The finalists for the 2026 Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards, widely known as the Ringo Awards, have been announced.

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Poster featuring the 2026 Ringo Awards Best Cartoonist nominees — Nine creators are included in the Best Cartoonist final ballot for the 2026 Ringo Awards.

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According to the official Ringo Awards website, nine creators are included in the final ballot for the Best Cartoonist (Writer and Artist) category:

Caroline Cash
Scott Chantler
Anders Nilsen
Ben Passmore
Tiffany Petitt
Mimi Pond
Craig Thompson
Paige Walshe
Ben Wickey

The official ballot lists the nominees alphabetically and does not associate the Best Cartoonist nominations with specific books or publications. For this reason, the nomination should be understood as recognition of each creator’s eligible comics work rather than as an award for a single title.

Final Voting Open to Comics Professionals

The final voting period runs from July 29 to August 26, 2026 and is open to eligible members of the creative comics community.

Under the official rules, the open nomination process determines two finalists in each professional category, while a five-member jury selects three additional nominees. Ties can result in more than five creators or works appearing on the final ballot.

The winners will be announced during the Ringo Awards ceremony on Saturday, September 26, 2026, as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con. The 2026 ceremony will mark the tenth annual presentation of the awards.

Other 2026 Ringo Award Categories

Best Cartoonist is one of several professional categories included in the 2026 Ringo Awards program.

The awards also recognize achievement in areas including writing, drawing, inking, coloring, lettering, cover art, comic series, graphic novels, webcomics, humor comics and non-fiction comics.

For 2026, the organizers also introduced several category changes. Best Single Issue or Story was renamed Best Short Story, while the children’s category was divided into separate awards for readers aged 11 and under and those aged 12 and up. A new Best Comics-Related Publication category was also added for non-comics publications examining the art, history or culture of comics.

In addition to the professional categories, the Ringo Awards program includes publicly selected Fan Favorite honors and special recognitions such as the Mike Wieringo Spirit Award, the Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award and the Dick Giordano Humanitarian Award. The full list of categories, nominees and voting conditions is available through the official Ringo Awards website.

About the Ringo Awards

The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards celebrate creativity, craftsmanship and achievement across the comics industry.

Named in memory of American comic-book artist Mike Wieringo, the awards were first presented in 2017 and are held annually as part of the Baltimore Comic-Con. The nomination process combines public participation with selections made by a professional jury, while final voting in the main industry categories is carried out by eligible comics professionals.