Dan T Award

THE DAN T AWARD, which will recognize and award indie comic book creators that show exceptional promise and commitment to their craft. The award is named after the late Dan Tancredi, who was a passionate champion of comic book creators and art, most especially indie creators and emerging talent.

The award was created by Sean Watkins of Athenaeum Comic Art, Mikail Lotia, and CAF CEO Kasra Ghanbari. Kasra will administer the award, and a Selection Committee comprised of long-time comic book readers and art collectors who were personal friends of Dan Tancredi will have exclusive oversight on the application reviews and voting.
 
A message from the award creators and Dan's friends:
 
"Dan was a wonderful, caring, and giving person who had an unbridled joy for collecting comic art and supporting young and emerging talent. He'd spend hours walking through shows and relentlessly looking online for special books and art and creators, and when he'd find something that spoke to him, his first instinct was to let his friends and fellow art collectors know and evangelize those creators. Dan had many special talents. The portraits he created of his friends and CAF community members became legendary for his incredible perception and how he uniquely captured the essence of each person. He was truly one-of-a-kind, and he left the comic art collecting community and world a better place. This award honors Dan by mirroring his beliefs and methods: relentlessly learn about indie creators, identify exceptional talent, and share them with as many people as possible with the goal of supporting the creator.”
 

THE DAN T AWARD — Guidelines

Eligibility: Any first-time exhibitor to an IC3 show.
 
Where: The Dan T Award will be granted at each in-person IC3 show, which currently is IC3@Jacksonville on July 11 and IC3@Providence on September 26. More shows and award opportunities are expected to be added in the future.
 
Deadline: You must apply to our IC3@JAX show by June 8 or our IC3@PVD show by August 10 in order to be considered for the award.
 
Process: All candidates will be submitted to a Selection Committee, who will review all applications and vote on a single winner per IC3 show.
 
Award & Benefits: The award winner will receive many benefits, including the following.
 
  • IC3 Show Exhibitor Space - free exhibitor table with all benefits thereof
  • IC3 Web Site Distinction - creator's listing prioritized with Featured Guests
  • CAF Premium Subscription for one year
    • Exhibitor booth at Comic Art LIVE's Hall I (IC3@CAL) in both May and November
    • Market data to help the creator determine pricing on their own art
    • Creator's For Sale pieces and Commission offerings promoted in CAF Classifieds
  • CAF+ and/or IC3 YouTube channel interview with creator
  • CAF and IC3 Social Media spotlights
    • In line with Featured Artist announcements
    • Video clip of YouTube channel interview posted to socials/YT channels
  • CAF and IC3 Newsletter spotlight
    • CAF newsletter spotlight sent to ~10,000 subscribers
    • IC3 newsletter spotlight sent to large subscriber base of artists and attendees
    • Inclusion in post-IC3 show official CAF press release report with highlights
  • Monetary award of $500


Dan T Award Recipient
Jude Brown



IC3@Jacksonville    7/2026

Jude Brown

Jude is an exceptionally talented artist and recent graduate from Savannah College of Art & Design that has the entire world at their feet. You can get to know Jude more from their Instagram and Behance pages plus Jude was interviewed by CAF's CEO and IC3@JAX Showrunner Kasra Ghanbari on the CAF+ YouTube channel.



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