Our shortlist for the 2025 awards have now been announced! Congratulations to all our nominees!

The winners will be announced at our online awards ceremony on 5 December 2025 at 19:00 GMT. We look forward to seeing you there!

Best Short Comic

Shortlist

• A Duel of Fools by Cat Laird
• Free Motion by Levi J. Richards
• Grawlgore & Shanks by John Lees, Joe Mulvey, Kurt Michael Russell, Shawn Lee
• One More Year by Simon Birks (Writer), Pietro (Artist), Rob Jones (Letterer)
• Plasticine Cowboy by Jack Stamp

Best Graphic Novel

Shortlist

• Graphic Novel Builder: The illustrated guide to making your own comics by Edward Ross, Alice Oseman (introduction)
• Ruin of the House of the Divine Visage by Eve Greenwood and Spire Greenwood
• Sacred Bodies by VER
• SINK Vol 3: City of Killers by John Lees, Alex Cormack, Shawn Lee
• The Silence of our Fathers by François Giro

Best Art

Shortlist

• A Duel of Fools by Cat Laird
• Eclipse of Moths by Will Tempest
• One More Year by Simon Birks (Writer), Pietro (Artist), Rob Jones (Letterer)
• Ruin of the House of the Divine Visage by Eve Greenwood and Spire Greenwood
• Sacred Bodies by VER

Best Narrative

Shortlist

• Kid Eastwood #27 by Connor Tierney
• One More Year by Simon Birks (Writer), Pietro (Artist), Rob Jones (Letterer)
• Ruin of the House of the Divine Visage by Eve Greenwood and Spire Greenwood
• Sacred Bodies by VER
• The Silence of our Fathers by François Giro

Up and Coming Talent

Shortlist

• A Very Fragile Release Coming Along as a Light Breath by Jules Valera
• Free Motion by Levi J. Richards
• Plasticine Cowboy by Jack Stamp
• The Feed by Kit Frith (Writer, Pencils, Inks, Cover Art), and Cat Frith (Interior Colours)
• The Silence of our Fathers by François Giro

Our judges

Hannah Berry

Photo by Claire McNamee

Hannah Berry is an occasionally award-winning comics creator, scriptwriter and campaigner, a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and UK Comics Laureate 2019-21.

Author of three graphic novels for Jonathan Cape - BRITTEN & BRÜLIGHTLY, ADAMTINE, and LIVESTOCK - she has also contributed comics to a wide variety of publications from 2000AD to The New England Journal of Medicine.

Berry is a founding committee member of the Society of Authors’ Comics Creators Network and co-founder and co-director of the Comics Cultural Impact Collective.

M D Penman

Mark Penman is a comic writer/artist and academic based in Leeds. Mark's works specialise in world building and storytelling, aspects further explored in his career as a comics academic and senior lecturer on the BA Hons Comic and Concept Art course at Leeds Arts University.

He has produced a series of fantasy graphic novels, arranged several comics anthologies, and researched the use of comics as an accessible medium for introducing people to classical literature.

Following his and John Reppion’s adaption of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, he has been invited to speak at academic conferences such as Spirits of Place and Thought Bubble comic convention.

Shazleen Khan

Shazleen Khan is a queer Bangladeshi Muslim Illustrator and Author based in London. Their work centers experiences of diaspora, religious mysticism and complicated inter-personal relationships; whether it be romantic or familial.

Shazleen began self-publishing their comics as a teenager and has since gone on to achieve a Bachelor's degree in Illustration and a Master's Degree in Children's Book and Graphic Novels.

They work full time as an Illustrator and occasionally work as a lecturer and speaker. Their notable works include Ignatz award winning webcomic BUUZA!! and Eisner and Harvey nominated middle grade graphic novel Saving Sunshine (First Second / Macmillan, 2023, written by Saadia Faruqi).

Our sponsor

La Belle Adventure Bookshop

Thanks to Anabelle & Benoit of La Belle Adventure Bookshop in Edinburgh for once again supporting us during the shortlisting process!

Thank you also to the other members of our shortlisting team: Sarracenian and Ten Van Winkle. Your insights and perspectives were truly invaluable!