The Dave Hawksworth Memorial Comic Shop Improvement Award is a monetary award of $5,000 that is granted to comic book shop owners to facilitate business improvements. The award is open to any brick and mortar location worldwide. A panel of Diamond staff and industry professionals will review the entries and select a winner, who will be recognized during the Diamond Retailer Appreciation Event Lunch during San Diego Comic-Con.

Shop owners interested in the award should submit a statement that completes the sentence “If I received a $5,000 award to improve my business, I would…” Retailers are also encouraged to include further details, pictures, and video that would showcase how they would use the grant. Entries should be sent to Andrea Purcell at Diamond’s home office. Entries are due June 15.

Hawksworth, Diamond Distributor’s Outside Sales Manager, passed away unexpectedly on January 9 (see "R.I.P. Dave Hawksworth"). The beloved figure was posthumously awarded ComicsPRO’s first ever Unsung Hero Award during the ComicsPRO Comic Industry Conference (See “ComicsPRO Industry Award Nominees Announced”).