Nominees for the 2024 Zlatirepec Awards for best Slovenian comics and related sequential works, and for the Zlatirepec Sophie Castille Award for comics in translation

This year, a total of 96 new comics were published between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024. Among these, translations of comics and related sequential works for children and young adults were the most numerous, with 54 titles, compared to only seven titles among Slovenian comics for adults.

New addition – the Sophie Castille Award

This year’s addition to the Zlatirepec Awards is a collaboration with the Sophie Castille Award for Comics in Translation, created in memory of Sophie Castille, who passed away suddenly in 2022. Castille was the international rights director and V. P. of licensing for Mediatoon, as well as the co-founder and director of Europe Comics.

Since the late nineties, Sophie Castille built bridges between comics, artists, and fans, both in France and elsewhere around the world. She was a tireless source of creativity who motivated publishers worldwide and encouraged them to exchange ideas. Over the years, she became a key figure in the global expansion of comics translation.

The Sophie Castille Award, first presented in the United Kingdom last year, has since expanded to Spain (Comic Barcelona), Italy (Napoli Comicon), Poland (Lodz Comics Festival), and now the Tinta Comics Festival in Ljubljana. Through this partnership, Tinta has added another layer of prestige to its established Zlatirepec Awards for the best translations.

Ivanka Hahnenberger, co-founder of the Sophie Castille Award, will present the award on Saturday, 12 October at 8.30 pm at Kino Šiška, during a special performance by the duo Slika z jezika, which consists of caricaturist and comics artist Jernej Žumer and freestyle rapper Urh Mlakar.

The award is given by the Packa Association of Slovenian Comics and Related Sequential Arts, the Sophie Castille Award Foundation, and the Stripolis Institute.

The jury

This year, the nominees and winners were selected by Milan Erič, trained Slovenian painter, illustrator, author of animated films, and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana, Milanka Fabjančič, illustrator and animator, and Bojan Albahari, culturologist, comics translator, editor, and critic.

Filip gre na sprehod – Ivan Mitrevski (Miš, 2023)

A collection of silent comics about a cute bunny, aimed at little ones who are just getting introduced to the world of comics.

Mala Mara – David Krančan, Jurij Bobič (Založništvo tržaškega tiska, 2023)

An enchantingly warm comic book about a brother and sister, inspired by Calvin and Hobbes.

Šnofijeva druščina 5. Snežna simpatija, trojica težakov in džazni duh – Matej De Cecco, Boštjan Gorenc (Mladinska knjiga, 2024)

New episodes featuring the well-known adventurous gang, brimming with pop culture references.

Mulc. (Gasilci in druge zgodbe, Nova sestrica in druge zgodbe, Pri maši in druge zgodbe) – Damijan Stepančič, Gregor Čušin (Družina, 2023-2024)

A collection of stories about a charmingly mischievous boy who always does the opposite of what he says he’ll do.

Črepinje – Neža Šivec (Forum, 2023)

A realistic and expressive portrayal of the challenges faced by individuals marginalized by society.

Sokrat bojevnik – Matjaž Bertoncelj, Philip Burt (KUD Apokalipsa, 2024)

A primal, alternative perspective on the life of the famous Greek philosopher, who was more than just a thinker.

Strip preobrazbe: kratke zgodbe v stripu – Jakob Klemenčič et al., Andrej Blatnik et al., ur. Ana Bogataj & Tanja Skale (Forum, 2023)

A vibrant cross-section of the Slovenian comics and literary landscape, showcasing contemporary creators and their distinct styles, despite being in black and white.

Garulfo: prva & druga knjiga – Bruno Maïorana, Alain Ayroles (Graffit, 2024, translation: Špela Žakelj)

A parody-filled stew of well-known Central European fairy tales and folk stories.

Kaj bo zakuhal krokodil? – Federico Appel (KUD Sodobnost International, 2024, translation: Dušanka Zabukovec)

A crime tale that takes place in a single house.

Globalno – Giovanni Rigano, Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin (Morfemplus, 2023, translation: Neža Vilhelm)

Learning about climate change through Disney-like drawings for early teens.

Dnevnik Ane Frank: likovna priredba – David Polonsky, Ari Folman (Morfemplus, 2024, translation: Polonca Kovač)

A fresh depiction of the canonical story of a war tragedy that should not have happened.

Sapiens v stripu. Del 1, Rojstvo človeštva – Daniel Casanave, Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen (Mladinska knjiga, 2024, translation: Polona Mertelj)

An approachable and light-hearted scientific exploration of the origins of humanity and the early development of its cultures.

Teorija umetnosti vs. gospa Goldgruber – Nicolas Mahler (Zavod VigeVageKnjige, 2023, translation: Liza Linde)

An entertaining comics look at the woes of any artist who isn’t taken seriously.

Šola padanja – Mikael Ross (Forum, 2023, translation: Marko Bratina)

A colorful insight into a world of different values, thoughts, norms, and needs.