| Joe Shuster Award | |
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2007 Joe Shuster Award logo |
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| Awarded for | Outstanding achievements in Canadian comics |
| Presented by | Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association |
| Country | Canada |
| Official website | http://www.joeshusterawards.com |
The Joe Shuster Awards are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels and webcomics by Canadians, there are additional awards for Retailers and Publishers. The full name is the Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards.
The Joe Shuster Awards were first handed out in April 2005. The awards are administered by the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards Association, a not-for-profit organization formed in 2004 to work on the awards. The awards are named in honour of Joe Shuster (1914–1992), the Canadian-born co-creator of Superman.
The Joe Shuster Awards are comic book industry oriented awards that recognize the achievements of Canadian citizens and permanent residents.
Founded initially as an English language comics award the criteria has been changed and refined since 2006 to be inclusive of all works published in Canada (see Language Criteria).
The majority of the awards were initially committee-nominated, public-vote awards, but this was changed in 2008 to a committee-nominated, jury-selected model. The model established in 2008 was designed to eliminate voter bias and ballot stuffing. The jury deliberates until they agree on a winner, discussing the merits of each candidate.
They are named after pioneering Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster (1914-1992), whose clear, dynamic style and inventive visual flourishes set the standard for graphic storytelling during the infancy of the North American comic book industry. It was Superman, a co-creation of Shuster and Jerry Siegel, that electrified the industry in 1938 and, almost overnight, transformed comic books into an enormous pop-cultural phenomenon. The name is used with the approval of the Estate of Joe Shuster (Michael Catron, Estate Agent).
Comics are a collaborative medium, there are writers, artists, cover artists, letterers, editors and publishers. Some individuals wear many hats, and for that reason Cartoonists, also referred to as writer/artists are given their own category. The 6 "core" creative Joe Shuster Awards consist of Outstanding Cartoonist, Artist, Writer, Colourist, Cover Artist and Publisher for works that were professional distributed during the previous calendar year. With the rise of webcomics as a popular medium, those that create them are the given their own awards category of Outstanding Webcomics Creator/Creative Team.
The awards were chosen initially by public vote, but the process changed in 2007 to jury decision to ensure every nominee is given consideration.
THE HARRY KREMER RETAILER AWARD
The late Harry Kremer, owner of Now & Then Books in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, was a true pioneer in the industry and a constant and tireless promoter and patron of the medium and owner one of the first comic book specialty stores in Canada. His memory is kept alive in the award that has been named after him – the Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Retailer Award.
THE GENE DAY SELF-PUBLISHER AWARD
Named after the late comics artist and self-publisher Gene Day (1951-1982), this award honours Canadian comic book creators or creative teams who self-published their work, but did not have the books distributed by a third party distributor. The nominees were selected from over 50 individual publications submitted for review from across Canada. The award winner receives a bursary of $500.
THE COMICS FOR KIDS AWARD
This award recognizes the works which capture the attention and fascination of young readers, and help to create a passion for life-long reading. Works considered for this award are comic books and graphic novels that are targeted at readers 14 and under. Nominees are selected by a team of educators led by Jennifer Haines, MA, B.Ed., who is also the proprietor of Guelph, Ontario’s The Dragon comic book shop.
THE CANADIAN COMIC BOOK CREATOR HALL OF FAME
Includes dozens of creators such as Hal Foster, Win Mortimer, John Byrne, Dave Sim and more.
The Joe Shuster Awards honour original work published during the previous calendar year in any language. However, Canada has two official languages - French and English, so extra research and attention is given to works published in the two official languages. In order to ensure that bilingual works are included on the ballot, two nominating committees select the finalists in each official language and the finalists are merged for the announced ballot. The nominated books are then given to jury members who can read both official languages for equal consideration.
The Joe Shuster Awards are open to all Canadian Citizens.
Canadian citizens who have chosen to reside outside of Canada are still eligible for consideration, unless they contact the Awards Organization and notify them that they have surrendered their Canadian citizenship and no longer wish to be considered for their recent work as a Canadian citizen.
Non-Canadians who have achieved Permanent Residency status in Canada are also eligible for consideration. In order to be considered for inclusion as a resident, the individual must have lived in Canada for three years. Permanent Residents who do not wish to be considered may opt out of the Awards program before the selection process begins by sending a statement in writing to the Awards Organization. If an approved Permanent Resident moves away from Canada, they are no longer considered eligible for the awards.
Categories and winners of Joe Shuster Awards are as follows:
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