Pop Culture Classroom (PCC) announced the Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards finalists and winners this week. The 2021 Excellence in Graphic Literature Award categories honors the Best in Children’s, Middle Grade, Young Adult, and Adult Graphic Literature. The nonprofit behind Fan Expo Denver (Formerly Denver Pop Culture Con, and Denver Comic Con) in short called PCC selected the finalists and winners by advisory boards and juries whose experience comes from publishing, libraries, and education. These awards have been out in the literature world since 2017 and center around graphic novels, comics, and other graphic literature that is meant to offer educational value for students and educators. Graphic novels are a unique and effective way to teach children classic and new stories that they might otherwise be disinterested in.
According to Pop Culture Classroom Program Manager Tajshen Campbell, Ph.D., This year’s Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards winners highlight graphic literature’s incredible scope and power. These are unique and captivating stories that are told in especially effective and educationally engaging ways. The EGL Awards help educators and librarians choose high-quality graphic literature to bring to their classrooms. They also help grow sales of all graphic novels, and parents and Pop Culture fans are introduced to compelling and wonderfully crafted literature.
The 2021 Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards winners are:
Best in Children’s Fiction — Bear, Written by Ben Queen and Illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (BOOM! Studios)
Best in Children’s Non-Fiction — Black Heroes of the Wild West, Written and Illustrated by James Otis Smith (TOON Books)
Best in Middle-Grade Fiction — Snapdragon, Written and Illustrated by Kat Leyh (Macmillan Publishers)
Best in Middle-Grade Non-Fiction — Noisemakers: 25 Women Who Raised Their Voices & Changed the World, Edited by Erin Bried (Knopf – Random House Children’s Books)
Best in Young Adult Fiction — Displacement, Written and Illustrated by Kiku Hughes (Macmillan Publishers)
Best in Young Adult Non-Fiction — The Mars Challenge, Written by Alison Wilgus and Illustrated by Wyeth Yates (Macmillan Publishers)
Best in Adult Fiction — Invisible Differences, Written by Julie Dachez and Illustrated by Mme. Caroline (Oni Press)
Best in Adult Non-Fiction (Co-Winners) — Phoolan Devi: Rebel Queen, Written and Illustrated by Claire Fauvel (NBM Graphic Novels) AND Year of the Rabbit, Written and Illustrated by Tian Veasna (Drawn & Quarterly)
Congratulations to the winners! How amazing is it to see such creativity recognized?! Graphic novels and education benefit each other. Parents and teachers are realizing their value to inspire children to read a book, and thank you to Pop Culture Classroom for giving these authors these opportunities.
See the complete list of Nominees here.
Written by Colleen Bement
Hi, I’m Lynn, and I Make.
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