Gary Reed Award Story
The Gary Reed Independent Creator of the Year Award showcases the best and brightest up-and-coming independent creators in comics. It is presented each year at the Cherry Capital Comic Con.
Gary Reed, comic writer, publisher, and mentor, spent his career supporting and giving a voice to independent creators through Caliber Comics in addition to creating his own prolific body of work through the Caliber imprint. Gary embodied the absolute best of what the comics industry is all about- creative and compelling storytelling, a breakneck work ethic, and the mindset that you always pay it forward and invest in the next generation of creators.
This award will be bestowed upon the creator that most espouses Gary’s spirit. In addition to creating comics of their own, either self-published or through small press publishers like Caliber, the recipient of this award will be someone who also encourages, lifts up, and helps other independent creators on their journey.
Award Process
All nominations are due by 11:59 PM on February 28th. Please only nominate each creator once- we aren't tallying up votes and extra nominations from the same individual will only make it more difficult for us to sort through all of the forms- it's based on merit, not a popularity contest!
All nominations will be reviewed by the selection committee, and narrowed down to four (4) total finalists. Three (3) of these finalists will be from Comics Professional nominations, and one (1) will be selected from Comic Fan nominations (Fan's Choice).
The finalists will be announced in early May each year, and a winner will be chosen by the selection committee after further review. The award will be presented on the Saturday evening of the Cherry Capital Comic Con. It is our hope that The Gary Reed Independent Creator Of The Year Award will honor Gary's legacy and the impact that he had on the world of comics. This award has been approved by Gary's family, and will continue on with their blessing.