Indian Comic Book Awards 2026: First Edition of the Event Celebrating Comics and Graphic Storytelling Concludes
The event featured some of the biggest names from the industry, including Tinkle and Raj Comics.
The first-ever Indian Comic Book Awards, hosted by the Comic Book Trust of India, took place in Mumbai on May 9, 2026. The initiative was first announced in February 2026 by Jatin Varma, chief trustee of The Comic Book Trust of India.
The first edition of the awards celebrated the best comic book work released by Indian creators in 2025. Here's the list of awards that were given and their winners:
Special Award
Edison George | Special Recognition for Outstanding Contribution to Comic Culture
Best Debut Creator
Gold | Anand Babu | Private-Eye Tulsee
Silver | Priyankar Gupta | The City Of Missing People
Bronze | Yashmeen Jindal | Pathway Home
Best Web Comic
Gold | Mohd. Faisal | Garbage Bin
Silver| Shubham Khurana | Corporat Comics
Bronze | Vibha Rao | Indian Scribbles
Best Lettering
Gold | Ravi Raj Ahuja | Technicolour Lovers Vol.1 (Black Sheep & Yali Dream Works)
Silver | Charbak Dipta | HJBRL (Harper Collins India)
Bronze | Mandar & Gaurav Gangele | The Legend Of Watakattu - The Venom King (Alpha Comics)
Best Colourist
Gold | Prasad Patnaik | W.O.M.E: Weapons Of Mass Extinction (Holy Cow Entertainment)
Silver | Charbak Dipta | HJBRL (Harper Collins India)
Bronze | Abhijeet Kini | Defective Detectives (Tinkle Magazine)
Best Writer
Gold | Bijoy Raveendran | Technicolour Lovers Vol.1 (Black Sheep & Yali Dream Works)
Silver| Arnav Anand | Parashuram Vol.2 (Vrindkavi & Harper Collins India)
Bronze | Angshuman Chakraborty | The Sun Is Made Of Silver (Indian Summer Press)
Best Artist
Gold | Utsab Chatterjee | Technicolour Lovers Vol.1 (Black Sheep & Yali Dream Works)
Silver | Mona Singh | Parashuram Vol.2 (Vrindkavi & Harper Collins India)
Bronze | Deepjoy Subba | Dracula Vol.3 (Bullseye Press)
Best Comic Book
Gold | Technicolour Lovers (Vol.1): Aaranya Kaandam | Black Sheep & Yali Dream Works
Silver| Parashuram (Vol.2): Blessing Of Sahastra | Vrindkavi & Harper Collins India
Bronze | Tinkle Holiday Special No. 55 | Tinkle Magazine
The event was attended by some of the biggest names in Indian comics, including Tinkle and Raj Comics. The event also bought on panels with Rohan Joshi, talking about his love for comics and how his journey started from buying Tinkle at the railway station to today where everything is digitally available. Another panel was hosted with veteran comic artist, George Edison, who famously made all the art and graphics for Doga, talking about where he got his inspiration to make the characters come to life.
Talking about the event, Varma said, “I’ve seen firsthand the depth of talent in India, yet many creators continue to work without the support they deserve. With these Awards, we aim to build a lasting platform for Indian comics and lay a strong foundation for the country’s AVGC sector." Sanjay Gupta, the creator of the iconic character Doga, said, this award and event is "a vital step toward giving our artists the professional recognition they need to sustain their craft.”
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