SOPHIE CASTILLE AWARDS
for comics in translation
Nine countries, ten awards, ten languages
These awards are to honor translators who are, more often than not, the unsung heroes of comics in translation. The difference between a good and a bad translation will determine the success of a comic in translation. These awards are for translators and all the unsung heroes of the comics industry. They are a way to remind us all to remember and respect all those who make comics the wonder that they are.
The award is given to the translator, and no titles are considered if the translator is not credited in the work.
These awards have been created in the honor of Sophie Castille International rights director and V.P. of licensing for Media participations and cofounder and director of Europe Comics. Since the late nineties, Sophie built bridges around the world for the comics industry. She was a constant source of creativity, motivating publishers from all over the globe and encouraging them to exchange ideas and rights. She became a key figure in the growth of comics and graphic novels in translation around the world. Therefore the award is given to an outstanding translator in each country where the award is hosted.
Comics and graphic novels, considered in France as The Ninth Art, are a diverse and dynamic international medium that are growing in popularity every year and are loved the world over. Spreading these works internationally through translation is a way to bring the world together.
With comics in translation becoming an important influence in the publishing world, VIP Brands ltd. and Comica decided to honour Sophie’s memory and continue her work to promote comics in translation around the world with these global awards.
We are proud to have nine partner hosts, ten languages and ten awards. We are hoping more countries will join. Please contact us at: info@sophie-castille-awards.org if you would like to host a Sophie Castille Award in your countrty and language.
The nine hosts of the Sophie Castille Awards
Comicon Naples (Italian)
Comic Barcelona (Spanish/Catalan)
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΑΚΑΔΗΜΙΑ ΚΟΜΙΚΣ (Greek Comics Academy) (Greek)
Troféu Angelo Agostini (Brazilian Portuguese)
Łódź International Festival of Comics and Games (Polish)
The Beat (English)
Tinta Festival Stripa (Slovenian)
Bergen Tekst & Tegning (Norwegian)
SoBD (French)
In memory of
Sophie Castille
AWARD DATES
Comicon, Naples - Italian - 1 May 2026
Sophie Castille Award- Italian 2026
WINNER:
Mary Lou Emberti Gialloreti for Il mio amico Kim Jong-un, di Keum Sun Gendry-Kim; (Bao Publishing)
NOMINEES:
Luce Lacquaniti for Gaza attraverso lo schermo, di Mazen Kerbaj; (Coconino Press)
Fabio Gadducci e Mirko Tavosanis for La leggenda di Luther Arkwright, di Bryan Talbot; (Tunué)
Lorenzo Corti for La Luna e il Serpente: sussidiario di magia, di John Coulthart, Steve Moore, Kevin O’Neill e Alan Moore; (Panini Comics)
Claudia Valeria Letizia e Eva Valvo for Mira #5: #ragazze&ragazzi #contro #adulti, di Sabine Lemire e Rasmus Bregnhøi; (Sinnos Editrice)
Comic Barcelona - Spanish/Catalan - 15 May, 2026
https://www.comic-barcelona.com/en/best-translation-award.cfm
Sophie Castille Award - Spanish/Catalan 2026
WINNER:
Montserrat Meneses Vilar for El disturbio eterno, by Joe Sacco
Reservoir Book
NOMINEES:
Esther Cruz Santaella for Anna by Mia Oberländer
Salamandra Graphic
Eva Reyes de Uña for Impenetrable by Alix Garin
Norma Editorial
Montserrat Meneses Vilar for Mycelium Wassonii by Brian Blomerth
Reservoir Books
Gema Moraleda for Somna by Becky Cloonan & Tula Lotay
Norma Editorial
ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΑΚΑΔΗΜΙΑ ΚΟΜΙΚΣ (Greek Comics Academy) - Greek - ComicDom,
Athens, 15 May 2026
Sophie Castille Award - Greek 2026
WINNER:
Giannis Iatrou & Jonathan Chikareli for The Prophecy of Armadillo
Greek Title: Η Προφητεία Του Αρμαντιλλο
Publisher: Chaniartoon Press, DocMZ Publishing
NOMINEES:
Tatiana Rapakoulia for I Am Their Silence
Greek Title: Είμαι η Σιωπή τους
Publisher: Mikros Iros Publications
Giorgos Karampelas for Habemus Bastard
Greek Title: Habemus Bastard
Publisher: Mikros Iros Publications
Danai Tachtara for El Eternauta 1969 – The Cosmonaut of Infinity
Greek Title: El Eternauta 1969 – Ο Κοσμοναυτης Του Απειρου
Publisher: Jemma Press x DocMZ Publishing
Giannis Iatrou & Jonathan Chikareli for Smalto & Johnny
Greek Title: Σμάλτο & Τζόννυ
Publisher: DocMZ Publishing
Troféu Angelo Agostini - Brazilian Portuguese - São Paulo, 28 June, 2026
https://aqc-sp.com.br/2026/05/21/conheca-os-finalistas-do-sophie-castille-awards/
Sophie Castille Award - Brazilian Portuguese 2026
WINNER:
Érico Assis, por Eightball Completo (DarkSide) – obra original: The Complete Eightball, de Daniel Clowes (Fantagraphics)
NOMINEES:
Aline Zouvi, por Epiléptico (DarkSide) – obra original: L’Ascension du Haut Mal, de David B. (L’Association)
Dandara Palankof, por Little Monsters Volume 2 (DarkSide) – obra original: Little Monsters Volume 2, de Jeff Lemire e Dustin Nguyen (Image Comics)
Elisa Menezes, por A Lenda das Quatro Sombras (Risco) – obra original: La Leyenda de las Cuatro Sombras, de Carlos Trillo e Fernando Fernández (Glénat España)
Érico Assis, por Happy Endings (Risco) – obra original: Happy Endings, de Lucie Bryon (Sarbacane)
Levi Trindade, por A Moeda de Prata: Edição Integral (Taverna do Rei) – obra original: The Silver Coin, de Michael Walsh, Chip Zdarsky, Kelly Thompson, Ed Brisson, Jeff Lemire, Joshua Williamson, Ram V, Matthew Rosenberg, Vita Ayala, James Tynion IV, Stephanie Phillips, Johnnie Christmas e Pornsak Pichetshote (Image Comics)
Rodrigo Lobo, por Thorgal: Série Clássica Volume 1 (Pipoca & Nanquim) – obra original: Thorgal, de Grzegorz Rosiński e Jean Van Hamme (Le Lombard)
Łódź International Festival of Comics and Games - Polish, 26 September, 2026
WINNER
Piotr Paczkowski for the translation from Swedish „Naturalna komedia”, Kultura Gniewu
FINALISTS
Wojciech Birek for the translation from French „Na końcu wszyscy umierają”, Timof Comics
Olga Mysłowska for the translation from French „Odzyskać pożądanie”, Kultura Gniewu
The Beat - English, NYCC 2026, 9 October, 2026
WINNER
Montana Kane for True Colors: Growing Up Weird in the ‘90s by Elise Gravel, published by Drawn and Quarterly
NOMINEES
Jamie Richards for Petra Chérie by Attilio Micheluzzi, published by Fantagraphics
Andrea Rosenberg for Witchcraft by Sole Otero, published by Fantagraphics
Alice Yang for Not on Display by Zelba, published by Helvetiq
Martha Kuhlman for Heartcore by Štěpánka Jislová, published by Pennsylvania University Press
TINTA - festival stripa - Slovenian, Children and adult, Ljubljana, 10 October, 2026
WINNERS
Best Translation of a Comic for Children and Young Adults
Katja Zakrajšek for Vrabčica by Joana Estrela (VigeVageKnjige, 2026)
In this subtle story about fascination, growing closer, and falling in love between two teenage girls, various modes of expression—dialogue, narrative prose, and prose poems—are interwoven; the translator navigates all of them with great skill. The dialogue stands out for its bold use of colloquialisms typical of teenage speech, which injects a touch of humor into an otherwise gentle and, at times, melancholic narrative. In the prose sections—reminiscent of diary entries—the sentences are short and natural, while the prose poems are distinguished by their excellent rhythm. The translator masterfully brings the narrative closer to the young adult audience for whom this wonderful work is primarily intended. Therefore, the Sophie Castille Award in the category of comics for children and young adults is presented to Katja Zakrajšek for her translation of *Vrabčica* by the Portuguese author Joana Estrela.
Best Translation of a Graphic Novel for Adults
Vesna Velkovrh Bukilica – for Jimmy Corrigan, najbrihtnejši poba na svetu
by Chris Ware (VigeVageKnjige, 2025)
In this monumental graphic novel, the translator masterfully nuanced the differences in the speech of characters from different generations, employing distinct colloquial expressions and modes of utterance. Across nearly four hundred pages—in addition to the text within traditional speech bubbles—she translated, with exceptional precision and a keen sense for the author’s specific brand of humor, all captions, interjections, prose passages, explanatory notes, and even instructions for assembling various objects, successfully capturing a wide range of required registers. For this remarkable translation achievement, the Sophie Castille Award in the category of graphic novels for adults is presented to Vesna Velkovrh Bukilica for her translation of *Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth* by Chris Ware.
Bergen Tekst & Tegning - Norwegian, 6-8 November 2026
FINALSTS
Thomas Lundbo for Lebensborn, by Isabelle Maroger, published by Omnipax
Alexander Leborg for Lucky Luke nr. 85, by Achdé and Jul, published by Egmont Story House
Olivia Tångring for Sagaen om Thorgal nr. 23: Tusen øyne, by Yann, Fred Vignaux and Gaétan Georges, published by Hjemmet
Ellen Haugan for lSilhuett av en stemme nr. 7 by Yoshitoki Oima, published by Outland forlag
Arvid Skancke-Knutsen for Sprint: Skatten i San Inferno by Lewis Trondheim and Fabrice Tarrin, published by Egmont Story House
Erlend Loe for Ørn by Jeppe Standholt, published by Strand Vorlag
SoBD - French, Paris, 4-6 December 2026. Award date TBA
