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The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. 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.[1][2]

The first Eisners were conferred in 1988, for works published in 1987. The Eisner Awards ceremony has been held at San Diego Comic-Con every year since 1991.[3] The awards are named in honor of pioneering cartoonist and writer Will Eisner, who was a regular participant in the ceremony until his death in 2005.[4]

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. as of 2021, 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.[4] Dave Olbrich started the non-profit organization.[3]

There was no Eisner Awards ceremony, or awards distributed, in 1990, due to widespread balloting mix-ups.[5] The previous administrator, Dave Olbrich, left the position,[5] and Jackie Estrada has been the award administrator since 1990.[3] The Eisner Awards ceremony has been held at San Diego Comic-Con every year since 1991.[3]

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.[6]

Categories

Awards are currently presented in 32 categories for works published in the previous year.[7]

Current

Past awards

List of discontinued Eisner Award categories
Year introduced Discontinued Category
1988 1989 Best Graphic Album
1988 1989 Best Art Team
1988 1991 Best Black-and-White Series
1992 1999 Best Editor
1992[note 4] 2002 Best Comics-Related Product/Item
1992[note 5] 2007 Best Comics-Related Periodical/Publication
1993 2005 Best Archival Collection/Project
1993 2006 Best Serialized Story
1995 2006 Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition[10]
1995 2008 Best Writer/Artist-Humor
1996 2007 Best Title for Younger Readers / Younger Audience
1999 1999 Best Comics-Related Sculpted Figures
2003 2003 Best Comics-Related Publication (Periodical or Book)
2007 2009 Best U.S. Edition of International Material–Japan[10]
2007 2008 Special Recognition
2010 2010 Best Writer/Artist–Nonfiction
2010 2011 Best Adaptation from Another Work

Past winners

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Not awarded in 2009.
  2. ↑ Not awarded in 2015 or 2017.
  3. ↑ Not awarded in 2012.
  4. ↑ Not awarded in 1993.
  5. ↑ Not awarded in 2001.

References

  1. ↑ (April 8, 2011)."The Eisner Awards."worldofsuperheroes.com.Retrieved May 14, 2011.Archived from the original on October 22, 2013.
  2. ↑ Albert, Aaron."The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Profile."about.com.Retrieved May 14, 2011.Archived from the original on January 20, 2013.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "The Eisner Awards: A Brief History" Archived2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine, Comic-con.org. WebCitation archive (requires scrolldown).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards", Comic-con.org. WebCitation archive (requires scrolldown).
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Eisners Cancelled," The Comics Journal #137 (Sept. 1990), p. 16.
  6. ↑ Eisner Awards Archives to Be Housed at Virginia Commonwealth University. February 16, 2006. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Eisner Awards."Comic-Con International.(en-US).Retrieved 2025-11-17.Archived from the original on 2025-11-17.
  8. ↑ (2010)."25 Webcomics and Libraries". InGraphic Novels and Comics in Libraries and Archives: Essays on Readers, Research, History and Cataloging.Edited by Robert G. Weiner.McFarland.pp. 211.ISBN 978-0-7864-4302-4.
  9. ↑ Blake, Corey(2013-08-28)."25 Years of the Eisner Awards."Comic Book Resources.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 (2007-04-19)."2007 Eisner Nominations announced."Comic Book Resources.Retrieved 2016-07-14.Archived from the original on May 2, 2008.

External links

Template:American Comic Book Industry Awards Template:Eisner Awards