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 Oscar Awards. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the discontinuation of the Kirby Awards after 1987. They are named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner, who was a regular participant in the award ceremony until his death in 2005. The Eisner Awards include the Comic Industry's Hall of Fame.
The nominations in each category are generated by a five-member panel, then voted on by comic-book professionals, and presented at the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, in July.
There was no Eisner Award ceremony, or awards distributed, in 1990, due to widespread balloting mix-ups. The previous administrator, Dave Olbrich, left the position, and Jackie Estrada has been the award administrator since 1990.
Categories
Awards are given out in the following categories:
Current
- Best Writer (1988-1989,1991â€"present)
- Best Writer/Artist (1988-1989,1991â€"present)
- Best Artist/Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team (1988-1989,1991â€"present)
- Best New Series (1988-1989,1991-present)
- Best Colorist/Coloring (1992â€"present)
- Best Letterer/Lettering (1993â€"present)
- Best Cover Artist (1992â€"present)
- Best Limited Series or Story Arc (2010â€"present)
- Best Single Issue (or One-Shot) (2010â€"present)
- Best Short Story (1993â€"present)
- Best Anthology (1992â€"present)
- Best Digital Comic (2005â€"present)
- Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7) (2012â€"present)
- Best Publication for Kids (ages 8â€"12) (2012â€"present)
- Best Publication for Young Adults (ages 12â€"17) (2012â€"present)
- Best Graphic Album: New (1991â€"present)
- Best Graphic Album: Reprint (1991â€"present)
- Best Humor Publication (1992â€"present)
- Best Educational/Academic Work (2012â€"present)
- Best Reality-Based Work (2007â€"present)
- Best Publication Design (1993â€"present)
- Best Comics-Related Book (1992â€"present)
- Best Archival Collection/Project - Comic Books (2006â€"present)
- Best Archival Collection/Project â€" Strips (2010â€"present)
- Best U.S. Edition of International Material (1998â€"present)
- Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism (2008â€"present)
- Spirit of Comics Retailer Award (1993â€"present)
- Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award (1984â€"present)
- The Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame (1987-1989,1991â€"present)
- Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award (1982â€"present)
- The Bill Finger Award For Excellence In Comic Book Writing (2005â€"present)
Past
- Best Graphic Album (1988-1989)
- Best Art Team (1988-1989)
- Best Black-and-White Series (1988-1989,1991)
- Best Single Issue/Single Story (1988-1989,1991-2008)
- Best Finite Series/Limited Series (1988-1989,1991-2009)
- Best Comic Strip Collection (1992-1993)
- 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)
- Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Interior) (1993-2011)
- Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition (1995-2007)
- 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 Archival Collection/Project - Comic Strips (2006-2009)
- Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Japan (2007-2009)
- Special Recognition (2008)
- Best Publication for Kids (2008-2011)
- Best Publication for Teens (2008,2010-2011)
- Best Publication for Teens/Tweens (2009)
- Best Writer/Artistâ€"Nonfiction (2010)
- Best Adaptation from Another Work (2010-2011)
- Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia (2010-2012)
- Best Spin-off
- Best Webcomic
Past winners
See also
- Alley Award
- Bill Finger Award
- Eagle Award
- Harvey Award
- Inkpot Award
- Kirby Award
- National Comics Award
- Russ Manning Award
- Shazam Award
Notes
References
- Eisner Awards from 1988 - 2007. WebCitation archive.
- The Eisner Awards - The “Oscars†of the Comics Industry.
- Archive of 2005 Eisner awards from Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive. Original page.
- 2006 Eisner Award nominations, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.
- 2006 Eisner Award winners, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.
- 2007 Eisner Award nominations, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.
- 2007 Eisner Award winners, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.
- 2008 Eisner Award winners, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.
- 2009 Eisner Award winners, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.
- Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award winner, Comic-Con.org. WebCitation archive.