The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (founded December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to Canadian cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics) and graphic novels published in English (including translated works). The awards are named in honour of Canadian cartoonist Doug Wright. Winners are selected by a jury of Canadians who have made significant contributions to national culture, based on shortlisted selections provided by a nominating committee of five experts in the comics field. The Wrights are handed out in three categories, "Best Book", "The Spotlight Award" (affectionately known as "The Nipper"), and, since 2008, the "Pigskin Peters Award" for non-narrative or experimental works.
The Wright Awards are modeled after traditional book prizes, with the intention of drawing attention to the comics medium from a broad range of demographics inside and outside of its traditional fanbase. The Wrights have garnered acclaim as well as earning the support of a diverse range of participating artists and jurors including Scott Thompson, Don McKellar, Bruce McDonald, Jerry Ciccoritti, Bob Rae, Andrew Coyne, Sara Quin, Greg Morrison, Chester Brown, Lorenz Peter, and Nora Young.
The Best Book and The Spotlight awards are a large wood-and-glass trophies which are engraved with images from Wright's comic strip (the one difference being the images that are etched on the glass). The award was designed by the cartoonist Seth, who admitted to some embarrassment at being the inaugural winner of the trophy he designed. The Pigskin Peters Award, named in honour of a character from Jimmy Frise's Birdseye Center, is a custom, tailored derby hat with its own unique plaque that doubles as a hat post. It was also designed by Seth.
Each recipient of a Doug Wright Award also receives a custom-bound copy of their winning work.
Juried by Chester Brown, Rebecca Caldwell, Nora Young, Jerry Ciccoritti and Don McKellar.
Best Book
Worn Tuff Elbow #1 by Marc Bell (Fantagraphics Books)
Pamplemoussi by Geneviève Castrée (L'Oie de Cravan)
The Frank Ritza Papers by David Collier (Drawn & Quarterly)
DC: The New Frontier vol. 1 by Darwyn Cooke (DC Comics)
Clyde Fans, Book One by Seth (D&Q)
Best Emerging Talent
Rabbithead by Rebecca Dart (Alternative Comics)
Revolver #1 by Max Douglas / Salgood Sam (self-published)
Canvas by Alex Fellows (Fantagraphics)
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press)
Juried by Justin Peroff, Alan Hunt and Ben Portis.
Best Book
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle (D&Q)
Scott Pilgrim Versus the World by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
Dragonslippers: This Is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like by Rosalind B. Penfold (Grove Press)
Paul Moves Out by Michel Rabagliati (D&Q)
Wimbledon Green by Seth (D&Q)
Best Emerging Talent
Northwest Passage Vol. 1 by Scott Chantler (Oni)
The Unexpurgated Tale of Lordie Jones by Marc Ngui (Conundrum Press)
Dark Adaptation by Lorenz Peter
Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Nil: A Land Beyond Belief by James Turner (Slave Labor Graphics)
Juried by Bruce McDonald, Mark Kingwell, Judy MacDonald, Lorenz Peter and Jessica Johnson.
Best Book
Shenzen: A Travelogue From China by Guy Delisle (D&Q)
This Will All End in Tears by Joe Ollman (Insomniac Press)
Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni)
Gilded Lilies by Jillian Tamaki (Conundrum Press)
Nog-a-dod edited by Marc Bell (Conundrum Press)
Best Emerging Talent
Gray Horses by Hope Larson (Oni)
House of Sugar by Rebecca Kraatz (Tulip Tree Press)
Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
Bacter-area by Keith Jones (D&Q)
Mendacity by Tamara Berger & Sophie Cossette (Kiss Machine)
Juried by Katrina Onstad, Ho Che Anderson, Marc Glassman, Mariko Tamaki and Helena Rickett.
Best Book
365 Days: A Diary by Julie Doucet (D&Q)
Spent by Joe Matt (D&Q)
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam by Ann Marie Fleming (Riverhead Books)
Southern Cross by Laurence Hyde (D&Q)
Best Emerging Talent
Essex County Vol. 1: Tales from the Farm and Vol. 2: Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf Productions)
Pope Hats by Ethan Rilly (self-published)
Kieffer #1 by Jason Kieffer (self-published)
The Experiment by Nick Maandag (self-published)
2008 introduced a new category dedicated to works that fall outside the bounds of traditional storytelling. Named after a character in the classic Canadian comic strip Birdseye Center, the Pigskin Peters Award recognizes non-narrative (or nominally-narrative) comics.
Pigskin Peters Award
Milk Teeth by Julie Morstad (D&Q)
Little Lessons in Safety by Emily Holton (Conundrum Press)
Excelsior 1968 by John Martz (self-published)
Fire Away by Chris von Szombathy (D&Q)
Juried by Bob Rae, Andrew Coyne, Martin Levin, Joe Ollmann and Diana Tamblyn.
Best Book
Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle (D&Q)
Drop-in by Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
Paul Goes Fishing by Michel Rabagliati (D&Q)
Skim by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki (Groundwood)
Best Emerging Talent
History Comics by Kate Beaton (self-published)
Maids in the Mist by Caitlin Black (self-published)
Blue Winter, Shapes in the Snow by Jesse Jacobs (self-published)
Kieffer #2 by Jason Kieffer (self-published)
Jack & Mandy by Nick Maandag (self-published)
Pigskin Peters Award
Hall of Best Knowledge by Ray Fenwick (Fantagraphics)
Ojingogo by Matthew Forsythe (D&Q)
All We Ever Do is Talk About Wood by Tom Horacek (D&Q)
Small Victories by Jesse Jacobs (self-published)
Winners of the 2009 Doug Wright Awards were announced on May 9, 2009 at the Art Gallery of Ontario during a ceremony hosted by actor and director Don McKellar.
Juried by Matt Forsythe, Geoff Pevere, Fiona Smyth, and Carl Wilson.
Best Book
Back + Forth by Marta Chudolinska (Porcupine's Quill)
George Sprott: (1894–1975) by Seth (D&Q)
Hot Potatoe by Marc Bell (D&Q)
Kaspar by Diane Obomsawin (D&Q)
Red: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (D&Q)
Best Emerging Talent
I'm Crazy by Adam Bourret (self-published)
Lose #1, Cold Heat Special #7 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press; Picturebox)
Nicolas by Pascal Girard (D&Q)
It's Snowing Outside, We Should Go for a Walk by John Martz (self-published)
The Hipless Boy by Sully (Conundrum)
Pigskin Peters Award
Bébête by Simon Bossé (L'Oie de Cravan)
Dirty Dishes by Amy Lockhart (D&Q)
Hot Potato by Marc Bell (D&Q)
Never Learn Anything from History by Kate Beaton (self-published)
The Collected Doug Wright Volume One by Doug Wright (D&Q)
Winners of the 2010 Doug Wright Awards were announced on May 8, 2010 in the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon in the Toronto Reference Library, during a ceremony hosted by actor Peter Outerbridge.
Juried by Sara Quin, Michael Redhill, Anita Kunz, Marc Bell, and Mark Medley.
Best Book
Bigfoot by Pascal Girard (Drawn and Quarterly)
Chimo by David Collier (Conundrum Press)
Lose #2 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
Moving Pictures by Kathryn Immonen, Stuart Immonen (Top Shelf Productions)
Streakers by Nick Maandag
Best Emerging Talent
Aaron Costain, Entropy # 5
Alex Fellows, Spain and Morocco
Keith Jones, Catland Empire (Drawn and Quarterly)
James Stokoe, Orc Stain Volume One (Image)
Tin Can Forest (aka Marek Colek and Pat Shewchuk), Baba Yaga and the Wolf (Koyama Press)
Pigskin Peters Award
Indoor Voice by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn and Quarterly)
Stooge Pile by Seth Scriver (Drawn and Quarterly)
So I've Been Told by Maryanna Hardy (Conundrum Press)
Spotting Deer by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
Wowee Zonk #3 edited by Patrick Kyle, Ginette Lapalme and Chris Kuzma (Koyama Press)
Best Book
Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
Lose #3 by Michael Deforge (Koyama Press)
Mid-Life by Joe Ollmann (Conundrum Press)
Paying for It by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly)
Reunion by Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly)
The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
Doug Wright Spotlight Award a.k.a. “The Nipper” which recognizes Canadian cartooning talents worthy of wider recognition
Ethan Rilly for Pope Hats #2 (Adhouse Books)
Emily Carroll for “The Seven Windows” (from The Anthology Project vol. 2), “Margot’s Room” and “The Prince & the Sea” (and other comics at emcarroll.com/comic)
Patrick Kyle for Black Mass # 5 – 6
Betty Liang for Wet T-Shirt #1, “It’s Only a Secret if You Don’t Tell Anyone” (in š! #9), “Anna Freud’s Recurring Dream” (and other comics at bettyliang.tumblr.com)
Zach Worton for The Klondike
Pigskin Peters Award
Hellberta by Michael Comeau
Hermoddities by Temple Bates
Pure Pajamas by Marc Bell
‘Untitled’ by Mum Pittsburg, Jupiter Leucetius! Send Us a King. We Are So Bored (and other comics at connorwillumsen.com) by Connor Willumsen
Best Book
The Song of Roland by Michel Rabagliati (Conundrum Press)
Lose #4 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
By This Shall You Know Him by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
Pope Hats #3 by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
Wax Cross by Tin Can Forest (Koyama Press)
Doug Wright Spotlight Award a.k.a. “The Nipper”
Nina Bunjevac for Heartless (Conundrum Press)
Brandon Graham for King City (Image Comics)
Patrick Kyle for Black Mass, Distance Mover, Wowee Zonk #4
George Walker for The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson (The Porcupine’s Quill)
Eric Kostiuk Williams for Hungry Bottom Comics
2013 Pigskin Peters Award
Hamilton Illustrated by David Collier (Wolsak & Wynn)
Hellberta #2 and “Sir Softly” from š! #12 by Michael Comeau
Michael DeForge, Larry Eisenstein, Jesse Jacobs, Mark Laliberte (editor), Marc Ngui, Ethan Rilly, Tin Can Forest and Magda Trzaski for "4PANEL", a special comics features in Carousel Magazine #28 and #29
Ginette Lapalme for “So, what should we do with ourselves?…” from Wowee Zonk #4 and “Little Stump” in š! #12
Best Book
Palookaville #21 by Seth (Drawn and Quarterly)
Paul Joins the Scouts by Michel Rabagliati (Conundrum Press)
Science Fiction by Joe Ollmann (Conundrum Press)
Susceptible by Geneviève Castrée (Drawn and Quarterly)
Very Casual by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
Spotlight Award
Connor Willumsen for "Calgary: Death Milks a Cow", "Treasure Island", "Mooncalf", and "Passionfruit"
Dakota McFadzean for Other Stories and the Horse You Rode in On (Conundrum Press)
Patrick Kyle for Distance Mover #7–12, New Comics #1–2
Steven Gilbert for The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge
Georgia Webber for Dumb #1–3
Pigskin Peters Award
"Calgary: Death Milks a Cow" by Connor Willumsen
Flexible Tube with Stink Lines by Seth Scriver
Journal by Julie Delporte (Koyama Press)
"Out of Skin" by Emily Carroll
Very Casual by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
Best Book
Ant Colony by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
Fatherland by Nina Bunjevac (Jonathan Cape/Random House)
Safari Honeymoon by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
The People Inside by Ray Fawkes (Oni Press)
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki (Groundwood)
Doug Wright Spotlight Award
Aaron Costain for Entropy #10
Elisabeth Belliveau for One Year in America (Conundrum Press)
Julie Delporte for Everywhere Antennas (Drawn & Quarterly)
Meags Fitzgerald for Photobooth: A Biography (Conundrum Press)
Simon Roy for Tiger Lung (Dark Horse)
Sophie Yanow for War of Streets and Houses (Uncivilized Books)
Pigskin Peters Award
Comics Collection 2010–2013 and Less than Dust by Julien Ceccaldi
Great Success! 1983–2013 by Henriette Valium (Crna Hronika)
New Comics #3–5 by Patrick Kyle (Mother Books)
Undocumented: The Architecture of Migrant Detention by Tings Chak (The Architecture Observer)
"Swinespritzen" by Connor Willumsen
