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Named for the co-creator of Superman, the Joe Shuster Awards select the best works by a Canadian resident or citizen that were published during the previous calendar year.

Award known as: Shusters
First year of award: 2004 (awarded in 2005)
Award status: Active
Awarded at: Paradise Comics Toronto Comicon
Number of categories: 7
Hall of Fame: Yes
Award for children's material: No
Type of Award: Nominated
Nominations open to: Committee
Voting open to: a panel of industry experts (Hall of Fame); all Canadians (all other categories)
Official web page: www.shusterawards.com

Eligibility requirements:
"For the purposes of the SHUSTER Awards [...], a Canadian is defined as a native or long-term inhabitant of Canada, or an individual who was born in Canada and now resides elsewhere (possessing either Canadian or dual citizenship)."

Category explanations:

• Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Cartoonist: "A Cartoonist is someone who wrote and illustrated their own work. If someone else wrote the work they are only eligible as Artist, if someone else drew the work they are only eligible as Writer."
• Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Writer: "For the purpose of defining writer vs. cartoonist, writers who also drew their own stories are classified as cartoonists, not writers. However, a cartoonist can be nominated for writer if someone else drew the work in question."
• Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Artist: "An artist is someone who illustrated someone else's story (not their own), and has worked in any medium--such as pencil, ink, paint, collage, etc."
• Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Publisher: "The company should have published the work under their own company name, not under the umbrella of an American company and had the book distributed nationally."
• Outstanding Canadian Achievement: "[T]his is an Achievement for the benefit of the Canadian comic book community (fan and/or professional) or is noteworthy on the international, national or local stage for bringing attention to comics, particularly Canadian comic books. Unlike the other awards, this one isn't exclusive to creators. It could go to a fan, a retailer, a con organizer, a charity, a journalist, etc."
• Outstanding Canadian Comic Book Retailer Recognition Award: First awarded posthumously to Harry Kremer of Now and Then Books, for the second and future awards, this category will be renamed the Harry Kremer Canadian Retailer Recognition Award.