Virginia Library Association Announces 2026 Graphic Novel Diversity Award Adult Winner and Honor Titles

Fishersville, VA — The Virginia Library Association (VLA) is pleased to announce the 2026 recipients of the Graphic Novel Diversity Award (GNDA) in the Adult category. Now in its tenth year, the GNDA celebrates diversity captured within the pages of graphic novels and recognizes outstanding works that reflect and uplift a wide range of experiences.

Selected by the Graphic Novel Diversity Award Committee, this year’s Adult division includes one winner and five honor titles that exemplify excellence in storytelling, illustration, and representation.

2026 Adult Winner

The Weight by Melissa Mendes
Drawn and Quarterly

The Weight by Melissa Mendes

The Weight focuses on the resulting despair and sadness that can occur, and reoccur, when people are forced to be and do things that are not within their character. This graphic novel focuses on the pressures faced by women in rural America– particularly the expectation that they are responsible for keeping a house together, bringing up children, and managing their husbands' needs and insecurities. This work lays out the results from a time in America when education, communication, mental health, and familial understanding were cast aside, and responsibility and expectation were placed at the top of the pyramid. Readers will be entranced by this depiction of the “American dream” and will feel that Mendes truly did justice to this long-lost ideal.

2026 Adult Honor Titles

  • Cannon by Lee Lai (Drawn and Quarterly, ISBN: 978-1770468023)
  • Love Languages by James Albon (Top Shelf, ISBN: 978-1603095570)
  • Milk White Steed by Michael D. Kennedy (Drawn and Quarterly, ISBN: 978-1770467590)
  • Pass Me By: Lily by Kat Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen (Renegade Arts Entertainment, ISBN: 978-1989754306)
  • Remembering Taiyaki by Starkie Mak (At Bay Press, ISBN: 978-1988168661)

These honor titles highlight a wide spectrum of experiences, including sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and nationality.

Cannon by Lee Lai Love Languages by James Albon Milk White Steed by Michael D. Kennedy
Pass Me By: Lily by Kat Simmers and Ryan Danny Owen Remembering Taiyaki by Starkie Mak

The Graphic Novel Diversity Award was established to:
  • Increase opportunities for readers to see themselves represented in literature
  • Elevate the visibility of diversity in graphic novels
  • Recognize high-quality works featuring diverse characters and themes
  • Support libraries in their mission to educate and promote reading

Diversity is defined broadly within the award to include both visible and invisible differences, encompassing areas such as race, ethnicity, disability, gender, religion, and LGBTQ+ identity. Eligible titles feature diverse protagonists, supporting characters, or subject matter that meaningfully contributes to the narrative.

The winning creator will receive a $500 award and will be recognized during the Opening Session of the 2026 VLA/VLACRL Annual Conference on Monday, October 19, 2026, at the Hilton Norfolk The Main in Norfolk, Virginia.

The Graphic Novel Diversity Award Adult Division Committee includes five judges, a Chair, and a Co-Chair, who collectively review nominated titles submitted by publishers across North America. The Virginia Library Association thanks this year's chair, John Diaz of Prince William County Libraries, for his continued commitment to amplifying the work of the authors and artists honored by the committee.

The Committee's overflow selections in both categories will be available for download on August 6, 2026.