[DENVER, MAY 30, 2023] – Pop Culture Classroom is proud to announce the finalists for the 6th Annual Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. Celebrating the best in graphic literature across various categories, these awards recognize outstanding storytelling and artistic excellence within the industry.
The Denver-based arts and education nonprofit founded the awards to help:
- Educators and librarians: Identify high-quality graphic literature to use in diverse educational settings.
- Parents, Pop Culture Fans, and Other Discerning Readers: Find compelling, expertly crafted graphic literature to read and enjoy.
- Publishers: Highlight works that make a significant contribution to graphic literature and promote substantive pop culture education.
Announcing this year’s Finalists in prepared remarks, Matt Slayter, who oversees the EGL Awards and is Director of Education for Pop Culture Classroom, said:
“The Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards acknowledge outstanding creative achievements, and they offer a roadmap for educators, librarians, and readers looking for the most compelling and impactful works of graphic literature.
“Through these awards, we hope to continue championing the integration of graphic literature in education and inspiring a lifelong love of reading and art. We invite readers of all ages to explore these outstanding graphic novels.”
2023 EGL Awards Finalists
The finalists were chosen by a qualified jury of educators, librarians, and graphic novel experts from around the country. They were chosen from a diverse pool of publisher and creator submissions, showcasing the immense talent and creativity within the graphic literature community.
Children’s — Fiction
- Alcatoe and the Turnip Child (Nobrow/Flying Eye)
- Hilda: The Trolberg Stories (Nobrow/Flying Eye)
- Mamo (Boom! Studios)
- Minecraft: Open World – Into the Nether (Dark Horse)
- Prunella and the Cursed Skull Ring (First Second)
- Putuguq and Kublu and the Attack of the Amautalik (Inhabit Media)
Middle-Grade — Fiction
- Frizzy (First Second)
- Ghosts of Science Past (Humanoids)
- Sisters of the Mist (Nobrow/Flying Eye)
- Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, The Graphic Novel (Disney)
- Twig (Image)
- Wynd: The Secret of the Wings (Boom!)
Middle-Grade — Non-Fiction
- Alice On the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War (Life Drawn, an imprint of Humanoids)
- Button Pusher (First Second)
- The First Heart Transplant: A Graphic History (Graphic Universe)
- Magical History Tour Vol.7: Gandhi (Papercutz)
- Magical History Tour Vol.8: The Vikings (Papercutz)
- Science Comics: Bridges: Engineering Masterpieces (First Second)
Young Adult — Fiction
- Side Effects (Seismic Press/Aftershock/Self-published?)
- The Stretcher Bearers (Dead Reckoning)
- Thieves (Nobrow/Flying Eye)
- Twelfth Grade Night (Disney Hyperion)
- Unretouchable (Graphic Universe)
- The Well (First Second)
Adult — Fiction
- The Keeper (Abrams ComicArts)
- The Last Session: Roll for Initiative (Mad Cave Studios)
- The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (Boom! Studios)
- The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night (Abrams ComicArts)
- Ripple Effects (Fanbase Press)
- Shauna’s Journey (First Second)
Adult — Non-Fiction
- Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Look Again (Street Noise Books)
- Radical: My Year with a Socialist Senator (Top Shelf Productions)
- Ronan and the Endless Sea of Stars (Abrams ComicArts)
- Vann Nath: Painting the Khmer Rouge (Life Drawn, An Imprint of Humanoids)
- What is Home, Mum? (Street Noise Books)
The Mosaic Award
The Mosaic Award celebrates stories about and from diverse communities, ethnicities, nationalities, faiths, and identities. This year’s EGL Awards Mosaic Award Finalists are:
- Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War (Life Drawn, an imprint of Humanoids)
- Button Pusher (First Second Books)
- Mamo (BOOM! Studios)
- The Many Deaths of Laila Starr (BOOM! Studios)
- Movements and Moments (Drawn & Quarterly)
- Putuguq and Kublu and the Attack of the Amautalik! (Inhabit Media)
- Victory. Stand! — Raising My Fist for Justice (Norton Young Readers)
- What is Home, Mum? (Street Noise Books)
This year’s EGL Awards Finalists will be spotlighted throughout the week, with the 2023 Finalists for the EGL Awards 2023 Book of the Year and other category Winners to be announced Monday, June 3 online at PopCultureClassroom.org/eglawards.
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Media Contact: Chris Burley Director of Development and Communications Pop Culture Classroom, c.burley@popcultureclassroom.org, (720) 319-8988
About Pop Culture Classroom: Pop Culture Classroom is a nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of pop culture to inspire learning, literacy, and community engagement. Through their educational programs, including workshops, comic conventions, and year-round initiatives, Pop Culture Classroom aims to empower learners of all ages and backgrounds. For more information visit PopCultureClassroom.org
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