Diamond Distribution have informed retailers that voting is now open for the 19th Annual Gem Awards. The awards, nicknamed the Gemmies, are not open to voting by the public, but instead are voted on by comic book specialty retailers.

According to Diamond, “the awards are selected in a three-step process that is based on quality, creativity, and most importantly, their overall sales impact. Nominees are selected by a panel of Diamond industry professionals from all products shipped during a given year”.

The winners of this year’s awards will be announced in February. Here is the list of nominees:

2009 Comic Book Publisher of the Year Over 4%

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics
• IDW Publishing
• Image Comics
• Marvel Comics

2009 Comic Book Publisher of the Year Under 4%

• Avatar Press
• BOOM! Studios
• Dynamite Entertainment
• Oni Press
• Viz Media

2009 Backlist Publisher of the Year

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics
• Dynamite Entertainment
• IDW Publishing
• Image Comics
• Marvel Comics

2009 Manga Publisher of the Year

• Dark Horse Comics
• DC Comics/CMX
• Digital Manga
• TOKYOPOP
• VIZ Media

2009 Comic Book of the Year Under $3.00

• Archie #600 (Archie)
• Batman and Robin #1 (DC)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires (Dark Horse)
• Haunt #1 (Image)
• The Boys #30 (Dynamite)
• Wolverine #71 (Marvel)

2009 Comic Book of the Year Over $3.00

• Amazing Spider-Man #583 Obama Variant (Marvel)
• Blackest Night #1 (DC)
• Image United #1 (Image)
• Irredeemable #1 (BOOM!)
• Star Wars: Invasion #0 (Dark Horse)

2009 Licensed Comic of the Year

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer #22 (Dark Horse)
• Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: Nightmare Warriors #1 (DC/WildStorm)
• Stand: American Nightmares #1 (Marvel)
• Transformers Ongoing #1 (IDW)

2009 Original GN of the Year

• Asterios Polyp GN (Pantheon Books)
• Book of Genesis: Illustrated by Robert Crumb HC (W.W. Norton)
• Filthy Rich HC (DC/Vertigo)
• Grandville HC (Dark Horse)
• Richard Starks’ Parker: The Hunter HC (IDW)
• Scott Pilgrim Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Universe (Oni)

2009 Reprint TP or HC of the Year

• Bloom County Complete Library HC Volume 1 (IDW)
• Final Crisis HC (DC)
• Irredeemable TP Volume 1 (BOOM!)
• Secret Invasion TP (Marvel)
• The Boys TP Volume 4: We Gotta Go Now (Dynamite)
• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz HC (Marvel)
• Umbrella Academy TP Volume 2: Dallas (Dark Horse)
• Walking Dead Compendium TP Volume 1 (Image)
• Watchmen TP (DC)

2009 Licensed TP or HC of the Year

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 TP Volume 4: Time of Your Life (Dark Horse)
• Halo Uprising Premiere HC (Marvel)
• Star Trek: Countdown TP (IDW)
• World of Warcraft: Ashbringer HC (DC/WildStorm)

2009 Manga TP of the Year

• Fruits Basket GN Volume 22 (TOKYOPOP)
• Lucky Star GN Volume 1 (Bandai Entertainment)
• Naruto TP Volume 45 (Viz Media)
• Neon Genesis Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project TP Volume 1 (Dark Horse)

2009 Anthology TP of the Year

• Flight GN Volume 6 (Villard Books)
• Pixu TP Volume 1: Mark of Evil (Dark Horse)
• Popgun GN Volume 3 (Image)
• Toon Treasury of Classic Children’s Comics HC (Abrams Comicarts)

2009 Indie GN of the Year

• Alan Moore’s The Courtyard GN Color Printing (Avatar Press)
• Eternal Smile GN (St. Martin’s Press)
• Fahrenheit 451 GN (St. Martin’s Press)
• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen III: Century #1 – 1910 (Top Shelf Productions)
• Love & Rockets: New Stories TP Volume 2 (Fantagraphics Books)

2009 Trade Book of the Year

• Al Williamson’s Flash Gordon: Lifelong Vision of the Heroic (Flesk Publications)
• Dawn: The Worlds of Final Fantasy HC (Dark Horse)
• Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide Volume 39 (Gemstone Publishing)
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies SC (Chronicle Books)

Related posts:

1. Dynamite Entertainment Nominated in 2009 Project Fanboy Awards
2. 2009 Ignatz Award Winners Announced This Weekend at the Fifteenth Annual Small Press Expo (SPX)
3. Diamond Distribution’s Top 20 Publishers, Top 300 Comics, and Top 300 TPBs & GNs for September 2009
4. Diamond Distribution’s Top Indy Comics & TPBs/OGNs for October 2009
5. Eisner Awards Now Accepting Submissions for 2010