ComicsDC: PR: SPX Announces 2026 Ignatz Award Nominees and The Ignatz Archive

Thursday, August 20, 2026

PR: SPX Announces 2026 Ignatz Award Nominees and The Ignatz Archive

2026 Ignatz Awards Nominees

2026 Ignatz Awards logo by Vicky Wang

For Immediate Release

Contact: Warren Bernard

Email: ignatzawards@smallpressexpo.com

North Bethesda, Maryland – The Small Press Expo (SPX), the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels and alternative political cartoons, is pleased to announce the 2026 nominees for the annual presentation of the Ignatz Awards, a celebration of outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.

Small Press Expo Announces The 2026 Ignatz Nominees

Ignatz Awards nominees are determined by a panel of comics professionals. We are most grateful for the efforts of this year's team of jurors:

Maria Hoey
Joel Christian Gill
Nick Bertozzi
Maggie McCready
Vik Alexander
Meg Lentz
Michael Albrecht
Sofia Lesage

Voting for the Ignatz Awards will be opened to anybody on the SPX email lists and anyone requesting a ballot. There will be no in-person voting at the show, as voting for the prestigious Ignatz Awards is open to all fans of indie comics.

The Ignatz Awards ceremony will be held at 9:30PM on Saturday September 12 in the White Oak Room of the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.

Other information about SPX 2026 and the Ignatz Awards, can be found at www.smallpressexpo.com.

BALLOT & VOTING INFORMATION

Voting for the 2026 Ignatz Awards will be by email ballot only, there will be no on-site voting.

Ballots will be emailed everyone on SPX's email lists at the same time as this announcement.
Be sure to check you Spam folder for the ballot.

If you wish to vote for the Ignatz Awards and are not on our email lists, sign up for a ballot and get added to our email lists at the SPX website.

Please check your spam folder if you do not see your ballot.

Voting ends on Friday September 11 at 8:00PM (EDT).

2026 IGNATZ NOMINEES

Additional information about this year's nominees can be found here.

OUTSTANDING ARTIST

Colin Lidston, Move-In Day (Paper Rocket Minicomics)
Ben Passmore, Black Arms To Hold You Up (Pantheon Books)
J. Marshall Smith, Testament (Bulgilhan Press)
Carol Tyler, The Ephemerata: Shaping the Exquisite Nature of Grief (Fantagraphics)
Rob Woods, Barbecue Block Party (Self-Published)

OUTSTANDING ANTHOLOGY

A Queer Prisoner's Anthology Vol. 9: Beautiful Regrets ed. Casper Cendre, Oliver Mills, Brett Thomas Gonzalez (A.B.O. Comix)
Goof #2 ed. Marc Jackson (Self-Published)
LAAB: A Comics Anthology No. 3 ed. Ronald Wimberly (Beehive Books)
Revenge #2 ed. Samandal (Beehive Books)
So Buttons #15 ed. Jonathan Baylis (So Buttons Comix)

OUTSTANDING COLLECTION

A Strong Woman and Other Stories by Valentine Gallardo (Fieldmouse Press)
All the Cameras in My Room by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
Box Garden Beetle by Akino Kondoh (Glacier Bay Books)
The Past is a Grotesque Animal by Tommi Parrish (Fantagraphics)
Wisps by Amanda Baeza (kuš!)

OUTSTANDING COMIC

Antimatter #1 by Dean Haspiel (Self-Published)
Fizzle #6 by Whit Taylor (Radiator Comics)
Girls Gone Wild by Katie Lane (2dcloud)
Utzy and Dusty by Josh Bayer (Domino Books)
Zoo #5 by Anand Shenoy (Self-Published)

OUTSTANDING GRAPHIC NOVEL

Black Arms to Hold You Up by Ben Passmore (Pantheon Books)
Cannon by Lee Lai (Giramondo Publishing)
Do Admit! The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond (Drawn & Quarterly)
More Weight: A Salem Story by Ben Wickey (Top Shelf Productions)
The Weight by Melissa Mendes (Drawn & Quarterly)

OUTSTANDING MINICOMIC

If She Was Beholden, Could She Ever Be the Beholder? by Erika Rier (Self-Published)
Secret Black Woman: American Virtues by Ingrid Pierre (Self-Published)
To Bleed Stone Dry by R. D. "Reyookah" Yoon (Self-Published)
Two Snakes by Suerynn Lee (Alright Editions)
Uncoiling: A Japanese-American Family History by Yoko O.K. (Self-Published)

OUTSTANDING ONLINE COMIC

Anywhere but Barbun by Sinan Demirer
Appleguy & Beefwood by Cedar Van Tassel
Blind Alley by Adam de Souza
I Thought I Heard Your Voice Just Then by Hagai Palevsky and Justin LaGuff
Island by Lucy Haslam

OUTSTANDING SERIES

Coin-Op no 10: Wet Cement by Peter and Maria Hoey (Coin-Op Books)
Fizzle #6 by Whit Taylor (Radiator Comics)
Hacienda by Dave Ortega (Self-Published)
My Pockets are Juicy! by Lonnie Milsap (Self-Published)
Wedding Juice and Other Melodramas by Sanika Phawde (Self-Published)

OUTSTANDING STORY

Before We Wake by Sophia Glock (Little, Brown Ink)
Drome by Jesse Lonergan (23rd Street)
Mudhouse by Glynnis Fawkes (Paper Rocket Minicomics)
Suicidals by Michael R. Barton (Self-Published)
While We Wait by Sorina Vazelina (Self-Published)

PROMISING NEW TALENT:

A Scientific Study Of Transsexuality by Oscar Woodiwiss (Fieldmouse Press)
Creamthing In His Golden Year by Sam Hensley (Self-Published)
Electric Cowboy by Ansel Kite (Silver Sprocket)
The Witch's Egg by Donya Todd (Avery Hill Publishing)
Upwards Incursion by Padraig Campbell (Driftwood Press)

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Key Dates for the 2026 Ignatz Awards

August 19 - Initial ballots emailed and voting begins
September 11 • 8:00 PM (EDT) - Voting for the 2026 Ignatz Awards ends
September 12 • 9:30 PM (EDT) - Presentation of Ignatz Award winners, the White Oak Room at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center

Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 550 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.

The Ignatz Awards are held every year by SPX, with the awards recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning.