The Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table have announced the first recipients of their newly-introduced Outstanding Comics Awards. Celebrating a swathe of work in the kids, young adult, and adult age brackets, the winners will be formally presented with their awards at the ALA Annual Conference & Exhibition, Chicago in June.
The GNCRT is an organisation under the umbrella of the American Library Association whose goal is to promote comics and improve understanding about the art form across libraries. It was formally established in 2018 and among its activities it helps libraries form or expand their own collections, and put together programming. The Outstanding Comics Award has been in the works since 2024 and was formally announced in 2025. Each award covers an entire calendar year of releases from January 1 to December 31.
According to the press release:
“Newly announced in 2025, the GNCRT’s Outstanding Comics Award is given to exceptional graphic novels that appeal to adults, teens, and children in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and series. These awards aim to increase awareness of the graphic novel medium, raise voices of comic creators, and aid library staff in the development of graphic novel collections.”
Speaking about the award, GNCRT President Shauntee Burns-Simpson said,
“In libraries, we see how comics bring people together, new readers, lifelong fans, and everyone in between. The Outstanding Comics Award honors works that expand our understanding of what stories can look like and ensure that there is something on the shelf for everyone.”
Each age bracket for the Outstanding Comics Awards had its own selection committee of around ten people who were to pick titles in fiction, nonfiction and series categories. While one winner was chosen per category, there were 1-2 accompanying honorary mentions (called Honor Books by GNCRT) that also impressed committee members. The complete list – including Honor Books can be found underneath this article.
Micki Waldrop, who chaired the committee for Young Adults, said:
“In this inaugural year for the award, the selection process was extremely competitive. The committee felt it was essential to choose titles that were truly outstanding to set a high precedent for the future.”
They added:
“As comics librarians, our primary goal is to connect deserving creators and their amazing stories with readers from any age or background.”
Fiction winners included Tongues, by Anders Brekhus Nilsen (Pantheon), Juni Ba‘s The Boy Wonder (DC Comics/Black Label), and Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals!, by Paige Walshe (Flying Eye Books) – in Adult, Young Adult and Children, respectively.
Nonfiction saw Peter Kuper‘s Insectopolis (W.W. Norton & Company), Briana Loewinsohn‘s Raised by Ghosts (Fantagraphics), and Cindy Chang‘s How to Draw a Secret (Allida Books) carry the debut adult, young adult and kids Outstanding Comics awardee torch.
The Outstanding Comics Awards for Series, meanwhile, had Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda’s The Night Eaters trilogy (Abrams ComicArts) in Adult, writer Kami Garcia‘s popular new YA graphic novel take on Teen Titans (DC Comics) in Young Adult, and Sophie Escabasse‘s Witches of Brooklyn (RH Graphic) in Children.
OUTSTANDING COMICS FOR ADULTS
Selection Committee: Leslie Flynn (Chair), Britta Krabill (Vice-Chair), Becca Sexton (Administrative Assistant), AJ Furfaro- Martinez, Charity Lees, Michelle Lettus, Kristy Lorenz, Teresa McGinley, Rosalie Potenza, Sarah Teichman.
Outstanding Comics Award (Adult) – Fiction Category
WINNER: Tongues, by Anders Brekhus Nilsen (Pantheon)
Honor Books:
- Drome, by Jesse Lonergan (23rd St.)
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, by Anaïs Flogny; translated by Dan Christensen (Abrams ComicArts)
Outstanding Comics Award (Adult) – Nonfiction Category
WINNER: Insectopolis, by Peter Kuper (W.W. Norton & Company)
Honor Book:
- Black Arms to Hold You Up, by Ben Passmore (Pantheon)
Outstanding Comics Award (Adult) – Series Category
WINNER: The Night Eaters, written by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda (Abrams ComicArts)
Honor Books:
- The Department of Truth, series writer James Tynion IV, series artist Martin Simmonds, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Aditya Bidikar (Image Comics)
- Search & Destroy, by Atsushi Kaneko, based on work by Osamu Tezuka, lettering by Phil Christie; translation by Ben Applegate (Fantagraphics)
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OUTSTANDING COMICS FOR YOUNG ADULTS
Selection Committee: Micki Waldrop (Chair), Mariela Siegert (Vice-Chair), Sarah Tillery, (Administrative Assistant), Sandie Angulo Chen, Sheila Grier, Connie Poulsen Hollin, Dan Johnson, Nisa Kesseler, Gregory Taylor
Outstanding Comics Award (Young Adult) – Fiction Category
WINNER: The Boy Wonder, written and drawn by Juni Ba, colors by Chris O’Halloran, lettering by Aditya Bidikar (DC Comics)
Honor Books:
- Hunger’s Bite, by Taylor Robin (Union Square and Co)
- Hello Sunshine, by Keezy Young (Little, Brown Ink)
Outstanding Comics Award (Young Adult) – Nonfiction Category
WINNER: Raised by Ghosts, by Briana Loewinsohn (Fantagraphics)
Honor Books
- Bloody Mary, Kristina Gehrmann; translated by Ivanka T. Hahnenberger & Elowyn Castle (Andrews McMeel)
- My Perfectly Imperfect Body, by Debbie Tung (Andrews McMeel)
Outstanding Comics Award (Young Adult) – Series Category
WINNER: Teen Titans, written by Kami Garcia, art by Gabriel Picolo, Jon Sommariva, Emma Kubert & Rob Haynes, color by David Calderon, lettering by Tom Napolitano, Gabriela Downie & Wes Abbott (DC Comics)
Honor Books
- Feral, written by Tony Fleecs. art by Trish Forstner, Tone Rodriguez & Sara Richard, color by Brad Simpson (Image Comics)
- Tsumiki Ogami’s Not-So-Ordinary Life, by Miyu Morishita, touch-up art and lettering by John Hunt; translation by Mei Amaki (Viz Media)
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OUTSTANDING COMICS FOR CHILDREN
Selection Committee: Jennie Law (Chair), Katie Lawrence (Vice-Chair), Kim Becnel, Jennifer Dawes, Brandi Hamlin, Christian Hines, Tina Lerno, Midoria Linster, Eva Volin.
Outstanding Comics Award (Children) – Fiction Category
WINNER: Froggy: A Pond Full of Pals!, by Paige Walshe (Flying Eye Books)
Honor Books
- Fresh Start, written and drawn by Gale Galligan, colors by K Czap (Graphix)
- The Snips: A Bad Buzz Day, written and drawn by Raúl the Third, colors by Elaine Bay & Eleonora Bruni, lettering by Rob Leigh (LB Ink)
Outstanding Comics Award (Children) – Nonfiction Category
WINNER: How to Draw a Secret, written and drawn by Cindy Chang, colors by Cristina Rose Chua (Allida Books)
Honor Books
- How to say Goodbye in Cuban, by Daniel Miyares (Anne Schwartz Books)
- I’m a Dumbo Octopus!: A Graphic Guide to Cephalopods, by Anne Lambelet (Graphic Universe)
Outstanding Comics Award (Children) – Series Category
WINNER: Witches of Brooklyn, by Sophie Escabasse (RH Graphic)
Honor Books
- Are You Afraid of the Dark?, written by Tehlor Kay Mejia, Roseanne A. Brown, art by Junyi Wu, Justin & Alexis Hernandez, Kaylee Rowena, Shazleen Khan, Bill Masuku and Gigi Murakami, letters by Bernardo Brice, Lor Prescott with Sara Linsley (Amulet Books/Abrams Fanfare)
- Peapod Farm, written and drawn by Lucy Knisley, colors by Whitney Cogar (RH Graphic)
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