Ignatz Awards are intended to recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers . They have been awarded each year at the Small Press Expo since 1997 , only skipping a year in 2001 due to the show 's cancellation after the September 11 attacks . SPX has been held in either Bethesda , North Bethesda , or Silver Spring , Maryland
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Ignatz Award