The “Max und Moritz“ Gala in Erlangen’s baroque theatre on Friday, 20 June 2014, at 9 p.m., is the highlight of the Salon. The “Max und Moritz“ Award, presented by the City of Erlangen, is the most important prize for graphic literature in the German-speaking countries. It is awarded in different categories by an independent jury of professionals and plays a decisive role for the recognition of comic art in the German-speaking countries. With the award the work of outstanding artists is recognised, exemplary publishing acknowledged and debate on graphic literature encouraged. In previous years the award for lifetime achievement went to Albert Uderzo, Jacques Tardi, Alan Moore, Pierre Christin and Lorenzo Mattotti.

The "Max and Moritz"-Award 2014 will be given out in the categories "Lifetime Achievement Award," "Best German-speaking Comic Artist" (5000 Euro endowment), "Best German-language Comic," "Best International Comic," "Best German-language Comic Strip," "Best Comic for Children," "Best Student Comic" (1000 Euro endowment), "Special Jury Award," and "Audience Award."

You will find the Lifetime Achievement Award 2014 and the titles nominated for the “Max und Moritz“-Award 2014 here.

The members of the jury 2014 are: Christian Gasser (author, academic Hochschule Luzern – Design & Kunst), Herbert Heinzelmann (journalist and media scholar, Nuremberg), Brigitte Helbling (journalist, Arbeitsstelle für Graphische Literatur, Hamburg), Andreas C. Knigge (journalist and publicist, Hamburg), Isabel Kreitz (comic-strip artist, Hamburg), Lars von Törne (journalist, Berlin) and Bodo Birk (director Erlangen International Comic Salon).


The "Max und Moritz“ Audience Award 2014

For the third time the “Max und Moritz“ Audience Award will be awarded in 2014. The voting taking place in three phases (1. Propose, 2. Select, 3. Vote) will end on the evening of 19 June 2014 at 7 p.m.. It is organised online in collaboration with the internet platforms www.comicforum.de, www.paninicomics.de/forum and www.animexx.de. The audience has the opportunity to influence directly the list of nominees for the “Max und Moritz“ Award, for it is up to the fans to choose three nominees in the categories “Albums, Graphic Novels“, “American Comics“ and “Manga“. The winner of the “Max und Moritz“ Audience Award will be announced together with the winners in the other categories during the “Max und Moritz“ Gala on Friday 20 June 2014, 9 p.m. at the Erlangen Markgrafentheater.

Round 1: Propose – 12 until 26 March 2014
Proposals for the Audience Award can be made in the following three categories and have to be submitted on the corresponding internet platform: for the category “Albums, Graphic Novels“ in the Comicforum (Comic-Salon-Forum) www.comicforum.de, for the category “American Comics“ in the Panini-Forum www.paninicomics.de/forum and Comicforum (Cross Cult-Forum) www.comicforum.de and for the category “Manga“ in the Animexx-Forum www.animexx.de. Only one proposal or support of one already existing proposal per person is allowed in each forum. Acceptable as proposal are all separate volumes or series (no editions), which have been released since April 2012 in German. The proposals will be listed in the respective forum in the chronological order of their entry by the moderators of the forums. Cases of doubt (such as category classification) will be decided among organiser and moderator.

Round 2: Select – 31 March until 13 April 2014
The twenty proposals in the three categories of round 1 with the most supporters in each case will reach round 2. By equality of votes a step-up of the select list if applicable will be decided to avoid a run-off vote. For the voting in round 2 a list in alphabetical order will be generated, per person only one vote in each forum is allowed. The title with the most votes in each of the three forums will be gaining access as an official nomination into consultation of the “Max und Moritz“ jury for the “Max und Moritz“ Award (middle of April 2014). By equality of votes results a short-term run-off vote in the corresponding forum. Intermediate results will not be published.

Round 3: Vote – early in May until 19 June 2014
The three nominated titels of the audience from round 2 as well as the nominated titles of the “Max und Moritz“ jury will be submitted to the audience in round 3 as one list in alphabetical order for voting. The voting can be made here. Per person one vote is allowed, intermediate results will not be published furthermore. The voting closes in the evening of 19 June 2014 (first day of the 16th Erlangen International Comic Salon) 7 p.m. The announcement of the Audience Award will take place during the “Max und Moritz“ Award Ceremony on Friday, 20 June 2014, 9 p.m. at the Erlangen Markgrafentheater.