diff --git a/manifest/line-based.go b/manifest/line-based.go
index 498d58a..ea0c327 100644
--- a/manifest/line-based.go
+++ b/manifest/line-based.go
@@ -57,7 +57,11 @@ func ParseLineBased(readerIn io.Reader) (*Manifest2822, error) {
 				maintainerLine := strings.TrimPrefix(line, "# maintainer: ")
 				if line != maintainerLine {
 					// if the prefix was removed, it must be a maintainer line!
-					manifest.Global.Maintainers = append(manifest.Global.Maintainers, maintainerLine)
+					maintainer := Manifest2822Maintainer{}
+					if err := maintainer.UnmarshalControl(maintainerLine); err != nil {
+						return nil, err
+					}
+					manifest.Global.Maintainers = append(manifest.Global.Maintainers, maintainer)
 				}
 			} else {
 				entry, parseErr := ParseLineBasedLine(line, manifest.Global)
diff --git a/manifest/parse_test.go b/manifest/parse_test.go
index 17f9a99..bd98299 100644
--- a/manifest/parse_test.go
+++ b/manifest/parse_test.go
@@ -13,8 +13,24 @@ func TestParseError(t *testing.T) {
 	man, err := manifest.Parse(strings.NewReader(invalidManifest))
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Errorf("Expected error, got valid manifest instead:\n%s", man)
+		return
 	}
 	if !strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "Bad line:") {
 		t.Errorf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+}
+
+func TestInvalidMaintainer(t *testing.T) {
+	testManifest := `Maintainers: Valid Name (@valid-handle), Valid Name <valid-email> (@valid-handle), Invalid Maintainer (invalid-handle)`
+
+	man, err := manifest.Parse(strings.NewReader(testManifest))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Errorf("Expected error, got valid manifest instead:\n%s", man)
+		return
+	}
+	if !strings.HasPrefix(err.Error(), "invalid Maintainers:") {
+		t.Errorf("Unexpected error: %v", err)
+		return
 	}
 }
diff --git a/manifest/rfc2822.go b/manifest/rfc2822.go
index 2f5024b..ad5c064 100644
--- a/manifest/rfc2822.go
+++ b/manifest/rfc2822.go
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ type Manifest2822 struct {
 type Manifest2822Entry struct {
 	control.Paragraph
 
-	Maintainers []string `delim:"," strip:"\n\r\t "`
+	Maintainers []Manifest2822Maintainer `delim:"," strip:"\n\r\t "`
 
 	Tags       []string `delim:"," strip:"\n\r\t "`
 	SharedTags []string `delim:"," strip:"\n\r\t "`
@@ -53,6 +53,12 @@ type Manifest2822Entry struct {
 	Constraints []string `delim:"," strip:"\n\r\t "`
 }
 
+type Manifest2822Maintainer struct {
+	Name   string
+	Email  string
+	Handle string
+}
+
 var (
 	DefaultArchitecture = "amd64"
 
@@ -75,7 +81,7 @@ func deepCopyStringsMap(a map[string]string) map[string]string {
 
 func (entry Manifest2822Entry) Clone() Manifest2822Entry {
 	// SLICES! grr
-	entry.Maintainers = append([]string{}, entry.Maintainers...)
+	entry.Maintainers = append([]Manifest2822Maintainer{}, entry.Maintainers...)
 	entry.Tags = append([]string{}, entry.Tags...)
 	entry.SharedTags = append([]string{}, entry.SharedTags...)
 	entry.Architectures = append([]string{}, entry.Architectures...)
@@ -104,7 +110,11 @@ func (entry *Manifest2822Entry) CleanDirectoryValues() {
 const StringSeparator2822 = ", "
 
 func (entry Manifest2822Entry) MaintainersString() string {
-	return strings.Join(entry.Maintainers, StringSeparator2822)
+	maintainers := []string{}
+	for _, maint := range entry.Maintainers {
+		maintainers = append(maintainers, maint.String())
+	}
+	return strings.Join(maintainers, StringSeparator2822)
 }
 
 func (entry Manifest2822Entry) TagsString() string {
@@ -454,11 +464,31 @@ var (
 	MaintainersRegex = regexp.MustCompile(`^(` + MaintainersNameRegex + `)(?:\s+<(` + MaintainersEmailRegex + `)>)?\s+[(]@(` + MaintainersGitHubRegex + `)[)]$`)
 )
 
+func (maint Manifest2822Maintainer) String() string {
+	ret := []string{maint.Name}
+	if maint.Email != "" {
+		ret = append(ret, "<"+maint.Email+">")
+	}
+	ret = append(ret, "(@"+maint.Handle+")")
+	return strings.Join(ret, " ")
+}
+
+func (maint *Manifest2822Maintainer) UnmarshalControl(data string) error {
+	if matches := MaintainersRegex.FindStringSubmatch(data); len(matches) > 0 {
+		maint.Name = matches[1]
+		maint.Email = matches[2]
+		maint.Handle = matches[3]
+		return nil
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("invalid Maintainers: %q (expected format %q)", data, MaintainersFormat)
+}
+
 func (entry Manifest2822Entry) InvalidMaintainers() []string {
 	invalid := []string{}
 	for _, maintainer := range entry.Maintainers {
-		if !MaintainersRegex.MatchString(maintainer) {
-			invalid = append(invalid, maintainer)
+		// normally these would already be caught by the parsing regex, but just in case someone made an invalid object by hand or something, let's re-validate
+		if maintainer.Name == "" || maintainer.Handle == "" {
+			invalid = append(invalid, maintainer.String())
 		}
 	}
 	return invalid