View source for Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing

{{short description|American comic book award}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox award
| name           = Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing 
| current_awards =
| image          =
| alt            =
| caption        =
| awarded_for    = Excellence in [[comic book]] writing
| presenter      = 
| country        = [[United States]]
| date =
| year           = 2005
| year2 =
| subheader      =
| sponsor        = [[DC Comics]], [[Heritage Auctions]], [[Maggie Thompson]]
| host           = [[San Diego Comic-Con]]
| reward         = 
| holder         = 
| network        = 
| producer       =
| director       =
| most_awards    =
| most_nominations =
| previous       = 
| main           = 
| next           =  
| website        = https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node
}}
[[File:5.21.11JerryRobinsonByLuigiNovi1.jpg|alt=Robinson sitting at a table smiling|thumb|[[Jerry Robinson]] (pictured 2011) created the award.]]
The '''Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing''' is an American award for excellence in [[comic book]] writing.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml | title = New Writing Achievement Award to Honor Bill Finger | publisher = [[San Diego Comic-Con International]] | date = 2005 | archiveurl =  https://web.archive.org/web/20050509051331/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml | archivedate = May 9, 2005 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The awards committee, chaired by [[Mark Evanier]], is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. In 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] there were six deceased honorees and no living ones (and makeup plans for two living recipients in 2021).<ref name=2020winners>"In a year where Comic-Con cannot take place, it seemed wrong to honor, as we usually do, one posthumous writer and one who is still with us," [Chairman Mark] Evanier explained. "The one who is still with us would be denied the full honors of being brought to the convention and presented with the award onstage. Therefore, after much discussion, we decided to instead present no 'alive' award this year, and, assuming there is a convention in 2021, we will present two of those awards then. For 2020, we have selected six writers from the dozens who have been nominated to receive the posthumous award. Each of these six during their time in the industry produced a body of work that the judges deem worthy of more recognition and/or reward than it has received." [https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node Six Posthumous Recipients to Receive 2020 Bill Finger Award]</ref> 2021 saw the same formula as the previous year, with six deceased recipients.<ref name=2021winners>"Since we are not yet in a position to honor a writer who is still with us in a proper ceremony, we're going to a long list of comic book writers from the past who we feel did not receive sufficient recognition or reward for their contributions to the field. As with last year, we have selected six posthumous awards and no 'alive' award," [Chairman Mark] Evanier explained. "Each of these six writers left us with a body of work that the judges deem worthy of this honor." [https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node Six Posthumous Recipients to Receive 2021 Bill Finger Award]</ref>

The award, along with the [[Eisner Award]]s, is presented in July of each year at the annual [[San Diego Comic-Con]]. It was established by [[Bill Finger]]'s colleague and fellow writer [[Jerry Robinson]].

Evanier in 2003 said the premise of the award was "to recognize writers for a body of work that has not received its rightful reward and/or recognition. That was what Jerry Robinson intended as his way of remembering his friend, Bill Finger. Bill is still kind of the industry poster boy for writers not receiving proper reward or recognition."<ref name=2013winners>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/toucan/bill-finger-award-recipients-announced |title= Bill Finger Award Recipients Announced|date=May 17, 2013 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International|archivedate=March 4, 2016| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090754/http://www.comic-con.org/toucan/bill-finger-award-recipients-announced|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Recipients==
*2005 – [[Jerry Siegel]] (deceased), [[Arnold Drake]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger_1.shtml |title=Siegel, Drake to Receive First Bill Finger Award |accessdate=June 20, 2008 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705205156/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger_1.shtml |archivedate=July 5, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*2006 – [[Harvey Kurtzman]] (deceased), [[Alvin Schwartz (comics)|Alvin Schwartz]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger_2006.shtml |title=Schwartz, Kurtzman To Receive Second Bill Finger Award |accessdate=2008-06-20 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725011940/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger_2006.shtml |archivedate=2008-07-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*2007 – [[Gardner Fox]] (deceased), [[George Gladir]]<ref>{{cite web| author-link=Mark Evanier|last=Evanier|first=Mark|url = http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_06_05.html#013547 |title=This Year's Bill Finger Award| publisher=NewsFromMe.com |date=June 5, 2007|accessdate=June 20, 2008| archivedate=September 29, 2007 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070929095917/http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_06_05.html}}</ref>
*2008 – [[Archie Goodwin (comics)|Archie Goodwin]] (deceased), [[Larry Lieber]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml |title=Archie Goodwin, Larry Lieber to Receive Bill Finger Award|accessdate=July 27, 2008 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080913201118/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml| archivedate= September 13, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2009 – [[John Broome (writer)|John Broome]] (deceased), [[Frank Jacobs]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml |title=John Broome, Frank Jacobs to Receive 2009 Bill Finger Award |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International| year=2009| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20091229193335/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml | archivedate= 29 December 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2010 – [[Otto Binder]] (deceased), [[Gary Friedrich]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org:80/cci/cci_finger.shtml|title=Otto Binder, Gary Friedrich to Receive 2010 Bill Finger Award|date=2010|publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International|archivedate=July 26, 2010|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726100035/http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2011 – [[Bob Haney]] (deceased), {{ill|Del Connell|fr}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.php|title=Bob Haney, Del Connell to Receive 2011 Bill Finger Award|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111211102702/https://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_finger.php|archive-date=December 11, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*2012 – [[Frank Doyle (writer)|Frank Doyle]] (deceased), [[Steve Skeates]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbr.com/frank-doyle-steve-skeates-to-receive-bill-finger-award-at-2012-eisner-awards/|title=Frank Doyle, Steve Skeates to Receive Bill Finger Award at 2012 Eisner Awards|website=www.cbr.com|date=13 June 2012 |access-date=2019-07-01}}</ref>
*2013 – [[Steve Gerber]] (deceased), [[Don Rosa]]<ref name=2013winners/>
*2014 – [[Robert Kanigher]] (deceased), [[Bill Mantlo]], [[Jack Mendelsohn]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |title=Robert Kanigher, Bill Mantlo, Jack Mendelsohn to Receive 2014 Bill Finger Award |year=2014 |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329180343/http://comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |archivedate=March 29, 2014 |url-status=<!---Technically, live--->}}</ref>
*2015 – [[Don McGregor]], [[John Stanley (cartoonist)|John Stanley]] (deceased)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node|title=Don McGregor, John Stanley Are the 2015 Bill Finger Award Recipients|year=2016|publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |archivedate=April 5, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405233610/https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |url-status=<!---Technically, live--->}}</ref>
*2016 – [[Elliot S. Maggin|Elliot S! Maggin]], [[Richard E. Hughes]] (deceased)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node|title=Elliot S! Maggin, Richard E. Hughes to Receive 2016 Bill Finger Award|year=2016|publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |accessdate=May 19, 2017|archivedate=February 15, 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215124822/https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |url-status=<!---Technically, live--->}}</ref>
*2017 – [[William Messner-Loebs]], [[Jack Kirby]] (deceased)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |  title = Bill Messner-Loebs and Jack Kirby to Receive 2017 Bill Finger Award | publisher = San Diego Comic-Con International | date = 2017 | archivedate = 19 November 2017 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20171119131746/https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |url-status=<!---Technically, live--->}}</ref>
*2018 – [[Joye Hummel|Joye Hummel Murchison Kelly]], [[Dorothy Woolfolk|Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk]] (deceased)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |  title = Joye Murchison Kelly, Dorothy Roubicek Woolfolk to Receive 2018 Bill Finger Award | publisher = San Diego Comic-Con International  | date = 2018 | archivedate = 5 February 2019 | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190205235228/https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |url-status=<!---Technically, live--->}}</ref>
*2019 – [[Mike Friedrich]], [[E. Nelson Bridwell]] (deceased)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node|title=Mike Friedrich, E. Nelson Bridwell to Receive 2019 Bill Finger Award|year=2019|publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |archivedate=3 July 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703151939/https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |url-status=<!---Technically, live--->}}</ref>
*2020 – [[Virginia Hubbell]] (deceased), [[Nicola Cuti]] (deceased), [[Leo Dorfman]] (deceased), [[Gaylord DuBois]] (deceased), [[Joe Gill]] (deceased), [[France Herron]] (deceased)<ref name=2020winners />
*2021 - [[Robert Bernstein (comics)|Robert Bernstein]] (deceased), [[Toni Blum|Audrey "Toni" Blum]] (deceased), [[Vic Lockman]] (deceased), [[Robert Morales]] (deceased), [[Paul S. Newman]] (deceased), Robert "Bob" White (deceased)<ref name=2021winners />
*2022 – [[Bob Bolling]], [[Don Rico]] (deceased)<ref>{{cite web |title=Bob Bolling, Don Rico to Receive 2022 Bill Finger Award |url=https://www.comic-con.org/awards/bill-finger-award-node |publisher=San Diego Comic-Con International |access-date=22 July 2022}}</ref>
*2023 – [[Sam Glanzman]] (deceased), Barbara Friedlander.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Beat |date=2023-07-22 |title=SDCC '23: The 2023 Eisner Awards Winners |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/sdcc-23-2023-eisner-awards-winners/ |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}</ref>
*2024 – Ralph Newman (deceased), [[Jo Duffy]]'''.'''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Samantha |date=2024-07-27 |title=SDCC '24: Announcing the 2024 Eisner Award winners |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/2024-eisner-award-winners/ |access-date=2024-07-27 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing}}
{{American Comic Book Industry Awards}}

[[Category:Comics awards]]
[[Category:Bill Finger Award winners|*]]
[[Category:Awards established in 2005]]