Each year judges are chosen by the MCA committee based on their body of work, contributions to comics community, and standing amongst fellow creators. To see previous years judges, read through our archive of previous years winners.
aydin kwan
Aydin Kwan is a Bay Area-based public librarian and co-creator of the Queer Comics Database. Before moving into librarianship, they worked in comic shops emphasizing creator-owned graphic novels and zines. They now do work serving marginalized populations while also getting comics into the hands of readers.
luke pearson
Luke Pearson is a cartoonist, illustrator and writer best known for the Hilda series of comics and the animated series of the same name, the first season of which was the winner of the BAFTA Children’s Award for Best Animated Series in 2019 and garnered a number of Emmy awards. His work has been on a number of “best of” lists and garnered rave reviews, including such praise as “a perfect pitch between childlike adventure, subtle mystery, and gentle lyricism” (Booklist) and “charming, and surprisingly cozy” (PW). Luke was the winner of the young people’s comic category at the British Comic Awards in 2012 and was nominated for the Eisner
kc green
KC Green was born in 1987 in Oklahoma but is currently based in Massachusetts. He has drawn comics since he was a kid and has not stopped and seemingly can’t. KC has done work for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, MAD magazine, Spongebob comics, Oni Press, Buzzfeed, Boom! Studios, and more.