The Mike Wieringo Comic Book Industry Awards is an annual celebration of the comics industry with winners chosen by fans and pros alike. The awards will return to Baltimore Comic-Con for their ninth year on Saturday, September 26, 2026. The Ringo Awards is in the middle of the nomination process and has announced the individuals who will serve on the professional jury.

“An esteemed jury of comics professionals will participate in the nomination process, selecting favorite works across 18 categories. The 2026 jury was chosen as a representative cross-section of the comic book industry, with members representing seasoned and venerated retailers, distributors, and creators across numerous genres,” according to the Ringo Awards press release.

The jury for 2026 includes Cliff Chiang, Colleen Doran, Zander Fajertag, Sarahti Gassmalla, and Bill Morrison.

Chiang began his career as an assistant editor at DC’s Vertigo imprint before moving into freelance illustration. His previous work includes runs on Human Target, Green Arrow & Black Canary, an acclaimed run on Wonder Woman with Brian Azzarello, and the Eisner Award-winning Paper Girls, co-created with Brian K. Vaughan. Chiang’s most recent work was the Catwoman: Lonely City that he wrote and drew.

Doran is a writer-artist who did early work in The Sandman and adapted the short stories Troll Bridge, Snow Glass Apples, and Chivalry. Her work has been featured in American Gods, Norse Mythology, and the adaption of Good Omens with Terry Pratchett. She contributed to Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds, illustrated works by Alan Moore and Margaret Atwood, drew graphic novels about The Doors and Blondie. She has also worked in Action Comics, Detective Comics, Amazing Spider-Man, Captain America, Star Wars, and Wonder Woman.

Fajertag is the Comic Department Purchaser and Customer Service Representative at Universal Distribution. They have eight years of experience working in each stage of comic distribution from picking comics to managing purchasing and claims.

Gassmalla has been working in the retail side of comics for about ten years, starting as an intern and is now co-manager and part owner of Fantom Comics. She is involved in inventory ordering, event coordination, and represents the store at shows like Baltimore Comic-Con, ComicsPro, and New York Comic Con.

Morrison is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator who painted dozens of movie posters, including The Little Mermaid, Bambi, Peter Pan, and Cinderella. He did a lot of work for The Simpsons by creating illustrations for t-shirts, video games, posters, toy packaging, and books. When The Simpsons jumped into comics, Morrison became the art director of the book and later edited all of Bongo’s titles. He did character design for Futurama and was an artist and designer on Disenchantment. He has written and drawn his own comics like Roswell and Little Green Man, and co-created Heroes Anonymous, Dead Vengeance, and Lady Robotika.

“It is a great privilege to select an amazing cross-section of the comics industry for our annual jury,” Baltimore Comic-Con promoter Marc Nathan said. “This year, our jurors bring to the table their years of experience in publishing, retailing, distributing, and creating comics, as well as their diverse backgrounds and tastes. We are excited to see this year’s publisher submissions as well as what our jury picks as their favorites for the final ballot.”