The jury of the European Gabriel Award of CRIABD (Religious Centre for Information and Analysis of Comics), made up of eleven specialists, has granted its 2026 prize to the album Saint Damien de Molokaï. L'apôtre des lépreux ("Saint Damien of Molokai. The Apostle of the Lepers"), with a script by Jean-François Vivier and illustrations by Italian artist Salvo, published by Éditions Plein Vent.
The jury particularly praised the album's graphic quality, its colouring, and a clear, lively script that traces the key moments in the life of this Belgian priest who left for Hawaii as a missionary at the age of 24. There, he devoted himself entirely to caring for leprosy patients confined to the island of Molokai, tending to both their bodies and their souls, until he contracted the disease himself. Canonised by Benedict XVI in 2009, Saint Damien is portrayed in the comic as an example of boundless generosity.
In addition to the main prize, the jury awarded a "Coup de Cœur" ("Favourite") prize to the album À toucher le ciel("Touching the Sky"), dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the Cathedral of Saints Michael and Gudula in Brussels, with drawings by Baudouin Deville, script by Anne Gérard, and colours by Bérangère Marquebreucq, published by Gudula.
The awards will be officially presented at the CRIABD General Assembly on Saturday, 13 June 2026, at the Saint-Michel Community in Etterbeek, Brussels.
The winning album can be found and purchased on the publisher's website: www.editionspleinvent.fr
04/11/2026