It's the Oscar of comics. The Tony of comics. The Presidential pardon of comics. It's the award everyone wants.

Well, now the Eisner Awards are now accepting entries from publishers and creators to be considered for this year's awards.

I'm not expecting Kate And William: A Very Public Love Story to be in there, but stranger things have happened (not many, I grant you). Here's what you need to know.

Publishers wanting to submit entries should send one copy each of the comics or books they wish to nominate and include a cover letter indicating what is being submitted (including the names of the creators) and in what categories.

The tentative categories include best short story, best single issue, best continuing comic book series (at least two issues must have been published in 2011), best limited series (at least half of the series must have been published in 2011), best new series, best publication for kids, best publication for teens, best humor publication, best anthology, best digital comic, best graphic album – new material, best graphic album -reprint, best reality-based work, best archival collection, best U.S. edition of foreign material, best writer, best writer/artist, best penciler/inker (individual or team), best painter (interior art), best lettering, best coloring, best comics-related book, best comics journalism periodical or website, and best publication design. The judges may add, delete, or combine categories at their discretion. The cover letter should include both a mailing address and an e-mail address.

Creators can submit materials for consideration if their publisher is either no longer in business or unlikely to participate in the nomination process.

Publishers may submit a maximum of five nominees for any one category, and the same item or person can be submitted in more than one category. Each imprint, line, or subsidiary of a publisher may submit its own set of entries. There are no entry fees.

All submissions should be sent to Jackie Estrada, Eisner Awards, 8130 La Mesa Blvd, PMB 807, La Mesa, CA 91942, before the deadline of March 6.

The best digital comic category is open to any new, professionally produced long-form original comics work posted online in 2011. Webcomics must have a unique domain name or be part of a larger comics community to be considered. The work must be online-exclusive for a significant period prior to being collected in print form. The URL and any necessary access information should be emailed to Eisner Awards administrator Jackie Estrada: jackie@comic-con.org.

The Eisner Award nominees will be announced in April, and online voting (as well as pdf ballots) will be available to professionals in the comics industry, including creators, editors, publishers, distributors, and retailers. Physical ballots will also be sent to comics professionals and publishers. The results will be announced by celebrity presenters at the gala awards ceremony on the evening of July 13 at Comic-Con in San Diego.

A downloadable PDF of this press release is available here

The Eisner Awards are presented under the auspices of Comic-Con International, San Diego, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to creating awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular artforms. primarily through the presentation of conventions and events that celebrate the historic and ongoing contributions of comics to art and culture.

Eisner Awards administrator Jackie Estrada can be reached at Jackie@comic-con.org.