Workers in the comic book and graphic novel industry are honored with an Eisner Award. Will Eisner, a longtime writer and illustrator of both comic books and graphic novels, is honored with the Eisner Award. The Kirby Awards were established in the early 1980s to honor contributors to the comic book industry. The Kirby Awards, however, were short-lived, and the organization that supported them disbanded in the mid-1980s. Many professionals came together to support a new organization because they still believed in the importance of recognizing the graphic novel and magazine, and many in the industry are now honored to receive an Eisner Award on a yearly basis.
The first Eisner Award nominees were artists and/or works published in 1987, with the award ceremony taking place in 1988. Since then, many have won an Eisner Award, which is given out annually in a variety of categories. Each year, approximately 30 awards are given out.