Unveiling the Finalists for the 26th Bédélys Awards
Montreal, March 25, 2025 — With great enthusiasm, the Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) unveils the 35 comic books selected as finalists for the 26th Bédélys Awards. These distinctions, which celebrate the quality and richness of comics, highlight the most remarkable works published or distributed in Quebec in 2024.
For 26 years, the Bédélys Awards have honored the creativity and talent of 9th art artists. This year, the winners will be celebrated during the Festival’s opening night on May 22 at Club Soda. This event will mark the kickoff of the 14th edition of the Montreal Comic Arts Festival, which will take place on Saint-Denis Street from May 23 to May 25, 2025, in collaboration with the SDC Saint-Denis and Télé-Québec.
Committed Partners Supporting Comic Arts Recognition
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival is proud to count on the support of valuable partners to reward Quebec comics:
Télé-Québec will present the Bédélys Youth Québec Finalists, accompanied by a $1,500 grant, for the second consecutive year. Additionally, La Fabrique culturelle will produce a video capsule featuring the winner.
Librairie Planète BD, located in Montreal, will present the Bédélys Québec Award, along with a $1,500 grant.
Finally, the Montreal Comic Arts Festival will offer each winner of the Bédélys Independent Francophone and Anglophone Awards a $1,000 grant as well as a half-table at the next edition of the Festival.
Each Bédélys Award will come with a unique trophy created by artist Karl Dupéré-Richer.
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival and the Bédélys Awards jury members warmly congratulate the finalists for their outstanding works, which contribute to enriching and showcasing the world of comics.
“The finalists truly took us on an emotional journey with their works! I laughed and I cried this year. But the common thread in all these readings is the joy we feel diving into the worlds created by these comic artists.” — Mélanie La Roche, MCAF’s Executive Director
To determine this year’s finalists, the 89 members of the juries read 873 comics.
Here are the finalists of the 26th Bédélys Awards :
Bédélys Québec Finalists
Best comic book by a Québec artist published in Québec.
- Ama, André-Philippe Côté (Moelle Graphik)
- Le chahut qui vient, Aude Fourest (L’Oie de Cravan)
- Maya contre la malédiction du centre d’achat, Sophie Bédard (Pow Pow)
- Momm, Catherin (Pow Pow)
- Salade de fruits, Cathon (Pow Pow)
Bédélys Youth Québec Finalists
Best comic book for an audience aged 14 and under by a Québec artist published in Québec.
- Gilbert et les monstres, Rhéa Dufresne, PisHier (Éditions Les 400 coups)
- KIN-J T.1 : Le peuple du réseau, Stéphan Arche (Glénat Québec)
- La bibliothèque enchantée T.1 : Le livre aspirateur, Jocelyn Boisvert, Enzo (Éditions Michel Quintin)
- Les Morilles T.1 : Pagaille dans la forêt des Marmillons, Chloé Baillargeon (Les Malins)
- Ma vie de zombie : Le champion du cimetière, Éric Péladeau (Bayard Canada)
Bédélys Independent Francophone
Best self-published francophone comic book in Québec.
- EXIT les vieux…le dernier étage, Jean-Pierre Dubé
- Je ne suis pas un accident, Lucile Bernard
- Journal américain 2, Aurélie Grand
- Muse de personne, Aurore Juin
- Victuailles à volonté, Greigori
Bédélys Independent Anglophone
Best self-published anglophone comic book in Québec.
- I,THE PEOPLE, Natacha Novem
- The String, Helen Park
- Walsy: The Red Glove, Sarah Kourkejian
- WestWolf: Dead or alive, Denis Hotte, Nino Mancuso
- Woven, Joshua Barkman
Bédélys Youth
Best French-language comic book intended for young people aged 7 to 14.
- Chaton mignon T.1 : En action, Mason Dickerson (Gallimard)
- Chasseuse de fantômes, Shawnelle & Shawneé Gibbs, Emily Cannon (Jungle)
- Décrocher la lune, Wendy Mass, Gabi Mendez (Jungle)
- La nouvelle, Cassandra Calin (Scholastic)
- Quand la nuit tombe – Lisou, Marion Achard, Toni Galmès (Delcourt)
Bédélys International
Best French-language comic book published outside Québec.
- Âme augmentée, Ezra Claytan Daniels (404 Éditions)
- Au-dedans, Will McPhail (404 Éditions)
- Deux filles nues, Luz (Albin Michel)
- Ernestine, Salomé Lahoche (Même pas mal)
- Ginseng Roots – Racines, Craig Thompson (Casterman)
- Impénétrable, Alix Garin (Le Lombard)
- La route, Manu Larcenet (Dargaud)
- Le Feu de saint Antoine, Nicolas Pegon (Réalistes)
- Racines, Lou Lubie (Delcourt)
- Walicho, Sole Otero (Éditions çà et là)
For more details about the selected works and comic artists, we invite you to consult the Bédélys media kit. Find all the information about the Bédélys Awards and the festival on MCAF website.
See you on Thursday, May 22, 2025, for the announcement of the winning comics!
About MCAF
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival (MCAF) is an organization dedicated to promoting comics. Every year, it hosts the Festival of the same name, where artists, exhibitors, curious minds, and comic enthusiasts gather to celebrate the 9th art. In 2024, this must-attend bilingual comic event attracted over 95,000 people.
The 14th edition of FBDM will take place from May 23 to 25, 2025, on Saint-Denis Street, which will be pedestrianized for the occasion between Gilford and Roy. More than 320 comic artists from near and far will be present, and a rich and varied program of some one hundred free activities will be offered.
For more information, visit fbdm-mcaf.ca/en | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
MCAF 2025 is presented in collaboration with SDC Rue Saint-Denis and Télé-Québec.
The Festival would like to thank its partners:
La Presse, Canadian Heritage, Canada Council for the Arts, SODEC, Ministère du Tourisme du Québec, Conseil des arts de Montréal, Service de la culture de la Ville de Montréal, Tourisme Montréal and Plateau-Mont-Royal.
MCAF would also like to thank its partners for the 26th Bédélys Awards: Télé-Québec, Planète BD bookstore, Crossover Comics and L’Euguélionne bookstore.
Finally, MCAF would like to thank the 89 volunteer jury members, without whom the Bédélys Awards would not be possible.
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MCAF Contact :
Mélanie La Roche, Executive Director, melanie.laroche@fbdm-mcaf.ca
Press relation :
Marie-Pier Lauzon, marie-pier@rugicomm.ca
