Doug Wright Award

The Doug Wright Awards for Canadian Cartooning (established in December 2004) are literary awards handed out annually since 2005 during the Toronto Comic Arts Festival to Canadian cartoonists honouring excellence in comics (including webcomics) and graphic novels published in English (including translated works). The awards are named in honour of Canadian cartoonist Doug Wright. Winners are selected by a jury of Canadians who have made significant contributions to national culture, based on shortlisted selections provided by a nominating committee of five experts in the comics field. The Wrights are handed out in three main categories, "Best Book", "The Spotlight Award" (affectionately known as "The Nipper"), and, since 2008, the "Pigskin Peters Award" for non-narrative or experimental works. In 2020, the organizers added "The Egghead", an award for best kids’ book for readers under twelve. In addition to the awards, since 2005 the organizers annually induct at least one cartoonist into the Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall Fame.

The Wright Awards are modeled after traditional book prizes, with the intention of drawing attention to the comics medium from a broad range of demographics inside and outside of its traditional fanbase. The Wrights have garnered acclaim as well as earning the support of a diverse range of participating artists and jurors including Scott Thompson, Don McKellar, Bruce McDonald, Jerry Ciccoritti, Bob Rae, Andrew Coyne, Sara Quin, Greg Morrison, Chester Brown, Lorenz Peter, and Nora Young.

Awards
The Best Book and The Spotlight awards are a large wood-and-glass trophies which are engraved with images from Wright's comic strip (the one difference being the images that are etched on the glass). The award was designed by the cartoonist Seth, who admitted to some embarrassment at being the inaugural winner of the trophy he designed. The Pigskin Peters Award, named in honour of a character from Jimmy Frise's Birdseye Center, is a custom, tailored derby hat with its own unique plaque that doubles as a hat post. It was also designed by Seth.

Each recipient of a Doug Wright Award also receives a custom-bound copy of their winning work.

2024
Source:

The Doug Wright Award for best book


 * WINNER - A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll (First Second)
 * Val-d’Or Neon by Olivier Ballou (Self-published)
 * Harvey Knight's Odyssey by Nick Maandag (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Naked: The Confessions of a Normal Woman by Éloïse Marseille (Pow Pow Press)
 * Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * JAJ by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Douglas & McIntyre)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)


 * WINNER - Vincy Lim When I was a kid I was taught how to die. Now that I'm an adult I'm learning how to live. (I love you.) and When She Set Fire to My Friends’ Houses (Self-published)
 * James CollierThe Lonesome Shepherd (Wig Shop)
 * Syd Madia Syd Madia's Dracula (Self-published)
 * Christopher Twin Bad Medicine (Emanata/Conundrum)
 * Kyle Vingoe-Cram Kettle Harbour (Conundrum Press)

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


 * WINNER - Old Caves by Tyler Landry (Uncivilized)
 * Endsickness No. 2 by Sofia Alarcon (Self-published)
 * The Lonesome Shepherd by James Collier (Wig Shop)
 * Power 9: Part One by John Little and David Little (Self-published)
 * Index by Sven, Rachel Evangeline Chiong, and Joyce Kim (Self-published)

The Egghead Award


 * WINNER - Otis & Peanut by Naseem Hrab and Kelly Collier (Owlkids Books)
 * ThunderBoom by Jack Briglio and Claudia Dávila (Kids Can Press)
 * Pluto Rocket: New in Town by Paul Gilligan (Tundra Books)
 * Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)
 * Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin (Emanata/Conundrum)

2023
Source:

The Doug Wright Award for best book


 * WINNER - Ducks by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Time Zone J by Julie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Shelterbelts by Jonathan Dyck (Conundrum Press)
 * The Flamingo by Guojing (Random House Studio)
 * Kwändürby Cole Pauls (Conundrum Press)
 * You Know, Sex by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth (Triangle Square)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)


 * WINNER - Jonathan Dyck Shelterbelts (Conundrum Press)
 * Emily Carrington Our Little Secret (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Kiona Callihoo Ligtvoet We Were Younger Once (Conundrum Press)
 * Lynette Richards Call Me Bill (Conundrum Press/Emanata Imprint)
 * Adam de Souza Blind Alley No. 1, ISH (Self-Published, Silver Sprocket)

Pigskin Peters Award


 * WINNER - Where Have You Been? by Ivana Filipovich (trans: Ivana Filipovich/Andrea Hankinson)                       (Self-Published)
 * The Life I Want by Patrick Allaby (Self-Published)
 * Assorted Baggage by Matthew Daley (Black Eye Books)
 * Butterfly House by Troy Little and Brenda Hickey (Pegamoose Press)
 * Thousand Oaks: Machine Mail (Part 3) by Blaise Moritz (Urban Farm Print and Sound)

The Egghead Award


 * WINNER - You Know, Sex by Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth (Triangle Square)


 * Scout is Not a Band Kid by Jade Armstrong (Random House Graphic)
 * Paws: Mindy Makes Some Space by Michele Assarasakorn and Nathan Fairbairn (Razorbill)
 * Super Family! (Simon and Chester Book 3) by Cale Atkinson (Tundra Books)
 * The Flamingo by Guojing (Random House Studio)

2022
Source:

The Doug Wright Award for best book


 * WINNER - The Shiatsung Project by Brigitte Archambault (Conundrum Press)
 * Cyclopedia Exotica by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * The Rock From the Sky by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press)
 * Stone Fruit by Lee Lai (Fantagraphics)
 * Fictional Father by Joe Ollmann (Drawn & Quarterly)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)


 * WINNER - Sami Alwani The Pleasure of the Text. (Conundrum Press)
 * Sofia Alarcon Endsickness  No. 1 (Self-published)
 * Brigitte Archambault The Shiatsung Project (Conundrum Press)
 * Alexander Laird Sleemor Gank: Burg Land No. 1 (Self-published)
 * Kyle Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen Pass Me By: Gone Fishin’ and Pass Me By: Electric Vice (Renegade Arts Entertainment)

Pigskin Peters Award


 * WINNER - Dwellings No. 2 by Jay Stephens (Black Eye Books)
 * Endsickness No. 1 by Sofia Alarcon (Self-published)
 * Fruit/Soil by Kim Edgar (Moniker Press)
 * The Northern Gaze Akeeshoo Chislett, Chris Caldwell, Cole Pauls, Andrew Sharp, Juliann Fraser, Esther Bordet, Alison McCreesh, Keith Verbonac, Princess J; edited by Kim Edgar (Hecate Press)
 * Sleemor Gank: Burg Land No. 1 by Alexander Laird (Self-published)

The Egghead Award


 * WINNER - Shirley and Jamila's Big Fall by Gillian Goerz (Dial Books for Young Readers)
 * Simon and Chester: Super Sleepover! by Cale Atkinson (Tundra Books)
 * Otter Lagoon by Mike Deas and Nancy (Deas Orca Book Publishers)
 * Living with Viola by Rosena Fung (Annick Press)
 * Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson and Qin Leng (Candlewick Press)
 * Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem by Lauren Soloy (Tundra Books)

2021
The Doug Wright Award for best book


 * WINNER - Lonely Boys - S. Bédard (Pow Pow Press)
 * Familiar Face Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Constantly GG Koyama Press
 * Paul at Home Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Wendy, Master of Art Walter Scott (Drawn & Quarterly)

The Nipper: The Doug Wright Award for emerging talent


 * WINNER - Veronica Post Langosh & Peppi: Fugitive Days (Conundrum Press)
 * Adam de Souza A Gleaming No. 2 Self-published


 * Kimberly Edgar The Space In Between Self-published
 * Courtney Loberg We Don't Go Through the Angelgrass I Self-published
 * Shannon M. Reeves Restless Bones Gytha Press

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


 * WINNER - The Noiseless Din Scott Carruthers Popnoir Editions
 * The Desecration Scott Carruthers and Sally McKay Self-published
 * A Gleaming No. 2 Adam de Souza Self-published
 * The Space In Between Kimberly Edgar Self-published
 * Awkward Pause Ryan Harby Renegade Arts Entertainment

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


 * WINNER - A Slug Story Mandi Kujawa, Hana Kujawa, Claude St. Aubin, and Lovern Kindzierski Renegade Arts Entertainment
 * The Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt Riel Nason and Byron Eggenschwiler (Tundra Books)


 * Okay, Universe: Chronicles of a Woman in Politics Valérie Plante and Delphie Côté-Lacroix (Drawn & Quarterly)


 * Grandmother School Rina Singh and Ellen (Rooney Orca Book Publishers)
 * Swift Fox All Along Rebecca Thomas and Maya McKibbin (Annick Press)

2020
The Doug Wright Award for best book


 * WINNER - Bezimena Nina Bunjevac (Fantagraphics Books)
 * This Place: 150 Years Retold Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Sonny Assu, Brandon Mitchell, Rachel and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley, David A. Robertson, Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair, Jen Storm, Richard Van Camp, Katherena Vermette, Chelsea Vowel, Tara Audibert, Kyle Charles, GMB Chomichuk, Natasha Donovan, Scott A. Ford, Scott B. Henderson, Ryan Howe, Andrew Lodwick, Jen Storm, Donovan Yaciuk, Alicia Elliott (HighWater Press)


 * The Cursed Hermit Kris Bertin, Alexander Forbes (Conundrum Press)
 * Agnes, Murderess Sarah Leavitt (Freehand Books)
 * Death Threat Vivek Shraya, Ness Lee (Arsenal Pulp Press)
 * Bradley of Him Connor Willumsen (Koyama Press)

The Nipper: The Doug Wright Award for emerging talent


 * WINNER - Sylvia Nickerson Creation (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * D. Boyd Chicken Rising (Conundrum Press)


 * Jason Bradshaw Things Go Wrong (Paper Rocket)
 * Ben O’Neil Apologetica (Popnoir Editions)
 * Cole Pauls Dakwäkãda Warriors (Conundrum Press)

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


 * WINNER - Gleem Freddy Carrasco (Peow Studios)
 * Boumeries, Vol. 9 Boum (Self-published)
 * Baby in the Boneyard Jesse Jacobs (Hollow Press)
 * Curb Angels Lisa Mendis, Christopher Ducharme, Lucas C. Pauls (At Bay Press)
 * Dejects Jay Stephens (Black Eye Books)

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


 * WINNER - The Worst Book Ever Elise Gravel (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Brick Breaks Free David Craig (Self-published)
 * Lunch Quest Chris Kuzma Koyama Press
 * Dakwäkãda Warriors Cole Pauls (Conundrum Press)
 * Alma and the Beast Esme Shapiro Tundra Books

2019
Doug Wright Best Book Award


 * A Western World (Koyama Press) Michael DeForge
 * Young Frances (Adhouse Books) Hartley Lin
 * Evie and the Truth About Witches (Koyama Press) John Martz
 * Somnambulance (Koyama Press) Fiona Smyth

Doug Wright Spotlight Award (a.k.a. The Nipper)


 * Ariane Dénommé 100 Days in Uranium City (Conundrum Press)
 * Aminder Dhaliwal Woman World (Drawn & Quarterly)


 * Al Gofa Dark Angels of Darkness (Peow Studio)
 * Victor Martins Stay and You Don't Have To be Afraid of Me
 * Sylvia Nickerson All We Have Left Is This
 * Eric Kostiuk Williams Our Wretched Town Hall (Retrofit Comics)

Pigskin Peters Award


 * Eggshell 2 (ddogg) William Dereume
 * Winter's Cosmos (Koyama Press) Michael Comeau
 * Promising Jupiter Ron Hotz
 * 310, 310 (Peow Studio) Mushbuh
 * Retomber Xiaoxiao Li

Best Book

 * WINNER - Crawl Space by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
 * Hostage by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * I'm Not Here by GG (Koyama Press)
 * The Abominable Mr. Seabrook by Joe Ollmann (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Anti-Gone by Connor Willumsen (Koyama Press)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

 * WINNER - Jenn Woodall, Magical Beatdown Vol. 2 and Marie and Worrywart
 * Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, The Case of the Missing Men (Conundrum Press)
 * Gillian Blekkenhorst, All-Inclusive Fully Automated Vacation and House of Strays
 * Eric Kostiuk Williams, Condo Heartbreak Disco (Koyama Press)
 * Jason Loo, The Pitiful Human-Lizard Nos. 12, 13 and 14 (Chapterhouse Comics)

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - The Dead Father by Sami Alwani
 * The Death of the Master by Patrick Kyle
 * Crohl's House Nos. 1 & 2 by Alexander Laird, Jamiel Rahi and Robert Laird
 * Creation: The First Three Chapters by Sylvia Nickerson
 * Potluck by Wavering Line Collective

Best Book

 * WINNER - Bird in a Cage by Rebecca Roher (Conundrum Press)
 * Mary Wept Over the Feet of Jesus by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Big Kids by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Burt's Way Home by John Martz (Koyama Press)
 * The Envelope Manufacturer by Chris Oliveros

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

 * WINNER - Steve Wolfhard, Cat Rackham (Koyama Press)
 * Jessica Campbell, Hot or Not: 20th-Century Male Artists (Koyama Press)
 * GG, "These Days," "Lapse" (both from š! No. 25 [kuš!]), and an untitled story from Altcomics Magazine 3 (2dcloud)
 * Nathan Jurevicius, Birthmark (Koyama Press)
 * Laura Ķeniņš, Alien Beings (kuš!)
 * Brie Moreno, Dearest, Gift Shop 3D (Oireau), Missy, untitled story from š! No. 6 (kuš!), various web comics

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - The Palace of Champions by Henriette Valium (Conundrum Press)
 * Carpet Sweeper Tales by Julie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Draw Blood by Ron Hotz
 * Garbage by Matthew Reichertz (Conundrum Press)
 * After Land by Chris Taylor (Floating World Comics)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Dressing by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
 * Melody by Sylvie Rancourt (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Palookaville #22 by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Step Aside, Pops by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Stroppy by Marc Bell (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

 * WINNER - Dakota McFadzean for Don't Get Eaten By Anything (Conundrum Press)
 * Ted Gudlat for Funny Ha-Has (Roads Publishing)
 * Rebecca Roher for Mom Body (The Nib)
 * Sabrina Scott for Witchbody
 * Kat Verhoeven for Towerkind (Conundrum Press)

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - New Comics # 6 & 7 by Patrick Kyle
 * Leather Vest by Michael Comeau
 * Intelligent Sentient? by Luke Ramsey (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * We Are Going To Bremen To Be Musicians by Tin Can Forest and Geoff Berner
 * Agalma by Stanley Wany (Éditions Trip)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Fatherland by Nina Bunjevac (Jonathan Cape/Random House)
 * Ant Colony by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Safari Honeymoon by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
 * The People Inside by Ray Fawkes (Oni Press)
 * This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki (Groundwood)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

 * WINNER - Meags Fitzgerald for Photobooth: A Biography (Conundrum Press)
 * Aaron Costain for Entropy #10
 * Elisabeth Belliveau for One Year in America (Conundrum Press)
 * Julie Delporte for Everywhere Antennas (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Simon Roy for Tiger Lung (Dark Horse)
 * Sophie Yanow for War of Streets and Houses (Uncivilized Books)

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Swinespritzen by Connor Willumsen
 * Comics Collection 2010–2013 and Less than Dust by Julien Ceccaldi
 * Great Success! 1983–2013 by Henriette Valium (Crna Hronika)
 * New Comics #3–5 by Patrick Kyle (Mother Books)
 * Undocumented: The Architecture of Migrant Detention by Tings Chak (The Architecture Observer)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Paul Joins the Scouts by Michel Rabagliati (Conundrum Press)
 * Palookaville #21 by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Science Fiction by Joe Ollmann (Conundrum Press)
 * Susceptible by Geneviève Castrée (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Very Casual by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)

Spotlight Award

 * WINNER - Steven Gilbert for The Journal of the Main Street Secret Lodge
 * Connor Willumsen for "Calgary: Death Milks a Cow", "Treasure Island", "Mooncalf", and "Passionfruit"
 * Dakota McFadzean for Other Stories and the Horse You Rode in On (Conundrum Press)
 * Patrick Kyle for Distance Mover #7–12, New Comics #1–2
 * Georgia Webber for Dumb #1–3

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Out of Skin by Emily Carroll ***
 * "Calgary: Death Milks a Cow" by Connor Willumsen
 * Flexible Tube with Stink Lines by Seth Scriver
 * Journal by Julie Delporte (Koyama Press)
 * Very Casual by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)

Best Book

 * WINNER - The Song of Roland by Michel Rabagliati (Conundrum Press)
 * Lose #4 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
 * By This Shall You Know Him by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)
 * Pope Hats #3 by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)
 * Wax Cross by Tin Can Forest (Koyama Press)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

 * WINNER - Nina Bunjevac for Heartless (Conundrum Press)
 * Brandon Graham for King City (Image Comics)
 * Patrick Kyle for Black Mass, Distance Mover, Wowee Zonk #4
 * George Walker for The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson (The Porcupine's Quill)
 * Eric Kostiuk Williams for Hungry Bottom Comics

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Hamilton Illustrated by David Collier (Wolsak & Wynn)
 * Hellberta #2 and "Sir Softly" from š! #12 by Michael Comeau
 * 4PANEL comics in Carousel Magazine #28 & #29, by Michael DeForge, Larry Eisenstein, Jesse Jacobs, Mark Laliberte (editor), Marc Ngui, Ethan Rilly, Tin Can Forest and Magda Trzaski
 * So, what should we do with ourselves?... from Wowee Zonk #4 and Little Stump in š! #12, by Ginette Lapalme

Best Book

 * WINNER - Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Lose #3 by Michael Deforge (Koyama Press)
 * Mid-Life by Joe Ollmann (Conundrum Press)
 * Paying for It by Chester Brown (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Reunion by Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * The Great Northern Brotherhood of Canadian Cartoonists by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

Spotlight Award (aka The Nipper)

 * WINNER- Ethan Rilly for Pope Hats #2 (Adhouse Books)
 * Emily Carroll for "The Seven Windows" (from The Anthology Project vol. 2), "Margot's Room" and "The Prince & the Sea" (and other comics at emcarroll.com/comic)
 * Patrick Kyle for Black Mass # 5 – 6
 * Betty Liang for Wet T-shirt #1, "It's Only a Secret if You Don't Tell Anyone" (in š! #9), "Anna Freud's Recurring Dream" (and other comics at bettyliang.tumblr.com)
 * Zach Worton for The Klondike

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Hellberta by Michael Comeau
 * Hermoddities by Temple Bates
 * Pure Pajamas by Marc Bell
 * Untitled by Mum Pittsburg, Jupiter Leucetius! Send Us a King. We Are So Bored (and other comics at connorwillumsen.com) by Connor Willumsen

2011
(Jurists: Sara Quin, Michael Redhill, Anita Kunz, Marc Bell and Mark Medley)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Bigfoot by Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Chimo by David Collier (Conundrum Press)
 * Lose #2 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press)
 * Moving Pictures by Kathryn Immonen, Stuart Immonen (Top Shelf Productions)
 * Streakers by Nick Maandag

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - Alex Fellows, Spain and Morocco
 * Aaron Costain, Entropy # 5
 * Keith Jones, Catland Empire (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * James Stokoe, Orc Stain Volume One (Image)
 * Tin Can Forest (aka Marek Colek and Pat Shewchuk), Baba Yaga and the Wolf (Koyama Press)

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Spotting Deer by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press) ***
 * Indoor Voice by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Stooge Pile by Seth Scriver (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * So I've Been Told by Maryanna Hardy (Conundrum Press)
 * Wowee Zonk #3 edited by Patrick Kyle, Ginette Lapalme and Chris Kuzma (Koyama Press)

2010
(Jurists: Matthew Forsythe, Geoff Pevere, Fiona Smyth, and Carl Wilson)

Best Book

 * WINNER - George Sprott: (1894–1975) by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)''
 * Back + Forth by Marta Chudolinska (Porcupine's Quill)
 * Hot Potatoe by Marc Bell (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Kaspar by Diane Obomsawin (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Red: A Haida Manga by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - Lose #1, Cold Heat Special #7 by Michael DeForge (Koyama Press; Picturebox)
 * I'm Crazy by Adam Bourret
 * Nicolas by Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * It's Snowing Outside, We Should Go for a Walk by John Martz
 * The Hipless Boy by Sully (Conundrum Press)

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Hot Potato by Marc Bell (D&Q)
 * Bébête by Simon Bossé (L'Oie de Cravan)
 * Dirty Dishes by Amy Lockhart (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Never Learn Anything from History by Kate Beaton (self-published)
 * The Collected Doug Wright Volume One by Doug Wright (Drawn & Quarterly)

Winners of the 2010 Doug Wright Awards were announced on May 8, 2010 in the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon in the Toronto Reference Library, during a ceremony hosted by actor Peter Outerbridge.

2009
(Jurists: Bob Rae, Andrew Coyne, Martin Levin, Joe Ollmann and Diana Tamblyn)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Skim by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki (Groundwood)
 * Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Drop-in by Dave Lapp (Conundrum Press)
 * Paul Goes Fishing by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - History Comics by Kate Beaton (self-published)
 * Maids in the Mist by Caitlin Black (self-published)
 * Blue Winter, Shapes in the Snow by Jesse Jacobs (self-published)
 * Kieffer #2 by Jason Kieffer (self-published)
 * Jack & Mandy by Nick Maandag (self-published)

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Ojingogo by Matthew Forsythe ((Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Hall of Best Knowledge by Ray Fenwick (Fantagraphics)
 * All We Ever Do is Talk About Wood by Tom Horacek (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Small Victories by Jesse Jacobs (self-published)

Winners of the 2009 Doug Wright Awards were announced on May 9, 2009 at the Art Gallery of Ontario during a ceremony hosted by actor and director Don McKellar.

2008
(Jurists: Katrina Onstad, Ho Che Anderson, Marc Glassman, Mariko Tamaki and Helena Rickett)

Best Book

 * WINNER - The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam by Ann Marie Fleming (Riverhead Books)
 * 365 Days: A Diary by Julie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Spent by Joe Matt (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Southern Cross by Laurence Hyde (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - Essex County Vol. 1: Tales from the Farm and Vol. 2: Ghost Stories by Jeff Lemire (Top Shelf Productions)
 * Pope Hats by Ethan Rilly
 * Kieffer #1 by Jason Kieffer
 * The Experiment by Nick Maandag

2008 saw the introduction of a new category dedicated to works that fall outside the bounds of traditional storytelling. Named after a character in the classic Canadian comic strip Birdseye Center, the Pigskin Peters Award recognizes experimental and avant-garde comics.

Pigskin Peters Award

 * WINNER - Milk Teeth by Julie Morstad (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Little Lessons in Safety by Emily Holton (Conundrum Press)
 * Excelsior 1968 by John Martz (self-published)
 * Fire Away by Chris von Szombathy (Drawn & Quarterly)

2007
(Jurists: Bruce McDonald, Mark Kingwell, Judy MacDonald, Lorenz Peter and Jessica Johnson)

Best Book

 * WINNER - This Will All End in Tears by Joe Ollmann (Insomniac Press) ***
 * Shenzhen: A Travelogue From China by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Scott Pilgrim & The Infinite Sadness by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni)
 * Gilded Lilies by Jillian Tamaki (Conundrum Press)
 * Nog-a-dod edited by Marc Bell (Conundrum Press)

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - House of Sugar by Rebecca Kraatz (Tulip Tree Press) ***
 * Gray Horses by Hope Larson (Oni)
 * Was She Pretty? by Leanne Shapton (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
 * Bacter-area by Keith Jones (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Mendacity by Tamara Berger & Sophie Cossette (Kiss Machine)

2006
(Jurists: Justin Peroff, Alan Hunt and Ben Portis)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Paul Moves Out by Michel Rabagliati (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea by Guy Delisle (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Scott Pilgrim Versus the World by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni)
 * Dragonslippers: This Is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like by Rosalind B. Penfold (Grove Press)
 * Wimbledon Green by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - Dark Adaptation by Lorenz Peter ***
 * Northwest Passage Vol. 1 by Scott Chantler (Oni)
 * The Unexpurgated Tale of Lordie Jones by Marc Ngui (Conundrum Press)
 * Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
 * Nil: A Land Beyond Belief by James Turner (Slave Labor Graphics)

2005
(Jurists: Chester Brown, Rebecca Caldwell, Nora Young, Jerry Ciccoritti and Don McKellar)

Best Book

 * WINNER - Clyde Fans, Book One by Seth (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * Worn Tuff Elbow #1 by Marc Bell (Fantagraphics Books)
 * Pamplemoussi by Geneviève Castrée (L'Oie de Cravan)
 * The Frank Ritza Papers by David Collier (Drawn & Quarterly)
 * DC: The New Frontier vol. 1 by Darwyn Cooke (DC Comics)

Best Emerging Talent

 * WINNER - Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press)
 * Rabbithead by Rebecca Dart (Alternative Comics)
 * Revolver #1 by Max Douglas / Salgood Sam (self-published)
 * Canvas by Alex Fellows (Fantagraphics)