The Sproing Award is awarded by Norsk Tegneserieforum (NTF), an organisation to promote interest and understanding for comics in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. Since 1987, the award has been presented for the ''Best Norwegian Strips'', a comic strip or comic book by a Norwegian, and ''Best Translated Strips'', an international comic strip/comic book translated into Norwegian. Since 2003, there has also been awarded a Sproing for ''Best Comics Debut''. At NTF's annual meeting, a jury is selected which reads all publications of the year and choose five nominees for the national and international classes, and three nominees for the debut class. Initially, voting was exclusive to NTF members, but has been opened to the public in the 2000s.

Best translated comics

*1987:

Carl Barks Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuc ...

, for ''Donald Duck: I det gamle Persia'' ( Egmont Serieforlaget) *1988:

Bill Watterson William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is a retired American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip '' Calvin and Hobbes'', which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson stopped drawing ''Calvin and Hobbes'' at the end of 1995, w ...

, for ''Tommy & Tigern #1'' ('' Calvin & Hobbes'') ( Semic) *1989:

Brian Bolland Brian Bolland (; born 26 March 1951)Salisbury, Mark, ''Artists on Comic Art'' ( Titan Books, 2000) , p. 11 is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the definitive Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology ' ...

and

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', '' V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell ...

, for ''Det glade vanvidd'' (Semic) *1990: Francois Bourgeon, for ''Skumringens venner'' (''Les compagnons de crépuscule'') (Cappelen) *1991:

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created for ...

, for ''Donald Duck: Tilbake til Xanadu'' (Egmont Serieforlaget) *1992:

Peter Madsen Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, ''UC3 Nautilus'', and sentenced ...

and others, for ''Valhall: Frøyas smykke'' (Semic) *1993:

Art Spiegelman Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel '' Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines '' Arcade'' and '' R ...

, for ''

Maus ''Maus'' is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, serialized from 1980 to 1991. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The work employs postmodern techniques ...

'' (Cappelen) *1994:

Daniel Clowes Daniel Gillespie Clowes (; born April 14, 1961) is an American cartoonist, graphic novelist, illustrator, and screenwriter. Most of Clowes's work first appeared in '' Eightball'', a solo anthology comic book series. An ''Eightball'' issue typi ...

, for ''"Blå Italienske Greier" i Fidus'' (No Comprendo Press) *1995:

Gary Larson Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist, environmentalist, and former musician. He is the creator of ''The Far Side'', a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to more than 1,900 newspapers for fif ...

, for ''"Madame Qs forbannelse" i Larsons gale verden'' (Bladkompaniet) *1996:

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon GaimanBorn as Neil Richard Gaiman, with "MacKinnon" added on the occasion of his marriage to Amanda Palmer. ; ( Neil Richard Gaiman; born 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, gr ...

and others, for ''Sandman: Lyden av vingeslag'' (Bladkompaniet) *1997:

, for ''"Marco Polos skatt" i Donald Duck & Co nr. 27'' (Egmont) *1998: Jeff Smith, for ''

Bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, an ...

: Flukten fra Boneville'' (Bladkompaniet) *1999:

Quino Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known by his pen name Quino (; 17 July 193230 September 2020), was an Argentinian cartoonist. His comic strip '' Mafalda'' (which ran from 1964 to 1973) is popular in many parts of the Americas and Euro ...

, for ''1 side i Larsons gale verden nr. 4'' (Bladkompaniet) *2000: **

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim under the pseudonym Mœbius (; ) ...

, for '' Blueberry: Geronimo'' (Egmont Serieforlaget) ** Jeff Smith, for ''Bone: Det store kuveddeløpet'' (Bladkompaniet) *2001:

Martin Kellerman Martin Kellerman (born 1973 in Växjö) is a Swedish cartoonist, known for the comic strip ''Rocky''. He was influenced by American and Swedish underground cartoonists such as Peter Bagge, Max Andersson, Robert Crumb, Harvey Pekar, Joe Matt an ...

, for ''

Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burge ...

-sekvenser i Pondus nr. 1-4'' (Bladkompaniet) *2002:

, for '' Ghost World'' (No Comprendo Press) *2003:

, for ''Menneskesønnen'' (Det norske bibelselskap) *2004:

and Kevin O'Neill, for '' League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, del 2'' (Schibsted Forlagene) *2005:

Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi (; fa, مرجان ساتراپی ; born 22 November 1969) is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, cartoonist, illustrator, film director, and children's book author. Her best-known works include the graphic novel ''Persepolis'' a ...

, for ''

Persepolis , native_name_lang = , alternate_name = , image = Gate of All Nations, Persepolis.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = Ruins of the Gate of All Nations, Persepolis. , map = , map_type ...

'' (No Comprendo Press) *2006:

Joann Sfar Joann Sfar (; born 28 August 1971) is a French comics artist, comic book creator, novelist, and film director. Life and career Sfar was born in Nice, the son of Lilou, a pop singer, who died when he was three, and André Sfar, a lawyer well kno ...

, for ''Rabbinerens Katt'' (''Le chat du rabbin'') (Egmont Serieforlaget) *2008: David B., for '' Epileptisk'' (''l'Ascension du Haut Mal'') (No Comprendo Press)

Best Norwegian comics

*1987: Tor Bomann-Larsen, for ''Drama i Bayern'' (Cappelen) *1988: **

Arild Midthun Arild Midthun (born 6 May 1964) is a Norwegian illustrator, cartoonist and comics artist. He was born in Bergen. Among his early production is the comics strip ''Patrick & Co'' in the newspaper ''Bergens Tidende'' 1977, a spy series written by T ...

and

Terje Nordberg Terje Nordberg (born 21 November 1949) is a Norwegian comics artist, comics writer and magazine editor. He lives in San Jose, California with his wife Nancy. He is also a painter having painted scenes of California, often with whimsical cows. He ...

, for ''Troll: Sølvskatten'' (Bladkompaniet), **

Christopher Nielsen Christopher Nielsen (born 20 April 1963 in Oslo) is a Norwegian comics artist. He is especially known for his subcultural depictions. Nielsen got his first comics printed in 1980 after entering a competition in the Norwegian anarchist magazi ...

, for ''En fettsugers bekjennelser'' (Semic) *1989:

, for ''UR i Rummpfftillfftooo? nr. 3'' (self published) *1990:

Bjørn Ousland Bjørn Ousland (born 14 May 1959) is a Norwegian illustrator, children's writer and comics writer. His breakthrough was the album series ''Solruns saga'' from 1988 to 1993. Among his later albums are ''Mumle Gåsegg'' from 1999, ''Soria Moria slo ...

and Eirik Ildahl, for ''Solruns saga: Nattlys'' (Bladkompaniet) *1991:

Morten Myklebust Morten is a common given name in Norway and Denmark. Approximately 22,138 have this name as a given name in Norway and about 52 people have it as a surname. Notable people with the name include: *Morten Abel, Norwegian singer *Morten Andersen, Dan ...

and Kåre Holt, for ''Kristina av Tunsberg'' (Mykle Illustrasjoner) *1992: Inka-Lill, for ''Ridderne av Dor 1: Hjertets knekt'' (Bladkompaniet) *1993: Steffen Kverneland, for ''Jonas Fjeld: De knyttede never'' (TEGN A/Lbum) *1994: Siri Dokken and

Baard Enoksen Baard or Bård may refer to: People with the given name *Baard Iversen (1836–1920), Norwegian businessperson and politician *Baard Madsen Haugland (1835–1896), Norwegian politician * Baard Owe (1936–2017), Norwegian-born actor *Baard Slags ...

, for ''Kongens Mann'' (Cappelen) *1995:

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek mythology, mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was marri ...

, for ''Lomma full av regn'' (TEGN A/Lbum) *1996: Inka-Lill, for ''Ridderne av Dor 4: Lovens Bokstav'' (Bladkompaniet) *1997:

Tore Strand Olsen Tore is a Scandinavian masculine name. It is derived from the Old Norsemen, Norse name ''Thórir'', which is composed of ''thorr'' which means thunder, and ''arr'' which means warrior. So Thunder Warrior or Thor's Warrior. The most famous person by ...

, for ''"Tore Hund" i Forresten nr. 4'' (Jippi Forlag) *1998:

Frode Øverli Frode Øverli (born August 15, 1968 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian comic strip cartoonist, considered one of the most successful in Scandinavia. Biography He began his career in 1984 when his parodies of ''The Phantom'' became a regular fea ...

, for ''Pondus: Alt for Norge'' (Bladkompaniet) *1999: Karine Haaland, for ''"Angsten eter sjelen" i Våre venner menneskene'' (Bladkompaniet) *2000:

, for ''Mjau Mjau 10: Si meg en ting'' (Jippi Forlag) *2001:

Odd Henning Skyllingstad Odd means unpaired, occasional, strange or unusual, or a person who is viewed as eccentric. Odd may also refer to: Acronym * ODD (Text Encoding Initiative) ("One Document Does it all"), an abstracted literate-programming format for describing ...

, for ''Serie uten tittel i Forresten nr. 11'' (Jippi Forlag) *2002:

Ronny Haugeland Ronny is a given name, sometimes a short form ( hypocorism) of Ryan. It may refer to: * Ronny (footballer, born 1986), Brazilian footballer Ronny Heberson Furtado de Araújo * Ronny (footballer, born 1991), Brazilian footballer Ronieri da Silva Pin ...

, for ''Downs Duck i bl.a. Forresten'' (Jippi Forlag) *2003:

, for ''Pondus julespesial'' (Schibsted) *2004: Lars Fiske and Steffen Kverneland, for ''Olaf G'' (No Comprendo Press) *2005:

, for ''Uflaks'' (No Comprendo Press) *2006: Bendik von Kaltenborn, for ''Seks sultne menn'' (Dongery) *2007: Sigbjørn Lilleeng, for ''Nebelgrad Blues 3'' (Jippi Forlag) *2008:

Pushwagner Terje Brofos (2 May 1940 – 24 April 2018), better known by stage name Hariton Pushwagner, was a Norwegian Pop artist. Early life and education Born as Terje Brofos during a bomb attack in May 1940, he grew in Berg, a neighborhood in the No ...

, for ''Soft City'' (No Comprendo Press). *2009: Bendik Kaltenborn, for ''Serier som vil deg vel'' (No Comprendo Press). *2010: Sindre Goksøyr, for ''Hrmf!'' (Dongery Forlag). *2011: Børge Lund, for ''Lunch'' (Egmont Serieforlaget). *2012:

Øyvind Holen Øyvind Holen (born 4 January 1973) is a Norwegian journalist, comics creator and non-fiction writer. Personal life Holen hails from Lindeberg, a district in Groruddalen, Oslo. He was born on 4 January 1973, and is married to Marta Breen. ...

and

Mikael Noguchi Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

, for ''Drabant'' (Cappelen Damm). *2013:

Knut Nærum Knut Nærum (born 3 March 1961), is a Norwegian comedian, author, comics writer and TV-entertainer. He is best known for being one of the permanent panelists in the Norwegian show ''Nytt på nytt'' (Direct translate: News Anew). On 23 April 2015 ...

, Tormod Løkling and

, for ''Donald Duck julealbum: Skrues barndom: Kampen om jula'' (Egmont Serieforlaget). *2014: Bjarte Agdestein, Endre Skandfer and

Ronald Kabícek Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse '' Rögnvaldr'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised form ...

, for ''Krüger & Krogh 1: Brennpunkt Oslo'' (Egmont Serieforlaget). *2015: Lars Fiske, for ''Automobilfabrikken Fiske'' (No Comprendo Press). *2016:

Håkon Aasnes Håkon Aasnes (born 13 February 1943) is a Norwegian comics creator, illustrator and writer. He was born in Oslo. In the 1970s, he wrote and illustrated several stories for the magazine '. He drew the Disney characters licensed for Norway from 1 ...

, for ''Smørbukk: Jula 2016'' (Norsk Barneblad). *2017:

Øyvind Sagåsen Øyvind or Oyvind may refer to: * Oyvind Aasland (born 1967), Norwegian darts player *Øyvind Alapnes (born 1976), Norwegian football referee *Jon Øyvind Andersen (born 1965), Norwegian black metal guitarist * Carl Øyvind Apeland (born 1964), Nor ...

, for ''Radio Gaga'' (in ''Pondus'').

Best debut

*2003: Siri Pettersen, for ''Anti-Klimaks'' (bl.a. Schibsted Forlagene) *2004: Bjørn Sortland and

Øyvind Torseter Øyvind Torseter (born 2 October 1972) is a Norwegian artist, illustrator, comic book artist and writer. For his lasting contribution as a children's illustrator, Torseter was a finalist in 2014 for the biennial, international Hans Christian Ande ...

, for ''On the road again, again'' (No Comprendo Press) *2005:

Astrid Hansen Astrid Hansen is a Norwegian orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participa ...

, for ''Serier uten tittel'' (in ''Nemi'') (Egmont Serieforlaget) *2006:

Lene Ask Lene is a feminine given name common in Denmark and Norway. People called Lene * Lene Alexandra, Norwegian singer *Lene Demsitz, Danish long jumper *Lene Elise Bergum, Norwegian actress *Lene Brøndum, Danish actress *Lene Espersen, Danish politi ...

, for ''Hitler, Jesus og farfar'' (Jippi Forlag) *2008: Gunnar Wærness, for ''Bli verden'' (Oktober forlag)

Sources

NTF Sproing Award info
;Footnotes

External links

Sproing Award official site
{{in lang, no Comics awards Norwegian awards Norwegian comics Awards established in 1987