Cannon by Lee Lai (published in North America by Drawn and Quarterly) has won the A$60,000 (about US$42,900) 2026 Stella Prize, honoring "the most excellent, original and outstanding book written by an Australian woman or non-binary writer." Cannon is the first graphic novel to win the Stella Prize and is Lai's second book, after Stone Fruit.
The judges wrote: "Reliable and dutiful Cannon (real name: Lucy; nickname Luce; ironically--or perhaps not--Luce Cannon) has myriad responsibilities. During the day, she helps her avoidant mother by taking care of her elderly gung-gung (maternal grandfather). At night, she works in the pressure-cooker kitchen of a fine dining restaurant. In her off-hours, she's a confidante and troubleshooter for best friend Trish. However, Cannon is about to crack--something we see in a dizzying flashforward in the first pages.
"Cannon is a compelling depiction of a fracturing friendship between two queer, second-generation Chinese women. It is also a bruising examination of the lifelong weight that people--often women--carry, the profound toll it takes to be the 'responsible one,' and what can happen when you are being taken advantage of repeatedly. (Bonus: it is also, somehow, very funny.) Lai's elegant artistry evokes horror and poignancy, shock and delight, and Cannon is an incontestable reminder that--in the hands of a masterful artist and storyteller--the very best graphic novels can do what prose alone cannot. And Cannon is absolutely one of the best."