Eisner Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Location	San Diego Comic-Con
Country	United States
First awarded	1988
< Kirby Awards

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, often called the Eisner Awards, are like the Academy Awards for comic books! They celebrate amazing creative work in American comics. Many people think these are the most important awards in the comic world. They are named after Will Eisner, a famous writer and artist who helped create comics as we know them. He even attended the award ceremonies until he passed away in 2005. The Eisner Awards also include a special Hall of Fame for comic legends.

A group of 5 or 6 experts chooses the nominees for each award. Then, people who work in the comic book industry vote for the winners. The awards are given out every July at the big San Diego Comic-Con event. The jury often includes a comic shop owner, a librarian, and a researcher, along with other comic experts.

History of the Eisner Awards

The Eisner Awards began in 1988. Another award, the Harvey Award, also started that year. Both were created because the Kirby Awards had stopped in 1987. Dave Olbrich helped start the Eisner Awards.

In 1990, there was no Eisner Award ceremony. This was due to problems with the voting process. Dave Olbrich left his role. Since 1990, Jackie Estrada has been in charge of the awards. The Eisner Award ceremony has been held at the San Diego Comic-Con every year since 1991.

In 2006, it was announced that old records and materials from the Eisner Awards would be kept safe. They are stored at the James Branch Cabell Library. This library is part of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

What Are the Eisner Award Categories?

The Eisner Awards are given in many different areas. This celebrates all the different talents needed to make comics. As of 2021, there are 32 categories for works published in 2020.

Current Award Categories

Here are some of the main categories:

• Best Short Story: For a great short comic story.
• Best Single Issue/One-Shot: For an outstanding single comic book.
• Best Continuing Series: For a comic series that keeps going strong.
• Best Limited Series: For a comic story told over a few issues.
• Best New Series: For an exciting new comic series.
• Best Publication for Early Readers: For comics made for very young kids.
• Best Publication for Kids: For comics made for children.
• Best Publication for Teens: For comics made for teenagers.
• Best Humor Publication: For the funniest comic.
• Best Anthology: For a collection of different short comics.
• Best Reality-Based Work: For comics based on real-life events.
• Best Graphic Memoir: For a comic book that tells a true story about someone's life.
• Best Graphic Album — New: For a brand new, longer comic book.
• Best Graphic Album — Reprint: For a longer comic book that was re-released.
• Best U.S. Edition of International Material: For the best foreign comic released in the U.S.
• Best Writer: For the best comic book writer.
• Best Writer/Artist: For someone who both writes and draws comics very well.
• Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team: For the best artists who draw and outline the comics.
• Best Cover Artist: For the artist who creates the best comic book covers.
• Best Coloring: For the best color artist in comics.
• Best Lettering: For the best comic book letterer.
• Best Comics-Related Book: For a great book about comics.
• Best Digital Comic: For an excellent comic published online.
• Best Webcomic: For a fantastic comic found on the internet.

Past Winners

To see a full list of all the winners, check out the main article:

See Also

In Spanish: Premio Eisner para niños

Other awards given at the San Diego Comic-Con:

• Inkpot Award
• Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award
• Kirby Award
• The Bill Finger Award For Excellence In Comic Book Writing

Other awards for comics:

• Alley Award
• Eagle Award
• GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book
• Harvey Award
• Ignatz Award
• Inkwell Awards
• National Comics Award
• Ringo Award
• Shazam Award