The winners of the Ignatz Awards were announced yesterday during a ceremony at the Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland.

Named in honor of the brick-wielding mouse in George Herriman's Krazy Kat strip, the awards recognize achievement in comics and cartooning. Nominees are selected by a panel of five cartoonists and then voted on by SPX attendees.

The winners of the 2009 Ignatz Awards are:

Outstanding Artist: Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)

Outstanding Anthology or Collection: Kramer’s Ergot #7, edited by Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura)

Outstanding Graphic Novel: Acme Novelty Library #19, Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)

Outstanding Story: “Willy,” Papercutter #10, Damien Jay (Tugboat)

Promising New Talent: Colleen Frakes, Woman King (self-published)

Outstanding Series: Uptight, Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)

Outstanding Comic: Uptight #3, Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)

Outstanding Mini-Comic: Stay Away From Other People, Lisa Hanawalt

Outstanding Online Comic: Year of the Rat, Cayetano Garza

Congratulations to all of the winners. The complete list of nominees can be found here.