The winners of the 2026 Doug Wright Awards were announced on June 6 at Toronto's Arts & Letter Club. Established in 2005, the awards celebrate excellence in the field of Canadian comics and named for cartoonist Doug Wright (1917–1983). Howler Reef, written by Nancy Deas and illustrated by Mike Deas (Orca Book Publishers), took home The Egghead: The Doug Wright Award for Best Kids' Book.
Emily Hearn (1925–2015) and Mark Thurman, the creators and original team behind The Mighty Mites, the long-running and beloved children’s comic that made its debut in OWL magazine 50 years ago, were inducted into the Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartooning Hall of Fame.
Brad Mackay and Seth, founders of the Doug Writer Awards, and Ken Wright, Doug Wright’s son, announced a new certificate of commendation—the Phyllis Wright Thomas Award—named in honour of Doug Wright’s widow, and longtime supporter of the awards. The inaugural certificate was awarded to OWL magazine for 50 years of publishing and supporting comics for kids.
The watch the ceremony, hosted by Ho Che Anderson, click here. To see the entire Egghead shortlist, click here.
For the complete list of winners, visit dougwrightawards.com.