Norma Editorial becomes the first comic publisher to win the National Award for Best Cultural Editorial Work 2022. An award that is honorary in nature and, therefore, lacks financial endowment.
Its president, Óscar Valiente, has specified that the General Book Directorate is supporting the sector but they are still demanding more actions to obtain more recognition since, as he has confessed to Europa Press, it is a sector that “has suffered much”.
For this reason, it has extended the award “to all publishers and companies related to comics” because this award means “equating comic culture to the rest of literature”.
However, comic book publishers demand more actions to get more recognition. “Last year, a Non-Legal Proposal was approved in Congress in defense of comics that was signed by all the parliamentary groups and we know that the Ministry of Culture and Sports is carrying out actions for it,” he assured.
Despite this, the Norma Editorial team, according to Valiente, is still “floating with the good news.” “The truth is that we take it as a personal acknowledgment but also to the sector. When they have communicated it to us, it has been a moment of euphoria because it has been 45 years of work and promoting the culture of comics,” he said.
In relation to the growth of comics in recent years, Valiente has affirmed that the world of manga has achieved a notable penetration in the market, which has led to “living a sweet moment”, although he warns: “Now we live a positive moment but We must not forget that we must work hard to, for example, ensure that national productions do not have to look for a foreign label to reach the market. We have to achieve a larger market.”
The jury of the National Award for Best Editorial Work The jury highlighted the publisher’s “remarkable and long-lasting cultural and social influence that has had a positive impact on the entire book value chain”. In addition, he has proposed Norma Editorial “for encouraging creation, in Spanish and Catalan”, within the comic and graphic novel segment.
“It has an important trajectory and international presence, especially in Latin America. Its work in promoting reading among the youngest public stands out, which makes it the first comic publisher to receive this recognition,” adds the ruling.
