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

comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

s. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred to as the industry's equivalent of the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

. The first Eisners were conferred in 1988, for works published in 1987. The Eisner Awards ceremony has been held at

San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

every year since 1991. The awards are named in honor of pioneering

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

and writer Will Eisner, who was a regular participant in the ceremony until his death in 2005."The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards"
Comic-con.org
WebCitation archive
(requires scrolldown). The nominations in each category are generated by a five- to six-member jury, then voted on by comic book professionals. The jury often consists of at least one comics retailer, one librarian (since 2005), and one academic researcher, among other comic experts. , awards are presented in 32 categories.

History

The Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards were first conferred in 1988, both created in response to the discontinuation of the Kirby Awards in 1987. Dave Olbrich started the non-profit organization. There was no Eisner Awards 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 Awards ceremony has been held at

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 in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

Categories

The Eisner Awards 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 (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 (1992–1999) *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