Celebrating excellence in Indian comic book
and graphic storytelling
About the Awards
The Indian Comic Book Awards, instituted by the Comic Book Trust of India, are a national annual recognition celebrating excellence in Indian comic book and graphic storytelling. The awards honour outstanding work published within the country by Indian creators across writing, art, publishing, and innovation in the medium.
Established to spotlight creative achievement, encourage professional standards, and strengthen the Indian comic book ecosystem, the awards seek to document, acknowledge, and elevate the most significant contributions to Indian comics each year, while fostering a culture of critical appreciation and long-term growth for the medium in India.
Eligibility Criteria 2025
Eligibility
Period
Only works published in India between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025 are eligible.
Publication date will be determined by the first public release (print or digital) within India.
Creator Eligibility
All submitted works must be created entirely by Indian creators.
“Indian creators” are defined as individuals who are Indian citizens or permanent residents of India.
No foreign collaborators (writers, artists, colourists, letterers, editors, or co-creators) may be involved in the submitted work.
Publication
Criteria
Eligible works must meet all of the following conditions:
Published within India
Released by an Indian publisher, platform, or as a self-published Indian work
Distributed primarily for the Indian market
Works first published outside India and later reprinted or distributed in India are not eligible
Works created for foreign publishers or platforms, even if the creators are Indian, are not eligible
Format
Eligibility
The awards recognize Indian comics across multiple formats:
Print comic books
Graphic novels
Anthologies
Webcomics and digital-first comics (hosted on Indian platforms or self-hosted)
Serialized comics (minimum eligibility: 2 published chapters/issues within the eligibility period)
Language Eligibility
Works published in English are only eligible for this year’s awards. We hope to accommodate multiple languages in the coming years.
Translated editions are eligible only if the original edition was first published in India in 2025
Originality
and Rights
Submitting parties must confirm that:
They hold the necessary rights to submit the work
The work is original and not infringing on third-party IP
Fan works, parody works, or unlicensed adaptations are not eligible
Submission Process
Submissions may be made by:
Creators
Publishers
Authorized representatives
Each submission must include:
Proof of publication date
Creator credits
Category selection
Submission format (physical copies or digital files as specified)
The Awards Committee reserves the right to:
Reassign categories
Disqualify entries that violate eligibility rules
Awards Structure
Each competitive category will confer three tiers of recognition:
Gold Award
Silver Award
Bronze Award
The jury may withhold an award in any tier if the required standard is not met.
Award Categories
Submissions & Nominations
The Indian Comic Book Awards invite creators, publishers, and authorized representatives to submit eligible works published in India during the 2025 calendar year.
All submissions must comply with the eligibility and submission guidelines issued by the Comic Book Trust of India.
The inaugural edition of the Indian Comic Book Awards DO NOT have any registration fee.
Submissions may be made by:
Creators
Publishers
Authorized representatives
Self-nominations are permitted
Thank you for Participating
Submissions for Indian Comic Book
Awards are now closed
Stay tuned to this page for updates on nominations and Award details
Indian Comic Book Awards 2025
The Jury
Dan Parent
Dan Parent is an American comic book artist and writer best known for his long-running work with Archie Comics.
A graduate of The Kubert School, he began working for Archie immediately after completing his studies and has since become one of the most recognizable creative voices associated with the publisher. His acclaimed Love Showdown series brought him widespread attention in the 1990s and helped define a modern era of Archie storytelling.
Over the course of his career, Dan has illustrated for major properties including Felix the Cat, Barbie, Disney Adventures, DC, Valiant, and Dynamite, and co-created the cult-favorite comic series Die Kitty Die. His work earned a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book in 2013, along with multiple Harvey Award nominations and a Ringo Award nomination.
Dan has also contributed to numerous high-profile crossover projects, collaborating with franchises and icons such as KISS, Blondie, Batman ’66, Glee, Sharknado, Predator, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Vampirella, and Red Sonja. He continues to be an active force in contemporary comics, working on titles including Betty and Veronica, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Josie and the Pussycats, while producing covers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vampirella, and Spider-Man.
Vaibhav Kumaresh
Vaibhav Kumaresh is an International Emmy nominated animation film maker and Founder, Creative Director at Vaibhav Studios, Mumbai.
Founded in 2003, the studio has created some of India’s favourite animated content in the field of TV commercials, episodic series and channel promos: the Amaron Battery ad campaign, Chulbuli for Clinic Plus, Buladi’s AIDS awareness campaign for the West Bengal government, the Vodafone Zumis, Simpoo the angry sardaar math teacher on Channel [V] and Lamput the globally acclaimed, International Emmy nominated micro short series for Cartoon Network to name a few.
With the aim of building a strong indigenous animation industry, Vaibhav Studios has self
funded its maiden Hindi feature film titled Return of the Jungle – set to release across theatres in India during summer 2026.
A Fine Arts graduate, Vaibhav studied animation film making at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. He is an active committee member and the Honorary Secretary of The Animation Society of India (TASI). Vaibhav also teaches animation and is a visiting faculty at various animation and design schools across India.
Jatin Varma
Jatin Varma is the founder of Comic Con India and Chief Trustee of the Comic Book Trust of India.
A lifelong comics fan turned industry builder, he has spent over a decade championing comic culture and creating spaces where creators and fans can come together. His work has played a key role in bringing comics into India’s mainstream pop culture landscape. Through the Trust, he continues to focus on nurturing talent, supporting storytellers, and ensuring that Indian comics grow as a vibrant, respected creative medium for future generations.
Indian Comic Book
Awards FAQs
The Indian Comic Book Awards exist to recognise excellence in Indian comic book storytelling while strengthening access, preservation, and appreciation of the medium across India.
Terms & Conditions
These Terms & Conditions govern submissions to the Indian Comic Book Awards organized by The Comic Book Trust of India (TCBT India). By submitting an entry, you agree to these terms.
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