The inaugural Zelda Awards were first announced in the Fall of 2025, with the initial round of nominations beginning on November 1. Founded by Blaq Girl Comics founder Karla Medrano, a.k.a. Moon the Storyteller, the new award celebrates the outstanding achievements of women who are shaping comic book culture. Voting for the Zelda Awards officially opened on February 16, 2026, at 5 PM EST, with winners to be announced during a virtual celebration on April 11, 2026, hosted by Marvel’s Voices creator Dr. Angélique Roché.

Following in the footsteps of the Lulu Awards, which ended in 2009, the Zelda Awards aim to spotlight the women creators who are often underrecognized by the comic book industry’s more established awards. On Instagram, the Zelda Awards committee, which consists of Keisha Parks, Sarah Cooke, Andrea Rose Washington, Carolyn Watson Dubisch, Jocelyn Short, Mary Bellamy, and Melissa J Massey, broke down why the Zeldas are needed NOW, why men have been dominating comic book awards for so long, and why women creators, especially indie ones, still remain virtually invisible during awards season. The reasons include gatekeeping, low marketing budgets, genre and format bias, underrepresentation in judging panels, and ignorance of the challenges of intersectionality.

Read the reasons why below:

The show takes its name from Zelda “Jackie” Ormes, the first Black woman cartoonist in the United States with a regularly published comic strip, who made herstory by forging a path when the world had little space for her talent. For those who don’t know, Ormes was the creator behind Torchy Brown, which ran from 1937 to 1938 and is notable for appearing in all editions of the Pittsburgh Courier, a major Black-owned newspaper, which is “as close to syndication as an African American strip could expect.”

“That spirit is what drives this work,” Medrano said in an open letter on the Zelda Awards website. “Creating the Zelda Awards is one of those dreams I’ve carried with me for a long time. At 44, I still have many things to check off my list—and this was one of them. These awards are a tribute to every woman who’s ever dared to imagine, draw, write, edit, publish, or speak out in this space. It’s a celebration of our brilliance, our resilience, and our power.”

She continues, “The Zelda Awards are for the women who are changing comic book culture— from the page to the panel, from the mic to the movies. Whether you’re a seasoned legend or a rising star, this space is for you.”

You can vote at this link: https://www.izivote.com/v/the-zelda-awards-8jd0yw

The Zelda Award Nominees

Webcomic All Ages

Webcomic Horror

Webcomic Fantasy

Webcomics Sci Fi

Manga

Graphic Novels Horror

  • Meredith McClaren – Meat Eaters
  • Gigi Murakami – Resenter
  • Amy Chu & Soo Lee – Carmilla
  • Jazmine Joyner – Devour
  • Nihaarika Negi – Hunger

Graphic Novel Fantasy

  • N.S Kane – Your Highness
  • Ro Higashi – Half Of The Crown
  • Ariela Kristantina – Draws On Whales
  • Jasmine Walls – The Last Session Vol 2
  • Madeleine Holly Rosing – Morgana Pendragon
  • Deena Mohamed – Your Wish Is My Command

Graphic Novels Non-Fiction

  • Rachel M Thomas – Shrink
  • Emilia Strilchuk – Be Yourself
  • Lisa Burdige – Love Letters, Every Day
  • Shayna Jones – Hamer University
  • Amy Kurzeil – Artificial: A Love Story

Graphic Novels Superhero

  • Jamie McAfee – Alexis Wyle
  • Natosha Jones – The Grey
  • Ashley Paige Van-De-Cruize Lampkin – Na’Makasi
  • Dr. Angélique Roché – Life Dream
  • Agnes Garbowska (Illustrator) – DC Super Heros
  • Shea Fontana – DC Super Heroes

Graphic Novel Sci-Fi

  • Jaqui Venturini – Outer Spaced
  • M’Shai Dashv – Fumes
  • Wendy Xu – The Infinity Particle
  • Mindy Indy – Aer Head
  • Stephanie Williams – Temporal

Children’s Graphic Novel

  • Shequeta Smith – Young Master Choi
  • Meredith McClaren – Crumble
  • Stephanie Cooke – Pillow Talk
  • Sharee Miller – Curl Friends
  • Katie Shaw – Dragon Child
  • Vera Brosgol – Plain Jane & The Mermaid

Children’s Graphic Novel Scary!!

  • Kayden Phoenix – Witchtober
  • Beatrice Robbins (Art) – Ghost Story Saga
  • Whitney Gardner – The Haunted Guitar
  • Jessica Maison Judd – School For Monsters

Best Pencils/Inks

  • Chyna Rosemarea – Today Is Different
  • Ryan Oakley – Ride To Acceptance
  • Lorna Dining – Charlie Sparks
  • Yko – Jane Jet
  • Skylar Partridge – Finders Keepers
  • Francesca Fantini – Can I Scream?
  • Anna Wieszczyk – Schoo
  • Asiah Fulmore – Temporal

Best Cover

  • Tahilla & Tiah Ankum – Fumes
  • Mikayla Moore – The Grey #3
  • Sana Takeda – Monstress #45
  • Juliet Nneka – Roots Of Madness
  • Luisina Módica – Crystal Clear Pyro
  • Tarcila Neeves – Queen Bee
  • Carla Wyzgala – Skull Masquerade
  • Angela Wu – SOL – The Ba #1
  • Jan Apple – Disney’s Mirrorverse

Best Colorist

  • Xenon Honchar – 30 Days Of Night: Falling
  • Bex Glendining – On Starlit Shores
  • Hai Kucifer – Chiropetera
  • Sabine Rich – Fight Girls
  • Gaby Zermeno – Flesh Fix
  • Bia Navarro – Disinter

Best Letterer

  • Ariana Maher – Zatanna And The House Of Secrets
  • Saída Temofonte – Press Guardian #1
  • Lydia Mieses-Monette – Fennec
  • NextJen – Coexistence
  • Jodie Troutman – Star Trek: Red Shirts
  • Becca Carey – Temporal
  • Shayna Jones – Hamer University

Best Single Issue

  • Jazmine Joyner – Devour
  • Madeleine Holly Rising – Morgana Pendragon #1
  • Natosha Jones – The Grey #3
  • Weyoldi Oldbear – The Clock
  • Janice Dennie – Chalawan Uranus

Best Series

  • Stephanie Williams – Roots Of Madness
  • Natosha Jones – The Grey
  • Madeleine Holly Rosing – Boston Metaphysical Society
  • Jacque Aye – Monster High
  • N.S Kane – Queen Bee
  • Matta Sorcier – Sacrimony
  • Rebecca Coulthart – Cheapjack Gentleman

Best Writer

  • Natosha Jones
  • Matta Sorcier
  • Madeleine Holly Rising
  • Stephanie Williams
  • Rebecca Coulthart
  • N.S Kane

Emerging Trailblazer (<10 years in the biz)

  • Dr. Ebony Toussaint
  • Stephanie Wiliams
  • Emilia Stritchuk
  • Ashley Van-De-Cruize Lampkin
  • NextJen
  • Karen Hemmings
  • Ryan Oakley

Spirit of Zelda (+10 years in the biz)

  • Queenie Chan
  • Kaja Foglio
  • Nicola Scott
  • Wendy Pini
  • Kaj Kuntsman
  • Francesca Fantini
  • Rachel Dukes
  • Tee Franklin

Founder’s Award: Ink the Future (Creators who are CHANGING the industry)

  • Kayden Phoenix
  • Stephanie Williams
  • Shequeta Smith
  • Regine Sawyer
  • Stephanie Cooke
  • Barbra Dillon
  • Natosha Jones

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