About
The Minicomic Awards is an annual virtual showcase founded by cartoonists Leslie Hung and Sloane Leong that spotlights the unique, challenging, and under-recognized work in this short form medium.
For most cartoonists, minicomics are the form in which they begin to develop their storytelling skills and also the place they return to experiment and push their techniques, voices, and the medium further. Their accessibility also means we get a bounty of incredibly unique work across a wide range of genres and from a variety of marginalized perspectives. The Cartoonist Cooperative is excited to continue spotlighting groundbreaking, under-the-radar work and hopefully encourage more people to make minicomics!
Previous Winners
2024 Awards
Judging Panel: Taylor Robin, Son M, and Victoria Ying
Entries: 338
Prize Pool: $3500
WINNERS
AUTOBIO: Fancies by Alex Cara
SCIFI: Marrow a.k.a Rodney’s Law by Sloane Hong
ROMANCE: Crossed Signals by Narrenstrich
HORROR: Bottom’s Up! by Barbara Benas
FANTASY: The Bird Daughters by Madeline McGrane
The 2024 Awards were sponsored by Bulgihan Press, Organized Havoc, Tedd Closson, Maia Koababe, DarkChibiShadow, Cy McQuinn, Yuko Ota, Ananth Hirsh, Cam Marshall, Sloane Hong, iliadtea, ElaineMWill, MK, Colleen Frakes, William Tempest, a.mca.art, Gio, Nika, Sarah Winifred Searle, Olivia Hicks, Illuminated, Frannie, Bigg, Peow Studio, Sloane Leong, Steve Lieber, jam / jammyness.com, Wakeup Comics and Blick Art Materials.
Watch the livestream of the awards ceremony here!
The full list of the 2024 Minicomic Award nominees is:
Autobiography:
- Sunflowers by Keezy Young
- Fancies by Alex Cara
- I owe it to my parents to NOT come out. by Richard Mercado
- If the Body Keeps the Score, Does That Mean I’m Winning?? by Arantza Peña Popo
Sci-Fi:
- So You’ve Been Conquered by the Human Race by Leo Healy, Torgo Wells, Claire Napier
- Golden; Record 4.0 by Stefani
- Marrow a.k.a Rodney’s Law by Sloane Hong
- The Space Between Nothing by Cynta Camilia
Romance:
- Crossed Signals by Narrenstrich
- Acquired Taste by Brett Lee
- Parasocial Activity by Pearl Law
- Ethernet Cable Girlfriend by Cam Marshall
Horror:
- I Only Have Eyes for You, Dear by Keezy Young
- Zugzwang by Barett Stanley
- Circadian by SJ Miller
- Bottom’s Up! by Barbara Benas
Fantasy:
- Unicorn, Hunted by Ian Simmons
- The Bird Daughters by Madeline McGrane
- Be Wary the River by Kit Fraser
- >THE JESTER by M. Shorjian
2023 Awards
Guest Judges: Yuko Ota and Ananth Hirsh
Entries: 485
Prize Pool: $5000
AUTOBIO: <now I can never know you more than those white walls> by Edgar/Siyuan Wen
HORROR: Sediment – Bhanu Pratap
SCIFI: SPEIROCHORY – Karenza Sparks
FANTASY: Why don’t you like me? – Gaia Papoila
ROMANCE: when it started – Leecie
Watch the 2023 award livestream here or read a recap of the winners, runners-up and our comments at Comicsbeat.
The 2023 awards were sponsored by Shing Yin Khor, Erica Schultz, Steve Lieber, an anonymous donor, Bulgilhan Press, Tommy Rodricks & Leslie Hung, Emily Carroll, Kris Mukai, Jam, Andrea from White Squirrel, Yuko Ota & Anath Hirsh, Silver Sprocket, Sloane Leong, and David Brothers. Winners with print editions of their minicomic will also be featured at Wakeup Comics in Nashville, TN. Thanks to those sponsors, each winner was awarded $1000 USD!
2022 Awards
Guest Judge: Kris Mukai
Entries: 121
Prize Pool: $2000
AUTOBIO/NONFIC: You Meet in a Moonlit Clearing… – Barbara Benas
HORROR: Devil’s Pawn – (W) Aysha U. Farah (A) Megan Llewellyn
SCIFI: ARC29 4.3 – Marc Michaud
FANTASY: Made in Heaven Inc. – Kruttika Susarla
ROMANCE: My Cicadas Are Dead – Jade L.F.T Peters
Watch the 2022 award livestream here or read a write-up of all the runner-ups and winners at WWAC!
The 2022 awards were sponsored by Steve Lieber, Zach Clemente, Kris Mukai, Casey Lucas, Nicolette Bocalon, MK Reed, Dick Blick and Portland comic shop Books With Pictures where the winners’ comics will be available in store or online! Thanks to those sponsors, each winner was awarded $400!
Submission Guidelines
- Submissions will be open from January 1st to February 1st, 2025.
- Please submit minicomics published in 2024.
- Minicomics should be 32 pages or less.
- Multiple submissions are welcome.
- There are no content restrictions, if you’d like to give us a content note, feel free.
- Anyone in the world is welcome to submit but the judges can only read English. We’ll do our best if your work is in another language!
- Original work only. No fan comics or work that features IP not your own.
- Excerpts of ongoing or serialized work are welcome but must be within the page limit.
Award Categories
- Autobio/Nonfiction
- Horror
- Scifi
- Fantasy
- Romance (this category includes erotica)
If you’d like to donate to our prize pool for 2025, email us at hello@cartoonist.coop first.
