Lucca Comics & Games (1970–1992) International Comics and Cartooning Exhibition (1994–2005)
Country
Italy
Formerly called
Silver Plaque (1966) Golden Guinigi Tower (1967) Grand Guinigi (1969)
First awarded
1970
The Yellow Kid Awards (Italian: Premio Yellow Kid) are comic book awards presented in Italy from 1970 to 1992[a] at Lucca Comics & Games in Lucca, then from 1994 to 2005 at the Salone Internazionale del Comics in Rome. The Yellow Kid is one of the world's first awards linked to comics. Their name refers to The Yellow Kid, a character created by the American Richard F. Outcault at the end of the 19th century, and considered one of the first comic book heroes.[1]
History
Antecedent prizes
From 1966 to 1969, a previous set of prizes were awarded at the Lucca festival, namely the Silver Plaque (Italian: Targa d'Argento) in 1966, the Golden Guinigi Tower (Italian: Torre Guinigi d'oro) in 1967 and the Grand Guinigi in 1969 (Italian: Gran Guinigi).
In 1966, during the second edition of the festival, the monthly magazine Linus presented three Silver Plaques to Orietta Garzanti, for Best Italian Publisher (for I primi eroi), Best Foreign Publication (for Giff-Wiff) and Best Italian Critic (to Piero Canotto).[2]
The following year, 1967, the festival organized the award ceremony through an international jury.[3] These prizes, the Golden Guinigi Tower, an homage to Lucca's most famous monument, were reserved for participants of the fair and the exhibition "I comics oggi" ("Comic Strips Today").[3] That year, the festival also awarded six prizes to Gian Luigi Bonelli, Cesare Zavattini, Rino Albertarelli, Benito Jacovitti, Mario Gentilini, and Alpe Editions,[3] an initiative which was not renewed in the following years.
During the following festival, held in November 1968, the awards ceremony was canceled following protests from the authors, in the context of May 68.[4]
The awarding of prizes at Lucca resumed in 1969, this time under the name Grand Guinigi.[5] An encouragement prize and a criticism prize were also introduced.[5]
The Yellow Kids
From 1970, the awards were renamed after the Yellow Kid; a statuette representing the little boy dressed in a yellow nightgown began being given to the prize winners.[1] The Yellow Kid Awards were presented at Lucca Comics & Games through 1992.
From 1994 to 2005, the Yellow Kid Awards were presented at the Salone Internazionale del Comics (International Comics and Cartooning Exhibition), held in Rome.
Gran Guinigi returns (2006–present)
In 2006, Lucca Comics & Games replaced the Yellow Kid Awards by bringing back the Gran Guinigi as a career accomplishment award.[citation needed]
Lucca Comics Awards
In 2020, as the Lucca festival redubbed itself Lucca Changes amidst a shift to virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic,[6] the awards shifted to a new system under the umbrella term Lucca Comics Awards, consisting of 9 categories (3 Yellow Kids, five Gran Guinigis, and one Stefano Beani Award (named for a former festival director), "regardless of nationality, editorial format or distribution method".[7]
Categories
In addition to Yellow Kid awards for Italian writers, artists, and cartoonists; and similar awards for foreign creators,
the festival jury also awards special Yellow Kid prizes at its convenience. For instance, the UNICEF plaque rewarding humanist works or institutions (from 1976), renamed the Hector Œsterheld Plaque in 1986; and the Caran-d'Ache Prize rewarding illustrators (from 1978). The organization also awards special guests of the festival a Yellow Kid for "A Life Devoted to Cartooning" (from 1972) and a Caran-d’Ache for "A Life Devoted to Illustration" (from 1982).
Since 1969 accredited journalists present at the festival have also presented prizes, in particular the Fantoche Prize rewarding a critical work on animation (1973-1982); the Critics Referendum Prize rewarding a work of animation (1973), the name of which evolved regularly from 1982; and category prizes rewarding various audiovisual or cinematographic works, taking the name of the Fantoche Prize (from 1984).
Prizes are also awarded by public vote (from 1974) and by a jury dedicated to academic work (Romano Calisi Prize, from 1984).
List of Yellow Kid Award-winners
Unless otherwise specified, these prizes are called the "Yellow Kid Prize for/to...".
Critics' Referendum Prize / Lucca City Grand Prize
This prize, presented by accredited journalists present at the festival, rewarded an animated work produced by Italians. It was renamed the Critics' Prize in 1982. In 1984, the prize was reconfigured as the Lucca City Grand Prize, awarded by a special jury and highlighting a recent Italian cartoon.
In 1984, the Fantoche Prize was extensively renewed. Now awarded by the same jury as the Grand Prize, it rewarded audiovisual or cinematographic works and was divided into several categories.
In 1990, the festival management also presented the Max Prize for Cartoon Cinema to the Deutsches Filmmuseum in Frankfurt am Main.[20] Two years later, this prize was awarded to the Cineteca del Friuli (it).[21]
Romano Calisi Prize
Awarded from 1984 to 1992, this prize recognized Italian academic work devoted to comics. It was awarded by a specific jury.
^Hampson was declared "Prestigioso Maestro" ("Prestigious Master") and the best writer and artist of strip cartoons since the end of the Second World War.[citation needed]
^ abcdPrize awarded by the jury on the occasion of a partnership with UNICEF to reward humanitarian works.
^ abcdOriga, Graziano (Feb 1993). "Lucca Exhibition is Un Grande Successo: Yellow Kid Awards for John Byrne, François Boucq, Frank Thomas, and Ollie Johnston". The Comics Journal. No. 156. p. 41.
