The poster for this year’s Doug Wright Awards was created by artist – and nominee – Maurice Vellekoop.

The finalists have been announced for the Doug Wright Awards, the annual awards honouring the best in Canadian comics.

The winners will be announced at an event in Toronto on June 7. Writer, artist, and TV producer Jay Odjick will host.

The winners in each of the four categories will receive a small cash prize, with an additional prize for the winner of The Nipper, who will receive a week-long retreat at the Valleyview Artist Retreat, in Caledon, Ontario.

The judges for this year’s prizes are Nathalie Atkinson, Ivana Filipovich, Gareth Gaudin, Andrew Hawthorn, Chris Hutsul, Kate Phillips, Pamela Marie Pierce, Ken Steacy, Diana Tamblyn, Eric Veillette, Stanley Wany, and Lis Xu. Shortlisted and winning titles were chosen by a jury of three judges per category.

This year marks the first time that three nominees for The Nipper, the prize for emerging talent – Boum, Rosena Fung, and Sid Sharp – are also nominated in the best book category.

The Doug Wright Award for best book

• Age 16 by Rosena Fung (Annick Press)
• Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp (Annick Press)
• I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together by Maurice Vellekoop (Random House Canada)
• The Field by Dave Lapp (Conundrum Press)
• The Jellyfish by Boum, Robin Lang and Helge Dascher, trans. (Pow Pow Press)
• The Wendy Award by Walter Scott (Drawn & Quarterly)

The Nipper: The Doug Wright Award for emerging talent

• The Jellyfish by Boum, Robin Lang and Helge Dascher, trans. (Pow Pow Press)
• Ballpark by James Collier (Wig Shop & More or Less Books)
• Age 16 by Rosena Fung (Annick Press)
• The Harrowing Tales of La Corriveau by Frances V. Reilly (Dirty Water Comics)
• Bog Myrtle by Sid Sharp (Annick Press)

The Pigskin Peters: The Doug Wright Award for best small- or micro-press book

• Be Yourself! Oh, Not Like That … by Emilia Strilchuk (self-published)
• Customer Service by Patrick Allaby (self-published)
• The Cosmic Con by Ron Kasman (At Bay Press)
• The Same Water by Richard Fairgray (Richard Sux)
• The Slenderest of Leashes 1 by Xiaoxiao Li (self-published)

The Egghead: The Doug Wright Award for best kids’ book

• Alterations by Ray Xu (Union Square Kids)
• Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival by Trina Rathgeber, Alina Pete, Jillian Dolan (Orca Book Publishers)
• The New Girl by Cassandra Calin (Graphix/Scholastic)
• The Racc Pack by Stephanie Cooke and Whitney Gardner (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
• The Shit Witch by Lis Xu (self-published)