Quartier Manga External
Over the years since its inception, the Festival at Angoulême has awarded a variety of prizes that have shifted and altered. The first prizes were awarded in 1976, which was the third Festival. During the 1980s they called the prizes "Alfreds" and later "Alph-Arts" in nods to popular characters and albums. Prizes were added in 2004 (including best artwork, " dessin", best script, " scénario" and best for various age categories) and then removed in 2007 to be replaced with six " Essentiels d'Angoulême" which included a Prix du meilleur album "best album", Fauve d'Or. As Laurence Grove points out in his comprehensive study, Comics in French: The European Band Dessinée in Context (2013), factors for consideration, as with many accolades in the literary world, seemed to change over time. The Festival today is more popular than ever and reflects new trends and developments. For example, there is an entire space dedicated to manga. The Quartier Manga External boasts "The whole world of manga in a space dedicated to popular Asian cultures. Stands, entertainment, goodies, meetings, signings, performances, food". Below are the winners of the Prix du meilleur album from 2001- Present. Keep in mind that some of these prizes were awarded to non-French recipients (Shaun Tan, for example is Australian). The French translations are posted below. Occasionally dates of publication and award are skewed.