The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry,are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the discontinuation of the Kirby Awards after 1987.They are named in honor of the pioneering writer and artist Will Eisner, who was a regular participant in the award ceremony until his death in 2005. The nominations in each category are generated by a five-member panel, then voted on by comic-book professionals, and presented at the annual Comic-Con International convention held in San Diego, California, usually in July or August. Jackie Estrada has been the award administrator since 1990. - from Wikipedia
The Harvey Awards are named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman (1924-1993) and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987. The Harvey Awards are nominated by an open vote among comic-book professionals. The winners are selected from the top five nominees in each category by a final round of voting.
The Ignatz Awards are intended to recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press creators or creator-owned projects published by larger publishers. Recipients of the award are determined by the votes of the attendees of the annual Small Press Expo (SPX, or The Expo its corporate name), a weekend convention and tradeshow showcasing creator-owned comics. Nominations for the Ignatz Awards are made by a five-member jury panel consisting of comic book professionals. The Ignatz Awards are named in honour of George Herriman and his strip Krazy Kat, which featured a brick-wielding mouse named Ignatz.- from Wikipedia
JUST A NOTE...
The Jack Kirby Award for achievement in comic books was presented from 1985-1987 by Amazing Heroes magazine, and managed by Fantagraphics employee Dave Olbrich. It is named after the pioneering writer and artist Jack Kirby, and voted on by comic-book professionals. In 1987, a dispute arose when Olbrich and Fantagraphics, publisher of Amazing Heroes, each claimed ownership of the awards. A compromise was reached, and starting in 1988, the Kirby Award was discontinued and two new awards were created: the Eisner Award, managed by Olbrich and named after Will Eisner; and the Fantagraphics-managed Harvey Award, named for Harvey Kurtzman. - from Wikipedia