cupcake award
Self-publishing is at the heart of the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo festival and community. Supporting emerging artists and helping them grow is central to our mission. The annual Cupcake Award is a juried prize that supports the publication of a new minicomic by an emerging artist whose work is primarily self-published.
9TH ANNUAL CUPCAKE AWARD
Congratulations to Mili St. John for winning the 9th Annual Cupcake Award! Special thanks to this year’s jury: Marnie Galloway, Tyrell Cannon, Chris López, and Alex O’Keefe. Additional thanks to Pidge for volunteering as this year’s mentor!
2025 Winner
Mili St. John is a self-taught cartoonist from Portland, Maine. Her folk-fantasy comic series Pocket Space reflects on overcoming grief through the strength of found family. She is passionate about fostering comic enthusiasm in her community and she loves the sound of the train whistling by.
milistjohn.com
Instagram: @milistjohn • Bluesky: @milimonster • TikTok: @milimonsterslayer
2025 Mentor
Pidge is an artist and educator who is the creator, illustrator, and letterer of her Ignatz Award nominated comic, Infinite Wheatpaste. When she isn’t drawing or teaching middle schoolers, she can be found knitting and snowboarding.
pidgecomics.com
Instagram and Bluesky: @pidgecomics
2025 HONORABLE MENTIONS
In alphabetical order by last name.
Teddie Bernard, Alberth Chacon, Leo Covault, Audrey Hamilton, Nanako Kono, Sanika Phawde, noelle richard, Ana Two, Ava Walkow
AWARD HISTORY
The Cupcake award has been awarded annually at each in-person CAKE expo since 2015.
Mentor
Winner
Annie Koyama
John Porcellino
Caitlin McGuirk
Edie Fake
Marnie Galloway
Tyrell Cannon
Isabella Rotman
Jim Terry
Zach Clemente
Kat Fajardo
2015 - Sara Drake
2016 - Goda Trakumaite
2017 - Kelly Fernandez
2018 - Adam Griffiths
2019 - Diana Chu
2020 - Joi Yao
2021 - AnneMarie Rogers
2022 - Bread Tarleton
2023/24 - Natalie 麥月明
2023/24 - Eli Estrella Perez