The Monsoon Awards has launched as the first pan-Asian prize dedicated to comics, with its inaugural ceremony set for the 2026 Bangkok Comic Arts Festival. Founded by artists Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray and Boris Aravindabalan, the awards aim to create a unified platform for Asian graphic storytelling across languages and markets. Spanning seven categories, the initiative seeks to strengthen regional connections among creators and elevate Asian comics on the global stage.
BANGKOK and SINGAPORE, March 30, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A new chapter for Asian comics begins today.
The Monsoon Awards, the first independent, artist-led prize dedicated to honoring excellence across Asian comics, has officially launched. The awards will culminate in a live ceremony at the 2026 edition of the Bangkok Comics Art Festival in Bangkok, one of Southeast Asia's leading gatherings for comics creators.
Founded by comic artists Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray and Boris Aravindabalan, The Monsoon Awards is a ground-up initiative that seeks to establish an inclusive platform celebrating Asian graphic storytelling.
"Asian comics have shaped global culture for decades," said Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray, Co-Founder of The Monsoon Awards. "From manga to manhua to independent zines and webtoons, the region has produced some of the most innovative visual storytelling in the world. Yet many creators struggle to find platforms for their work. We want to help increase visibility for them."
The Awards will recognize excellence across seven categories:
- Best Graphic Novel in English
- Best Graphic Narrative in Thai
- Best Short Comic / Zine (under 30 pages)
- Best Webcomic / Serial / Strip
- Best Nonfiction Comic
- Best Experimental Comic
- Best Young Adult Comic
Full eligibility criteria and submission guidelines are available at themonsoonawards.com.
Jurors represent a cross-section of creators, scholars, and cultural leaders from across Asia. They include:
- Adisak Das Pongsampan – Legendary Thai manga artist with works published in nearly 100 volumes.
- Ditta Amelia Saraswati – Jakarta-based illustrator and author whose work blends visual storytelling with Japanese pop culture influences.
- Eunsoo Jeong – Creator of the Koreangry comic and zine series and multidisciplinary artist based in Santa Cruz.
- Keawalee Warutkomain (Belle) – Bangkok-based animator, co-founder of Klower°, and SiamANIMA festival director whose work has screened at Annecy and other major festivals.
- Nicolas Verstappen – Comics lecturer and historian at Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) and author of the Eisner-nominated The Art of Thai Comics.
- Paolo Herras – Author of the Strange Natives graphic novel series, festival director of the Philippine International Comics Festival and co-founder of KOMIKET.
- Reimena Yee – Malaysian-born, Melbourne-based graphic novelist, curator and co-founder of UNNAMED and the Cartoonist Cooperative.
- Suttichart Sarapaiwanich – Bangkok-based comic artist, graphic designer and head of the Computer Art department at Rangsit University (Thailand).
"Reading comics has always been a rich source of inspiration for new ways of storytelling, visual language, and narrative rhythm" shared Monsoon Awards Juror Keawalee Warutkomain, who goes by Belle. "I can't wait to discover powerful Asian voices and perspectives through the Monsoon Awards!"
"Monsoons transform landscapes and influence people's ways of life," said Lizeray. "They bring energy, vitality and change. That's what we want this award to represent. The Monsoon Awards celebrates new and original voices shaping Asia's visual imagination."
The name reflects a force that connects regions and transcends borders. Beyond increasing visibility for Asian storytellers on the global stage, The Monsoon Awards strives to strengthen ties between comics creators and communities across Asia, and help promote intra-Asian readership and translation.
"It's vital to highlight Asian languages. One category is Best Graphic Narrative in Thai, in honor of the host country of our inaugural edition set in Bangkok," Lizeray added. "Next year the Monsoon Awards will be in a different city in Asia and highlight another Asian language. We want this award to travel, to grow, and to celebrate the rich cultural histories and diversity of Asia."
Juror Paolo Herras said he is especially keen to read works by emerging voices in Southeast Asia. "There's a storm of new voices from Southeast Asian countries that also deserves to be read and discovered."
Media Contact
Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray, The Monsoon Awards, 1 9174100737, [email protected], www.themonsoonawards.com
SOURCE The Monsoon Awards
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