The winning titles of the 'Premio Romics del Fumetto e delle Narrazioni per Immagini'

The winning titles of the 2026 Romics Prize for Comics and Visual Narratives

Within the framework of the 36th edition of Romics, the winners of the 24th edition of the Romics Prize for Comics and Visual Narratives were announced. The Prize, held under the auspices of the Center for Books and Reading, an autonomous institute of the Ministry of Culture, was carefully evaluated by a qualified jury, which thoroughly justified the selection of the best titles in the various categories.

GRAND ROMICS PRIZE
Feeding Ghosts by Tessa Hulls, Tunué
For transforming family memory into a universal narrative capable of crossing generations and cultural boundaries, giving voice with sensitivity to the invisible inheritances that define us. For skillfully intertwining the language of comics with personal research, creating an intense and necessary work in which the graphic mark becomes a tool for truth, healing, and reconciliation.

NEW TALENTS AWARD
You Always Return to Where You Were Hurt by Isotta Santinelli, Gallucci Editore
A thirty-year-old kitten recounts her picaresque and spicy sentimental coming-of-age, mercilessly and with bold irony targeting the toxicity of human relationships. Without modesty, the author lays bare the fragility of a disoriented generation, touching with effortless depth on the problematic upbringing of an offbeat protagonist, suspended between carefree spirit and paranoia. She does so by effectively alternating a sharp, seemingly immediate visual style with prose that spans diverse registers, unleashed in the verbose flow of thoughts and stories.

BEST ITALIAN COMIC
Tapum by Leo Ortolani, Feltrinelli Editore
Far removed from the lighthearted atmospheres and biting irony we have come to expect from Leo Ortolani, Tapum recalls—through a docu-fiction approach—the Battle of Monte Ortigara in the Upper Vicenza area, one of the most tragic episodes of World War I, in which twenty-five thousand Italian soldiers lost their lives in the clash with the Austro-Hungarian army.
In this fictionalized account—resulting from extensive research inspired by Andrea Pennacchi’s La guerra dei Bepi—keen humor is set against a bitter gaze, a sense of tragedy through which the author does not hesitate to portray the drama, suffering, and visions of cruelty and death experienced firsthand by the protagonists.

BEST INTERNATIONAL COMIC
Gaza 1956 by Joe Sacco, Mondadori
For reminding all readers that the great History of all of us is made up of the small stories of each people, in peace as in war, and for masterfully combining drawing and reportage, fiction and journalistic research.

SPECIAL PRIZE – MASTERS OF COMICS
Bit Generation by Roberto Olivo, Bruno Brindisi, Allagalla
Originally published in the early 1990s in L’Eternauta magazine and now reprinted in volume by Allagalla, Bit DeGeneration brings us back with skillful irony to the cyberpunk atmospheres that were so fashionable in the late 20th century. In the futuristic Rome imagined by Roberto Olivo and illustrated by Bruno Brindisi—rich with hackers, virtual reality, and neural connections—sentient automatons and bizarre homegrown cyber pirates intersect. A refined parody that offers an enjoyable and sophisticated look at a genre now almost absent from comic pages.

BEST COMIC FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG READERS
The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud, Il Castoro
A comic about comics that tells a story of friendship and collaboration while also offering young readers, in a fun way, practical advice on writing and drawing comics. A work that highlights comics as an inclusive language capable of stimulating curiosity, creativity, and personal growth.

BEST COMIC SERIES
Battle Beast Vol. 1: Blood and Glory by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, saldaPress
For powerfully and consistently expanding the Invincible universe, deepening one of its most mysterious characters. For crafting a gripping narrative in which drama, grandeur, and epic charm merge into a powerful story that enriches the saga with new energy and vision.

BEST TRANSMEDIA EDITORIAL PROJECT
Orbit Orbit by Caparezza, Matteo De Longis, Sergio Gerasi, Nicola Mari, Renato Riccio, Stefano Tamiazzo, Riccardo Torti, La Came, Yi Yang, Marco Nizzoli, Sergio Bonelli Editore
For its ability to blend images, stories, and music into an engaging experience. A work that shows how art knows no boundaries, enriched by the contribution of various comic artists who expand its vision and expressive power. To be read strictly with the album playing in the background!

BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK
Nonso by Guia Risari, Andrea Oberosler, Sabir Editore
Expressing silence and then conquering a smile even before words. Without a voice, the marginalized appear invisible, destined to dissolve into the quiet nothingness of absence. The beautiful gray shades of the panels composing this illustrated book, becoming faint and barely hinted lines, seem to gradually swallow the puppy who has become a parent before it can truly begin to exist—until, almost miraculously, it does, releasing emotions sealed within a closed mouth. A wonderful poem celebrating every being capable of finding their hidden words.

PRIZE FOR THE CULTURE OF VISUAL STORYTELLING
Fairy Tales and Legends of Studio Ghibli by Ippei Otsuka, Kappalab
For the ability to explore, with curiosity and solid documentation, using simple and evocative language, the stories and creatures that have always shaped the magical imagination of one of the most beloved animation studios in the world.

Through a public vote, the Romics audience awarded the People’s Choice Award to Nereidi by Ilaria Palleschi, Il Castoro.