Montreal Comic Arts Festival takes charge of the Bédélys Awards

(Montreal, April 4 2019) The organizers of Promo 9^e Art and the Montreal Comic Arts Festival are pleased to announce that the Festival is officially taking charge of the management and presentation of the prestigious Bédélys Awards. The winners of the 2018 Bédélys Awards will be unveiled at the opening cocktail hour of the 8th annual Montreal Comic Arts Festival, beginning at 7 pm on Friday May 24th, at the Espace La Fontaine in Montreal.

This announcement follows the decision of the management of Promo 9^e Art to dissolve the organization and to pass on its activities to MCAF, including the running of the Bédélys.

We wanted to be sure to hand over the Bédélys to an organization whose mandate and values were in line with our own. Furthermore, we believe that the ongoing growth of the Festival as well as its proven organizational stability will allow the Bédélys Awards to achieve their full potential. This was, in our opinion, a necessary transition.

Explains Florence Grenier-Chénier, President of Promo 9^e Art.

The 20th edition of the Bédélys Awards will highlight distinguished comic books that were published in the 2018 calendar year. These awards are presented in four categories:

• Bédélys Québec : The best comic book created and published in Quebec
• Bédélys Indépendant : The best self-published, French-language comic created in Quebec
• Bédélys Monde: The best international comic published in French outside of Quebec
• Bédélys Jeunesse : The best comic book published in Quebec for an audience of 7 to 12 years of age

It is with great enthusiasm that the Montreal Comic Arts Festival takes over the reins of the Bédélys Awards from Promo 9^e Art. We believe that this award represents a powerful tool for the promotion and dissemination of the comic arts, and integrates perfectly with the Festival’s existing mission.

Adds Louise Guillemette-Labory, Chairperson of MCAF.

About MCAF/FBDM

Founded in 2011, MCAF (Montreal Comic Arts Festival) is a bilingual organization with a mission to be a leading platform for the comic arts in Quebec and beyond, to broaden public knowledge of and engagement with the comic arts, and to promote cultural exchanges and interactions between creators, readers, and the public at large. Each year MCAF puts on a wide range of roundtable discussions, workshops, expositions, readings, and interviews with creators, allowing visitors to better understand and appreciate the multiple facets of the comic arts. The 2019 edition of the Festival will be held from May 24-26 in Park La Fontaine, and is a free, eco-friendly, and biling ual event that is open to all.

About Promo 9^e Art

Founded in 1999, Promo 9^e Art’s mission is to promote the development of comic arts in Quebec, in particular bande dessinée québécoise, with the aim of fostering synergy amongst the community’s various stakeholders. The organization was the creator of the Bédélys Awards, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019.

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