The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

s, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. They are named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner (March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) was no ...

, who was a regular participant in the award ceremony until his death in 2005."The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards"
Comic-con.org
WebCitation archive
(requires scrolldown). The Eisner Awards include the Comic Industry's Hall of Fame. The nominations in each category are generated by a five- to a six-member jury, then voted on by comic book professionals and presented at the annual

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

held in July, usually on Friday night. The jury often consists of at least one comics retailer, one librarian (since 2005), and one academic researcher, among other comics experts.

History

The Eisner Awards and

Harvey Award The Harvey Awards are given for achievement in comic books. Named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman, the Harvey Awards were founded by Gary Groth in 1988, president of the publisher Fantagraphics, to be the successor to the Kirby Awards that we ...

s were first conferred in 1988, both created in response to the discontinuation of the

Kirby Award The Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards were a set of awards for achievement in comic books, presented from 1985-1987. Voted on by comic-book professionals, the Kirby awards were the first such awards since the Shazam Awards ceased in 1975. Sponsored ...

s in 1987.

Dave Olbrich Dave Olbrich is an editor and executive in the American comic book industry. He began as producer and host of YouTube channel Geekview Tavern in 2021. He was instrumental in the creation of two awards for achievement in comic books, voted on by pr ...

started the non-profit organization. There was no Eisner Award ceremony, or awards distributed, in 1990, due to widespread balloting mix-ups."Eisners Cancelled," ''The Comics Journal'' #137 (Sept. 1990), p. 16. The previous administrator, Dave Olbrich, left the position, and Jackie Estrada has been the award administrator since 1990."The Eisner Awards: A Brief History"
, Comic-con.org
WebCitation archive
(requires scrolldown). The Eisner Award ceremony has been held at the San Diego Comic-Con every year since 1991. In 2006, it was announced that the archives of the Eisner Awards would be housed at the James Branch Cabell Library of

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

in Richmond.

Categories

The

Eisner Awards The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books, sometimes referred to as the comics industry's equivalent of the Academy Awards. They are named in ...

are awarded in the following categories:

Current

, awards are presented in 32 categories for works published in 2020. * Best Short Story (1993–present) * Best Single Issue/One-Shot (1988–2008, 2010–present) *Best Continuing Series (1988–present) *Best Limited Series (1988–present) *Best New Series (1988–present) * Best Publication for Early Readers (2012–present) * Best Publication for Kids (2008–present) * Best Publication for Teens (2008–present) *Best Humor Publication (1992–present) * Best Anthology (1992–present) * Best Reality-Based Work (2006–present) * Best Graphic Memoir (2021–present) *Best Graphic Album — New (1991–present) *Best Graphic Album — Reprint (1991–present) * Best Adaptation from Another Medium (2013–2014, 2016, 2018–present) * Best U.S. Edition of International Material (1998–present) * Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia (2010–present) *Best Archival Collection/Project — Strips (1992–1993, 2006–present) *Best Archival Collection/Project — Comic Books (2006–present) * Best Writer (1988–present) *Best Writer/Artist (1988–present) * Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team (1994–present) * Best Painter/Digital Artist (1993–2011, 2013–present) * Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers) (1992–present) * Best Coloring (1992–present) * Best Lettering (1993–present) *Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism (2008–present) *Best Comics-Related Book (1992–present) * Best Academic/Scholarly Work (2012–present) *Best Publication Design (1993–present) * Best Digital Comic (2005–present) * Best Webcomic (2017–present)

Past awards

*Best Graphic Album (1988–1989) *Best Art Team (1988–1989) *Best Black-and-White Series (1988–1991) *Best Editor (1992–1997) *Best Comics-Related Product/Item (1992, 1994–2002) *Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication (1992–2000, 2002–2007) *Best Archival Collection/Project (1993–2005) *Best Serialized Story (1993–2006) *Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition (1995–2006) *Best Writer/Artist — Humor (1995–2008) *Best Title for Younger Readers/Best Comics Publication for a Younger Audience (1996–2007) *Best Writer/Artist — Drama (1997–2008) *Best Comics-Related Sculpted Figures (1999) *Best Comics-Related Publication (Periodical or Book) (2003) * Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Japan (2007–2009) *Special Recognition (2007–2008) *Best Writer/Artist–Nonfiction (2010) * Best Adaptation from Another Work (2010–2011)

History

Categories

Current

Past awards

Past winners

See also

References

External links