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The Doug Wright Award for best book
The Doug Wright Award for the year’s best book recognizes a book of any size (graphic novel, single comic, mini-comic, etc.) for adults, young adults (ages 13–17), or young readers (ages 0–12) in which illustrations are integral to the story. This does not include books of prose that feature decorative illustrations. (Books published exclusively on digital platforms are also eligible for this category.) Books will be judged on the combined quality of their illustration, writing, and production.
Entries for the best book category must be submitted online by the book’s creator(s) or publisher. There is an entry fee of $15 per book. (Self-published creators who cannot afford the entry fee may request to have it waived.)
The Nipper:
The Doug Wright Award for emerging talent
The Doug Wright Award for emerging talent recognizes an artist or team early in their career deserving of wider recognition, based on up to three books of any size (graphic novel, single comic, mini-comic, etc.) published in the past year in which illustrations are integral to the story. This does not include books of prose that feature decorative illustrations. (Books published exclusively on digital platforms are also eligible for this category.) Judges will make the final decision on whether an entrant qualifies as “emerging,” though as a general rule the entrant may have published no more than one major-press book or collection. Books entered in this category may also be entered in the best book category.
Anyone may nominate a creator or team for the Nipper, with the permission and knowledge of the creator(s), by contacting the Doug Wright Awards. (Creators may also nominate themselves.) There is no entry fee for this category.
The Pigskin Peters:
The Doug Wright Award for best small- or micro-press book
The Doug Wright Award for the year’s best small- or micro-press book recognizes a book of any size (graphic novel, single comic, mini-comic, etc.) in which illustrations are integral to the story, not published by a major press. This does not include books of prose that feature decorative illustrations. (Books published exclusively on digital platforms are also eligible for this category.) Experimental or avant-garde works are especially welcome in this category, and Web comics will be accepted on a case-by-case basis, provided the submission is a cohesive narrative or topic. Books will be judged on the combined quality of their illustration, writing, and production. Books (not including Web comics) entered in this category may also be entered in the best book category.
Anyone may nominate a work for the Pigskin Peters, with the permission and knowledge of the creator(s), by contacting the Doug Wright Awards. (Creators may also nominate themselves.) There is no entry fee for this category.
The Egghead:
The Doug Wright Award for best kids’ book
The Doug Wright Award for the year’s best kids’ book recognizes a book of any size (graphic novel, picture book, single comic, mini-comic, etc.) primarily aimed at young readers (ages 0 to 12) in which illustrations are integral to the story. This does not include books of prose that feature decorative illustrations. (Books published exclusively on digital platforms are also eligible for this category.) Books will be judged based on the combined quality of their illustration, writing, and production. Books entered in this category may also be entered in the best book category.
Entries for the best kids’ book category must be submitted online by the book’s creator(s) or publisher. There is an entry fee of $15 per book. (Self-published creators who cannot afford the entry fee may request to have it waived.)
Entry Rules
Entries to the Doug Wright Awards must have been published during the previous calendar year (January 1 to December 31, 2024). The Doug Wright Awards is broad minded in what it considers a book (graphic novel, single comic, mini-comic, zine, etc.) but reserves the right to make the final call on a publication’s qualification.
New printings of books previously published in another calendar year (i.e., second or third printings, etc.) do not qualify. This does not include new collections of previously published work (i.e., a collected volume of individual comic books).
Books must be published in English. Books originally published in another language and translated into English are eligible, provided the English edition was published during the current calendar year.
Creators must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident/landed immigrant (i.e., legally allowed to work in Canada).
For books with more than one creator (i.e., a writer and artist team), each creator must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
Entries may be published by a non-Canadian publisher, provided creator(s) is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
There is no limit to how many individual titles a creator or group of creators submit in a single year.
Books may be submitted by creators or publishers.
Hard copies will not be returned unless a previous agreement has been made between the Doug Wright Awards and creator, such as in the case of a small-run publication with a limited print run.
The decision of the judges will be final.
Submission Requirements
NEW SHIPPING ADDRESS AND NOTES ON THE POSTAL STRIKE
About hard copies: We think books are best judged when seen in person. That said, how many hard copies you send, if any, is up to you. Each category has its own set of judges, so to ensure at least one judge sees a hard copy of your book, you would have to send at least one copy of your book per category entered. If you want all judges to see your hard copy, you must send three copies per category entered. If sending less than three copies per category, you must submit a PDF of your book.
Please note: Our friends at the Beguiling comic shop, in Toronto, have agreed to act as our receiving house. Please send all entries (clearly marked as DWA entries) to:
The Doug Wright Awards 2025 Entry
c/o The Beguiling
319 College Street
Toronto, Ont.
M5T 1S2
That said, Canada Post currently is on strike. This obviously does not affect those sending books through a service such as UPS, FedEx, etc. If you are in Toronto, you may drop your books off at the above address, but please insure they are packed and well labelled as DWA entries. A lot of books move through the shop on a given day, and we don’t want yours getting lost. Should the postal strike carry into January and you have no other way to send physical copies, let us know and we’ll help you figure out a solution.
The Doug Wright Award for best book
Entries must be submitted via the Doug Wright Awards online portal. While a form is required for each entry, you may pay for all entries together (up to 10 per entry form—such are the limitations of our submission software) to avoid having to re-enter your payment information each time (i.e., if you are entering two titles at $15 each, you may pay $30 for the first entry and $0 for the second).
If available, a PDF of the entire entry, including cover, must be submitted. Please combine covers and interiors into a single PDF, and name your PDF in a way that suggests the publication’s title. If your PDF is too large for our portal to handle, please send via e-mail to dougwrightawards@gmail.com (and keep your download link valid until January 31, 2025).
Three hard copies of each entry should be sent to the above address, along with a note clearly stating the category of entry and the creator’s name(s). In the event of a small run or high-priced book, two, one, or zero copies will be accepted, provided a PDF is available. Hard copies obviously are not required for books published exclusively on digital platforms.
The Nipper: The Doug Wright Award for emerging talent
Entries must be submitted via the Doug Wright Awards online portal. A form is required for each entry.
If available, a PDF of the entire entry, including cover, must be submitted. Please combine covers and interiors into a single PDF, and name your PDF in a way that suggests the publication’s title. If your PDF is too large for our portal to handle, please send via e-mail to dougwrightawards@gmail.com. (and keep your download link valid until January 31, 2025).
Three hard copies of each book to be considered should be sent to the above address, along with a note clearly stating the category of entry and the creator’s name(s). In the event of small run or high-priced books, two, one, or zero copies will be accepted, provided a PDF is available. Hard copies obviously are not required for books published exclusively on digital platforms.
Please include a list of notable publications with entry. This may include self-published, micro-press, and major press publications.
The Pigskin Peters: The Doug Wright Award for best small- or micro-press book
Entries must be submitted via the Doug Wright Awards online portal. A form is required for each entry.
If available, a PDF of the entire entry, including cover, must be submitted. Please combine covers and interiors into a single PDF, and name your PDF in a way that suggests the publication’s title. If your PDF is too large for our portal to handle, please send via e-mail to dougwrightawards@gmail.com. (and keep your download link valid until January 31, 2025).
Three hard copies of each entry should be sent to the above address, along with a note clearly stating the category of entry and the creator’s name(s). In the event of a small run or high-priced book, two, one, or zero copies will be accepted, provided a PDF is available. Hard copies obviously are not required for books published exclusively on digital platforms.
The Egghead: The Doug Wright Award for best kids’ book
Entries must be submitted via the Doug Wright Awards online portal. While a form is required for each entry, you may pay for all entries together (up to 10 per entry form—such are the limitations of our submission software) to avoid having to re-enter your payment information each time (i.e., if you are entering two titles at $15 each, you may pay $30 for the first entry and $0 for the second).
If available, a PDF of the entire entry, including cover, must be submitted. Please combine covers and interiors into a single PDF, and name your PDF in a way that suggests the publication’s title. If your PDF is too large for our portal to handle, please send via e-mail to dougwrightawards@gmail.com. (and keep your download link valid until January 31, 2025).
Three hard copies of each entry must be sent to the above address, along with a note clearly stating the category of entry and the creator’s name(s). In the event of a small run or high-priced book, two, one, or zero copies will be accepted, provided a PDF is available. Hard copies obviously are not required for books published exclusively on digital platforms.
Deadlines and Fees
Entries to the 2025 Doug Wright Awards open on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, and close on Friday, January 17, 2025. Late entry forms will not be accepted.
Hard copies must be received by Friday, January 24, 2025, but we’ll extend this deadline if necessary depending on the length of the postal strike. Note: Each category has its own set of judges. If you are sending hard copies and entering the same book in more than one category, please send separate hard copies for each category.
The entry fee per submission for best book and best kids’ book (The Egghead) is $15. There is no entry fee for the emerging talent (The Nipper) and best small- or micro-press book (The Pigskin Peters) awards.
Judging Process
Entries in each category are evaluated by a three-member jury. Each jury consists of at least one cartoonist, one judge with industry expertise (editor, publisher, reviewer, journalist, librarian, bookseller, academic, etc.), and a third judge who either falls into one of the above categories or is not directly involved in the industry but has a deep knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the medium.
We attempt to make our juries as diverse as possible by selecting judges with a variety of professional backgrounds, from a variety of regions (not necessarily confined to Canada), and who reflect Canada’s various cultural communities.
Judges are given approximately four weeks to read entries and make their final decision. Juries meet via conference call to deliberate and come to a consensus on their category’s short list and winner. Juries are strongly encouraged to pick a single winner, but ties do happen.
Whenever possible, judges will evaluate books in their printed form. However, logistics may sometimes mean a judge can only view a publication in a digital format.
Judges choose winning entries based on the combined quality of their illustration, writing, and production. Other factors may include style, creativity, and originality.
If you would like to be a judge for the Doug Wright Awards, please contact us at dougwrightawards@gmail.com.
For more information on the Doug Wright Awards, check out out FAQ.