We are delighted to announce that the winner of the Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art will be announced during the Opening Night event of its weekend-long Festival in Bowness-on-Windermere, on Friday 27th September 2024.
The Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art, named after the world-famous cartoonist, best known for his work on MAD and as co-creator of Groo, was established in 2017 by The National Cartoonists Society, the world’s largest and most prestigious organisation of professional cartoonists, in partnership with the Lakes International Comic Art Festival, and is presented annually to an exceptional comic artist, animator, or cartoonist.
Previous winners are Dave McKean (2017), Hunt Emerson (2018), Charlie Adlard(2019), Boulet (2021), Posy Simmonds (2022) and VIZ comic, edited by Graham Drury and Simon Thorp, in 2023.
Above: Simon Thorp of VIZ, with cartoonist Tom Richmond, president of The National Cartoonists Society Foundation, receiving the 2023 Sergio Aragonés International Award for Excellence in Comic Art at last year’s Lakes International Comic Art Festival
“The National Cartoonists Society and the NCS Foundation are pleased to continue our partnership with LICAF,” says NCS Foundation President Tom Richmond. “Reaching out over international borders to meet, interact, and share work with the incredible talents of cartoonists from all corners of the world is an invaluable experience, and we are grateful for the opportunity to be part of it."
The Lakes International Comic Art Festival, supported by the Arts Council, the Lake District National Park Authority and other valued partners, is taking place this weekend (27th - 29th September) in Bowness-on-Windermere, attracting hundreds of fans to the Lake District town for a packed comic art weekend extravaganza.
Events for comic fans of all ages at various venues include The Old Laundry Theatre and Windermere Jetty Museum, offering guest panels (some in a purpose-built sauna), free events for children, comic workshops, exhibitions, and more.
As usual, the Festival also offers plenty of family-friendly activities, and promises a weekend of wonderful events. You can download a PDF of the full programme here
Announced guests for 2024 in alphabetical order are: Mehdi Annassi, Yomi Ayeni, Kate Charlesworth, Cloud Chatanda, Mike Collins, Dagsson, Benoit Dahan, Jorge Fornés, Heike Friesel, Paul Gravett, Isabel Greenberg, Juanjo Guarnido, Luke Healy, Paolo Herras, Marc Jackson, Aimée De Jongh, Bobby Joseph, Keli Lark, Michael Lark, Cyril Lieron, Victoria Lomasko, Dave McKean, Junko Mizuno, Terry Moore, Reetta Niemensivu, Fumio Obata, Karel Osoha, Dan Panosian, Jacob Phillips, Sean Phillips, Pieter De Poortere, Jason Quinn, Patricia Ramos, Mollie Ray, Kevin Eric Raymundo, Bruno Redondo, The Rickard Sisters, Tom Richmond, Mohammad Sabaaneh, Nina Six, Bryan Talbot, Mary Talbot, Amy Tetteh, Emma Vieceli and the VIZ team.
• The National Cartoonists Society is online at nationalcartoonists.com