Winners have been named in the 2026 Doug Wright Awards, honouring the best in Canadian comics.

The winners in four categories, all of whom receive a small cash prize, were named at a ceremony in Toronto on June 6. The winners were chosen from finalists announced last month.

Also at Saturday’s ceremony, this year’s inductees into the Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame, were announced. The late Emily Hearn and Mark Thurman were inducted for their work as creators of the long-running children’s comic The Mighty Mites, which debuted in Owl magazine 50 years ago. The late Arch Dale, an editorial cartoonist and creator of the Doo Dads comic strip, was also announced as an inductee.

The winners of the Doug Wright Awards are:

Best Book

• Cannon by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)

The Nipper (Emerging Talent)

• Lis Xu for Layover and Mad (Self-published) and Raccoon Rescue (Gytha Press)

The Pigskin Peters (Best Small- or Micro-Press Book)

• Pass Me By: Lily by Kat Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen (Renegade Arts Entertainment)

The Egghead (Best Kids’ Book)

• Howler Reef by Mike Deas and Nancy Deas (Orca Book Publishers)

The judges for this year’s awards were Patrick Allaby, Aaron Costain, Kurtis Findlay, Jaleen Grove, Luiza Junqueira, Dylan Magwood, Frances Reilly, Joan Steacy, J.J. Steeves, Alyson Lee, Hartley Lin, and Blaise Moritz.