Awards Admin Jackie Estrada sends word on how to submit your material for the Eisners.
Eisner Awards Now Accepting Submissions for 2008

Submissions are now being accepted for consideration by the judges for the 2008 Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards. Publishers wanting to submit entries should send one copy each of the comics or books and include a cover letter indicating what is being submitted and in what categories.
The tentative categories include best single issue, best short story, best continuing comic book series (at least two issues must have been published in 2007), best limited comic book series (at least half of the series must have been published in 2007), best new series, best title aimed at a younger audience, best humor publication, best anthology, best graphic album—new material, best graphic album—reprint, best reality-based work, best archival collection, best U.S. edition of foreign material, best writer, best writer/artist, best penciler/inker (individual or team), best painter (interior art), best lettering, best coloring, best comics-related book, best comics journalism periodical or website, and best publication design. The judges may add, delete, or combine categories at their discretion. The cover letter should include both a mailing address and an e-mail address.


Creators can submit materials for consideration if: (a) their publisher is no longer in business; (b) their publisher is unlikely to have participated in the nomination process; or (c) they have severed connections with the publisher or have similar reasons for believing that their publisher is unlikely to consider nominating them or their work.
Publishers may submit a maximum of five items for any one category, and the same item or person can be submitted for more than one category. Each imprint, line, or subsidiary of a publisher may submit its own set of entries. There are no entry fees.
All submissions should be sent to Jackie Estrada, Eisner Awards Administrator, 4657 Cajon Way, San Diego, CA 92115, before the deadline of March 14.
Entries are also being accepted for the category of best webcomic. This category is open to any new, professionally produced long-form original comics work posted online in 2007. Webcomics must have a unique domain name or be part of a larger comics community to be considered. The work must be online-exclusive for a significant period prior to being collected in print form. The URL and any necessary access information should be emailed to [email protected].
The Eisner Award nominees will be announced in April, and ballots will go out in May to professionals in the comics industry, including creators, editors, publishers, distributors, and retailers. The results will be announced by celebrity presenters at the gala awards ceremony on the evening of July 25 at Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Further information on the Eisner Awards and a downloadable pdf of the Call for Entries can be found at http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.shtml
Anyone with questions about submitting entries for the awards can e-mail Ms. Estrada at [email protected] or call her at (619) 286-1591.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hmmm. So if I’m a world famous writer, and my publisher has a vendetta against me, said publisher can keep my work from being nominated?
    Are the judges allowed to add their own recommendations to the nominating process? And where might one find the rules and regulations of the Eisner Awards?

  2. “Hmmm. So if I’m a world famous writer, and my publisher has a vendetta against me, said publisher can keep my work from being nominated?”

    Not sure how you came up with that interpretation, Torsten. As the press release states, creators can submit their own work. No one can “keep works from being nominated.”

    Besides publishers and creators officially submitting books in response to the Call for Entries, I also track down items that I think might have been overlooked, and the judges often bring in things as well. Because many publishers outside the traditional comics industry are producing graphic novels, this is becoming more common.

    The basic rules for submission are listed in the Call for Entries. Some aspects change from year to year (such as additions or deletions of categories), depending on the changing nature of the industry. In other words, the judges have a certain amount of discretion within the overall guidelines that have been in place for about 15 years now.

    Jackie E.

  3. I purpose clause (c) could be used by a creator to avoid that possibility. However, the text above seems to read that the publisher is the one responsible. Do the judges consider the source? How often does a creator nominate something not published by themselves?

  4. Lots of creators nominate work they didn’t publish, and in many cases the publishers submit the work as well. However, it is primarily up to publishers to make submissions. I don’t know what you mean by “Do the judges consider the source?” The judges just pay attention to the work, no matter how it ended up in their hands.

    Jackie