There are many comic book industry awards, but there are three which stand out from the rest. They stand out from others for various reasons. When talking about comic book industry awards, though, what are the differences between the Eisner Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Shel Dorf Awards?
Comic Book Industry Awards: The Eisner Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are given each year at Comic-Con International in San Diego. The award was first instituted in 1988 and named after Will Eisner. The Eisner Award is typically considered the pinnacle award in the comic book industry as it awards creative achievement. Nominees and winners are decided through secret ballot by a panel of judges.
Comic Book Industry Awards: The Harvey Awards
The Harvey Awards are named after Harvey Kurtzman and are the successor of the Kirby Awards which had been around since 1985. The nominees and winners are selected through open-ballot. Only comic book industry creators can nominate or vote for Harvey awards. This makes the Harvey Awards special for many creators because they have been nominate or voted on by their peers. Currently, the Harvey Awards are held each year at Baltimore Comic-Con.
Comic Book Industry Awards: The Shel Dorf Awards
The Shel Dorf Awards are the newest of the awards on this list as they were established in 2010 at the first Detroit Fanfare. The awards are still held each year at Detroit Fanfare Comic Con. The unique aspect of this particular series of comic book industry awards is that they are nominated and voted upon by fans. Some creators look at the Shel Dorf Awards as being significant in a different way from the Harvey Awards and the Eisner Awards since they show the support of the fans.
Three different comic book industry awards with different qualities and types of significance. Even though they might award creators in the same types of categories, the way the awards are decided upon are quite different.
