The Slate Book Review has teamed up with the Center for Cartoon Studies to offer The Cartoonist Studio Prize, a new awards program that will be judged by Slate's Dan Kois, The CCS faculty and students, and New Yorker art editor Françoise Mouly, who serves as this year's guest judge. Slate announced yesterday the nominees in two categories, best graphic novel and best webcomics, and will reveal the winners of the $1,000 prizes March 1.

The nominees for best graphic novel are:

  • Lilli Carré for Heads or Tails. Published by Fantagraphics.
  • Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido for Blacksad: A Silent Hell. Published by Dark Horse.
  • Tom Gauld for Goliath. Published by Drawn and Quarterly.
  • Brandon Graham for King City. Published by Image.
  • Jesse Jacobs for By This Shall You Know Him. Published by Koyama Press.
  • Na Liu and Andres Vera Martinez for Little White Duck: A Childhood in China. Published by Graphic Universe.
  • Luke Pearson for Hilda and the Midnight Giant. Published by Nobrow Press.
  • Chris Ware for Building Stories. Published by Pantheon.
  • Julia Wertz for The Infinite Wait and Other Stories. Published by Koyama Press.
  • Frank M. Young and David Lasky for The Carter Family: Don’t Forget This Song. Published by Abrams ComicArts.

The nominees for best webcomic are: