The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards — the comics industry's closest equivalent to the Oscars — recognise the best US-published comics of the prior year. The 2026 edition honours works published between January 1 and December 31 2025. Submissions closed March 13 2026 (Comic-Con International). Nominees were announced May 14; voting closed June 5 (online; industry-professional ballot). Ceremony July 24, 2026 at Comic-Con. ~30 categories from Best Continuing Series to Best Webcomic to Best Lettering.
Rules
Eligibility
- Works published in the US between January 1 and December 31, 2025.
- Submitted by publishers (or by creators when the publisher won't participate).
- Up to 5 nominees per category per publisher.
- One copy per item (physical preferred; PDFs accepted; URL for webcomics).
- No entry fee.
Categories
~30 tentative categories, including:
- Best Short Story / Single Issue / Continuing Series / Limited Series / New Series
- Best Anthology / Humor / Graphic Album (New & Reprint)
- Best Reality-Based Work / Memoir / Adaptation
- Best Digital Comic / Webcomic
- Best Writer / Writer-Artist / Penciller-Inker / Painter / Letterer / Colorist / Cover Artist
- Best Publication Design / Comics-Related Book
- Best US Edition of International Material / Best Scholarly Work
Selection
- Nominees: blue-ribbon panel of judges (this year: Sawyer, Dear, Babb, Pryde, Duncan).
- Winners: industry-professional online ballot.
Ceremony
July 24, 2026 — San Diego Comic-Con.