The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the creativity, skill, and fun of comics. The awards return for their sixth year on Saturday, September 9, 2023 as part of the fan- and pro-favorite convention, The Baltimore Comic-Con.

Unlike other professional industry awards, the Ringo Awards include fan participation in the nomination process along with an esteemed jury of comics professionals. 

More than 20 categories will be celebrated with top honors being given at the awards ceremony in October.

Fan and Pro Nominations

Fan and pro-jury voting are tallied independently, and the combined nomination ballot is compiled by the Ringo Awards Committee. The top two fan choices become nominees, and the jury’s selections fill the remaining three slots for five total nominees per category. Ties may result in more than five nominees in a single category. Nominees will be listed on the ballot alphabetically. Nomination ballot voting is open to the public (fans and pros) between February 24, 2023 and May 11, 2023.

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Final Ballot Voting

After processing by the Ringo Awards Committee and Jury, the Final Ballots are targeted to be available to comic creative professionals for voting on July 12, 2023 and will be due by August 9, 2023 for final tallying. Presentation of the winners will occur at the Baltimore Comic-Con on the evening of Saturday, September 9, 2023.

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Nomination Eligibility

Eligibility for creators and creative works is determined by publication in the preceding calendar year (January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022) – print publication date takes precedence over electronic publication date. For electronic works, the date of publication is time-stamped with most publications and at least 3 episodes/installments of continuing works must have appeared during the eligibility period.

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Fan and Pro Nomination Categories

• Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist)
• Best Writer
• Best Artist or Penciller
• Best Inker
• Best Letterer
• Best Colorist
• Best Cover Artist
• Best Series
• Best Single Issue or Story
• Best Original Graphic Novel
• Best Anthology
• Best Humor Comic
• Best Webcomic
• Best Humor Webcomic
• Best Non-fiction Comic Work
• Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel
• Best Presentation in Design

Perennial Jury-Only Nomination

• The Mike Wieringo Spirit Award

Fan-Only Favorite Categories

• Favorite Hero
• Favorite Villain
• Favorite New Series
• Favorite New Talent
• Favorite Publisher

Hero Initiative Award (selected by the Hero Initiative)

• The Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award
• The Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award

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Publisher Submissions

Publishers wishing to submit works for review by the Ringo Jurors can submit up to five submissions per “Fan and Pro Nomination” category that they feel are worthy of consideration. To participate in this process, publishers are asked to have a single representative send an email to contact@ringoawards.com for information on how to send in your submission.