Rachel Smythe’s WEBTOON Sensation Lore Olympus Continues Awards Sweep with Third Consecutive Harvey Award Win for Digital Book of the Year

The win marks back-to-back awards sweeps for Smythe and Lore Olympus across the Harvey Awards, Eisner Awards, and Ringo Awards in 2022 and 2023

Lore Olympus has seen massive success across multiple formats, with over 1.5 billion views and 6.4 million subscribers on WEBTOON, multiple No. 1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel volumes, and an animated series in development

WEBTOON, the world’s largest digital comics platform, is celebrating Rachel Smythe’s third consecutive Harvey Award win for her global hit webcomic Lore Olympus. The series was honored with the award for Digital Book of the Year during the 2023 Harvey Awards ceremony at New York Comic Con on Friday night.

Lore Olympus is a modern retelling of Persephone and Hades’ mythological love story, which has accumulated more than 1.5 billion views on WEBTOON. Since its launch on the platform in 2018, the webcomic has become one of the world’s most esteemed digital comics and has been adapted across several formats. Lore Olympus has been published in print by Penguin Random House (Inklore), reaching #1 on the New York Times bestseller list multiple times. The hit webcomic series also has a merchandise deal and an animated series in development from Wattpad WEBTOON Studios and The Jim Henson Company.

This is the third consecutive Harvey Award win for Smythe and WEBTOON, continuing the series’ 2023 sweep across some of the most prestigious awards in comics. Lore Olympus is the first series to win three consecutive Harvey Awards for Digital Book of the Year, along with back-to-back Eisner and Ringo Awards for Best Webcomic in 2023.

“It has been such a joy to see the world of Lore Olympus resonate with readers worldwide, and I’m so grateful to the fans for their continued support of this series year after year,” said Rachel Smythe. “It has been an incredible journey building this story on WEBTOON, and to have my work recognized by my esteemed industry peers during New York Comic Con is an absolute honor.”

“It is a privilege to help share Rachel Smythe’s unmatched creative talents with millions of readers around the world on WEBTOON,” added Junkoo Kim, CEO and Founder of WEBTOON Entertainment. “Lore Olympus has become a timeless story that pushes the boundaries of the webcomic format, with art and a narrative that will inspire people for generations. On behalf of everyone at WEBTOON and the wider WEBTOON community, I’m thrilled to congratulate Rachel on this incredible achievement.”

Lore Olympus’ latest win marks a year of growing recognition for WEBTOON creators across the industry’s biggest awards. Mike Birchall’s hit horror series Everything is Fine, was also nominated for a 2023 Harvey Award for Digital Book of the Year. Earlier this year, WEBTOON creators and projects were nominated across the Eisner and Ringo Awards. Eisner-nominated projects and creators include WEBTOON’s breakout collaboration with DC, Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, Sarah Anderson’s Cryptid Club, Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper Volume 4, Joshua Barkman’s Spores, Michael Adam Lengyel’s The Mannamong, and Dark Horse’s print edition and translation of WEBTOON sensation Hellbound, by Yeon Sang-ho and Choi Gyu-seok, translated by Danny Lim.

At the 2023 Ringo Awards, Hanza Art’s The Guy Upstairs and Nevermore from Kate Flynn and Kit Trace both won Fan Favorite awards, along with nominations for Quimchee’s I Love Yoo, LizardxLizard’s Finding Fiends, Scragony’s Vampire Husband, and Live with Yourself! by Shen and David J Catman.

ABOUT WEBTOON

WEBTOON is the world’s largest digital comics platform, home to some of the biggest artists, IP, and fandoms in comics. As the global leader and pioneer of the mobile webcomic format, WEBTOON has revolutionized the comics industry for comic fans and creators. Today, a diverse new generation of international comic artists have found a home on WEBTOON, where the company’s storytelling technology allows anyone to become a creator and build a global audience for their stories.

With a massive catalog of incredible digital comics from rising stars on WEBTOON CANVAS platform, and a growing roster of superstar WEBTOON Originals creators, there’s something for every type of comic fan on WEBTOON. WEBTOON’s passionate fandoms are the new face of pop culture, and adaptations can be found on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and other screens around the world. The company has worked with DC Comics, Marvel Entertainment, HYBE, and many more of the world’s biggest entertainment brands.

With 170 million monthly active users, WEBTOON Entertainment’s family of aligned IP and platform brands include WEBTOON, Wattpad--the world’s leading webnovel platform--Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, StudioN, Studio Lico, WEBTOON Unscrolled, LINE Manga, eBook Initiative Japan, and Yonder, among others.

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