Ukraine’s leading comics award names 2025 winners across 11 categories

The winners of the Ukrainian comics competition “Malopys of the Year 2025” have been announced, with awards presented in 11 categories and a special distinction recognizing contributions to the development of Ukraine’s comics industry.

The winners are:

— Best comic cover: “Mor. Potoibichchia” (“Pestilence. The Afterlife”) — Andrii Dankovych.

— Best short story: “Viribus Unitis! Rozdil 3” (“Viribus Unitis! Chapter 3”) from “NeKanon. Vypusk No. 4” (“NeKanon. Issue No. 4”)  — Anton Palych.

— Best children’s comic: “Dzhem dlia malykh chudovysk. Tom 2” (“Jam for Little Monsters. Vol. 2”) — Roman Kepkalo and Yana Palamarenko.

— Best licensed edition — Asia: “Berserk. Vol. 1” — Kentaro Miura, published in Ukrainian by Nasha Idea.

— Best licensed edition — America: “From Hell. Book 3” — Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, published by Vovkulaka.

— Best licensed edition — Europe: “Le Sursis” (“The Reprieve”) — Jean-Pierre Gibrat, published by Art9.

— Best comic scriptwriter: Mariam Naiem — “Korotka istoriia dovhoi viiny” (“A Brief History of a Long War”).

— Best comic artist: Liudmyla Samus — “Lys Mykyta. Pisnia persha” (“Mykyta the Fox. Song One”) and “Lys Mykyta. Pisnia druha” (“Mykyta the Fox. Song Two”).

— Best author: Kostiantyn Zorkin — “Imenem mista: malopys” (“In the Name of the City: A Comic”).

— Best short-form comic: “Blahymy namiramy. Hlava 1: Biblioteka” (“With Good Intentions. Chapter 1: The Library”) — Kateryna Sukhetska.

— Best long-form comic: “Imenem mista: malopys” (“In the Name of the City: A Comic”) — Kostiantyn Zorkin.

Kostiantyn Zorkin was the only creator to win two competitive categories, receiving both Best author and Best long-form comic for “Imenem mista: malopys.”

Maksym Bohdanovskyi received a special distinction for his contribution to the development of Ukraine’s comics industry.

Several winners returned after being recognized in 2024. Liudmyla Samus won Best Comic Artist for a second consecutive year, while Anton Palych again received Best Short Story. The “Jam for Little Monsters” series also repeated its Best Children’s Comic win, with its second volume taking the award this year after the first volume won in 2024.

The winners were announced during an Aug. 22 ceremony streamed on the “Tretia Paralel” YouTube channel.

This year’s jury included Mykyta Yaniuk, general manager of the award, comics translator, and co-founder of the “Tretia Paralel” channel; Pan Yurii, contributor to UAGeek.space and administrator of the UAGeek Telegram channel; Yurii Stakh, creator of the anime and manga channel MangUA; Iia Novytska, editor of the “Das ist fantastisch!” almanac and administrator of its Telegram channel; Natalia Lutsyshyn, comics reviewer and creator of the Books & Cat channel; Kyrylo Sutovskyi, artist, comics reviewer, and creator of the Ink Tear | “Chornylna sloza” Telegram channel; Yaroslav Chernovol, comics collector and reviewer and administrator of the “Chervonohariachyi Z’Gok” Telegram channel; Denys Syvenko, YouTuber, comics reviewer, and creator of the DenSy channel; Roman Vynohradov, creator of a channel reviewing cultural products; and Ivan Sirchenko, comics reviewer and creator of the “Movnyi doshch” Telegram channel.

Following the announcement, organizers continued a charity fundraiser. Comics nominated in the Best Licensed Edition categories for Europe, America, and Asia, along with additional prizes, are set to be raffled among donors.

Several of this year’s honorees have also been involved in Ukrainian graphic projects that have reached audiences abroad. As reported earlier, Mariam Naiem’s “A Brief History of a Long War,” illustrated by Yulia Vus and Ivan Kypibida, sold 5,000 copies in France during its first two months on the market. The graphic novel examines the history of Ukraine’s long conflict with Russia while connecting it with the experiences of people living through the current war.

Liudmyla Samus illustrated “Aridnyk,” a board game based on a comic inspired by Hutsul mythology. As reported earlier, a Kickstarter campaign for its English-language edition raised 130,000 U.S. dollars — 1,300% of its initial goal. The Ukrainian edition, released in January 2024, sold out in less than a year.

Bohdanovskyi was also among the creators of “PEREMOHA: Victory for Ukraine,” an English-language collection of Ukrainian graphic stories that became a finalist for the U.S. Benjamin Franklin Award in the Graphic Novel category in 2023.

The competition has been held in previous years as well, with Chytomo covering its 2023 and 2024 editions. In 2024, awards were presented across categories ranging from Best author and Best comic artist to children’s comics and licensed editions, while Roman Zarichnyi received a special distinction for promoting comics culture and active volunteer work.

Main image: “Malopys of the Year” Facebook page