizing comics and graphic novels for ages 13 and under). Viewing is free, and the program will remain online after the debut date and time.
The Prism Awards are presented to comic works by queer authors and stories that promote the growing body of diverse, powerful, innovative, positive or challenging representations of LGBTQAI+ characters in fiction or nonfiction comics. The goal of the Awards is to recognize, promote, and celebrate diversity and excellence in the field of queer comics. Finalists and Award Recipients are voted on by diverse panels of comics professionals, educators, librarians, journalists and writers.
Prism Comics, The Queer Comics Expo and The Cartoon Art Museum thank the creators, publishers and judges for all of their contributions to this year’s Prism Awards. Many excellent comics and graphic works were submitted.
The Finalists for the 2021 Prism Awards are:
Webcomic Finalists
Superpose (Artist & Writer: Seosamh; Artist & Writer: Anka) https://superposecomic.com/
Shaderunners (Artist: Alex Assan; Writer: Lin Darrow) https://www.shaderunners.com/
A Guide To A Healthy Relationship (Creator: Copper) http://tgtahr.spiderforest.com/
Short Form Finalists
QAT Person Number 3 (Creator: Dylan Edwards) https://gumroad.com/l/IYXzX
God Sees Me Crying in the Bathroom Stall (Creator: Vincy Lim) https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/kiwimii
The Unfading Flower (Creator: Hari Conner) https://haridraws.itch.io/the-unfading-flower
Mainstream Press Finalists
The Low Low Woods (Publisher: DC Comics, Written by: Carmen Maria Machado & Joe Hill Art by: Dan McDaid & Dani Strips)
https://comichub.com/products/low-low-woods_0?top=1098&from=product&rowNum=0
Juliet Takes a Breath (Publisher: Boom Studios, Writer: Gabby Rivera; Illustrator, Celia Moscote; Colorist, James Fenner; Letterer: DC Hopkins)
The Deep & Dark Blue (Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Creator: Niki Smith,)
https://bookshop.org/books/the-deep-dark-blue/9780316485982
Small/Midsize Press Finalists
To Cut (Creator: Noella Whitney) https://gumroad.com/noellawhitney
Sasha From The Gym (Creator: Otava Heikkilä) https://claystorks.itch.io/
How To Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing Up Asexual (Creator: Rebecca Burgess) https://uk.bookshop.org/books/how-to-be-ace-a-memoir-of-growing-up-asexual/9781787752153
Young Readers (13 and under)
The Deep & Dark Blue (Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Creator: Niki Smith,) http://niki-smith.com/thedeepanddarkblue
The Magic Fish by (Publisher: Random House Graphic, Creator: Trung Le Nguyen) https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/602718/the-magic-fish-by-trung-le-nguyen
Space Battle Lunchtime Vol. 3: A Dish Best Served Cold (Publisher: Oni Press, Creator: Natalie Riess) https://onipress.com/products/space-battle-lunchtime-vol-3?_pos=3&_sid=c6a819433&_ss=r
Anthology Finalists
A.B.O. Comix: A Queer Prisoners Anthology Vol 4 (Publisher: A.B.O. Comix, Editor: Casper Cendre,) https://www.abocomix.com/store/p73/abocomix4.html
Ambrosia: Trans Masc & Non Binary Erotic Comics (Edited by: Tab Kimpton and Jade Sarson) https://tabkimpton.itch.io/ambrosia
Confined Before COVID19: A Pandemic Anthology by LGBTQ Prisoners (Publisher: A.B.O. Comix, Editor: Casper Cendre) https://www.abocomix.com/store/p49/covid19.html
We were honored and thankful to have a diverse panel of twenty four judges this year including:
Short Form Judges:
- Remus Jackson (Flux)
- William O. Tyler (Cinephilia)
- Trinidad Escobar (Ode to Keisha)
Mainstream Publisher Comic Judges:
- Shannon Lee (editor of Destiny, NY)
- Nick Porter (MEGASheen podcast)
Small/Midsize Press Judges:
- Hari Conner (Finding Home)
- Nicky Rodriguez (The Unlucky Ones and the Edge of Nowhere)
- Jasmine Simone (Black Sunshine)
- Blue Delliquanti (O Human Star)
- Rob McMonigal (Site Editor at Panel Patter)
Webcomics Judges:
- Becky Hawkins (Super Butch)
- Noella Whitney (To Measure)
- Lawrence Lindell (From Truth with Truth)
- Viktor Kerney (MEGASheen podcast, StrangeLore)
- Ajuan Mance (Gender Studies, 1001 Black Men)
Anthology Judges:
- Malach Lily (The Boar King)
- Gillian Pas-casio (Alphabet Arthro-poda)
- Alex Hoffman (Publisher of solrad.co)
- Hunter Rook (The Gender Book)
Young Readers Category Judges:
- Avery Kaplan (Author at The Beat)
- Rhonetta Robertson (Hair Story)
- Josh Trujillo (Writer of Hulkling & Wiccan)
- Greg A. Elysée (Is’nana)
- AJ Real (Educator)
The Prism Awards are organized by the 2021 Awards Committee including Chair Gladys Ochoa (Queer Comics Expo, Draw Ink Studio) and Prism Awards Co-Founders Ted Abenheim (Prism Comics) and Nina Taylor Kester (Queer Comics Expo, Cartoon Art Museum)
About Prism Comics
Founded in 2003, Prism Comics is an all-volunteer non-profit organization that supports LGBTQ+ and LGBTQ+ friendly comics, comics professionals, readers, educators and librarians. Prism champions LGBTQ+ visibility, diversity and inclusion in comics and popular geek culture. Visit prismcomics.org to learn more.
About Queer Comics Expo
The Queer Comics Expo (QCE) is an event to celebrate queer culture and promote diverse queer representation in comics, animation and other great ways to tell stories. QCE is also a fundraiser for the Cartoon Art Museum, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving, documenting, and exhibiting the unique and accessible art form of cartooning in all its forms for over 30 years.
About the Cartoon Art Museum
The Cartoon Art Museum’s mission is to ignite imaginations and foster the next generation of visual storytellers by celebrating the history of cartoon art, its role in society, and its universal appeal. The museum’s vision is to be the premier destination to experience cartoon art in all its many forms from around the world, and a leader in providing insight into the process of creating it. The Cartoon Art museum can be visited online at cartoonart.org and at its new location 781 Beach St, San Francisco, CA 94109.
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