The Inkwell Awards, the only non-profit organization devoted to public education and promotion of the art of comic book inking, invites everyone to vote for the industry’s best of the year. The official public ballot will be available on the Inkwells’ homepage from February 15 through March 1.
Voting is open to fans and professionals alike. The five categories are “Favorite Inker,” “Most Adaptable,” “Props” (inkers deserving more attention), the “S.P.A.M.I.” (Small Press And Mainstream/Independent) and “All-In-One” for pencilers who ink their own work. The ballot covers all printed American comic books cover-dated 2018.
“This is the first ballot with our revamped nomination procedure where inkers could submit their work,” said Bob Almond, founder, and director of The Inkwell Awards. “It made a huge difference. Every category had two to four names that were chosen from artist submissions.”
As a courtesy, also listed on the ballot are the nominees for two lifetime achievement honors. The first is the JoeSinnott Hall of Fame (“HoF”) award for an outstanding inking career of 25 or more years in American comics, whose winners are chosen by an internal committee (to avoid a “popularity contest” where recent names have more influence than past masters). Two nominees are awarded each year.
The other is the Stacey Aragon Special Recognition Award (SASRA), which differs from the HoF due to the artist being out of the “public eye,” having limited name-recognition due to semi- or full retirement or death, limited-yet-influential output, social barriers such as gender/race, or other factors that might otherwise limit their consideration for the traditional HoF award. It was posthumously named in honor of the first female member of the Inkwells who, according to Almond, “was the heart and soul of our organization.”
He also added, “Too many inkers go unnoticed or are glossed over by some awards events. Ours caters specifically to ink artists and allows them to be recognized and appreciated for their best work. We encourage all who appreciate great artwork to participate and share on social media; the more voters, the better.”
The winners will be announced at the live awards ceremony at The Great Philadelphia Comic Con! in Oaks, PA the weekend of April 12-14
