Category Archives: Awards

Sofia Samatar on Winning the World Fantasy Award

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Although she was scribbling changes to her acceptance speech up to shortly before the ceremony, when she was named winner of the World Fantasy Award for Novel Sofia Samatar didn’t refer to her notes and could only approximate what she said when it came time to blog about it.

She knows what people are interested in, of course. What was it like to be a writer of color and be given an award in the image of H.P. Lovecraft, whose correspondence is riddled with racist statements,after a season when many have called for the design to be changed?

2. The Elephant in the Room I think I used those words. I think I said “I can’t sit down without addressing the elephant in the room, which is the controversy surrounding the image that represents this award.” I said it was awkward to accept the award as a writer of color. (See this post by Nnedi Okorafor, the 2011 winner, if you are confused about why.) I also thanked the board for taking the issue seriously, because at the beginning of the ceremony, Gordon van Gelder stood up and made an announcement to that effect: “The board is taking the issue very seriously, but there is no decision yet.” I just wanted them to know that here I was in a terribly awkward position, unable to be 100% thrilled, as I should be, by winning this award, and that many other people would feel the same, and so they were right to think about changing it.

After the con Samatar shared her explicit views about the issue:

a) Nobody’s post about winning an award should turn into a post about controversy! Everyone should be able to announce their awards with unadulterated joy! And unless the statue is changed, there will be a lot more posts like this. Can we not?

b) I don’t think the statue should be an image of any person.

c) I am not telling anybody not to read Lovecraft. I teach Lovecraft! I actually insist that people read him and write about him! For grades! This is not about reading an author but about using that person’s image to represent an international award honoring the work of the imagination.

d) I discovered, with a horror I’m sure Lovecraft would share, that we look a lot alike.

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WFA Novel winner Sofia Samatar.

[Thanks to Michael J. Walsh for the link.]

Posted in Awards | Tagged Michael J. Walsh, Sofia Samatar, World Fantasy Award | Leave a reply

Consolmagno To Give Sagan Acceptance Speech at Sasquan

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Brother Guy J. Consolmagno

Brother Guy Consolmagno, an astronomer at the Vatican Observatory, will give an acceptance speech for the Carl Sagan Medal at Sasquan, the 2015 Worldcon. The award is given annually by the American Astronomical Society.

Brother Guy, an active fan and a member of the MIT Science Fiction Society, will give this speech at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday evening of the convention.

Brother Guy will also be interviewing Guest of Honor Leslie Turek, also a MITSFS member, later in the convention.

The full press release follows the jump.

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Continue reading

Posted in Awards, Worldcon | Tagged Brother Guy Consolmagno, Carl Sagan Medal, Leslie Turek, MITSFS, Sasquan | Leave a reply

Call For Anthropomorphic Listings

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Image by EosFoxx

By Fred Patten: There are less than two months left to recommend titles for the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association’s 2014 Recommended Anthropomorphics List. See the Ursa Major Awards website for the current 2014 Recommended List. The next update will be on November 30. If you have read, seen, or played anything furry-fantasy related that you liked, that was first published or released during 2014, and it is not already on the Recommended List, please recommend it yourself before the end of the year.

Nominations for the 2014 Ursa Major Awards will open on January 15, 2015 (the first day of Further Confusion 2015), and will remain open until February 28, 2015. Fans often use the previous year’s Recommended Anthropomorphics List as a guide to what is worth nominating. If there is anything that you consider worth recommending, don’t wait for someone else to recommend it. Speak up!

Posted in Awards | Tagged anthropomorphics, Fred Patten, Ursa Major Awards | Leave a reply

Harlan Calls for Spinrad To Be Named SFWA Grandmaster

Posted on by Mike Glyer
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Apropos of the day, Harlan Ellison has sounded a bugle call summoning all within hearing to join him in demanding that Norman Spinrad be selected a SFWA Grandmaster. Ellison wrote in his online forum:

HARLAN ELLISON
- Tuesday, November 11 2014 11:37:26

TODAY WE LAUNCH THE ALL-OUT “NORMAN” INVASION !!!!!!!!!!

Pay heed! This one’s egregiously overdue, needs to be corrected… & is IMPORTANT!

NORMAN SPINRAD

must must must MUST MUST

be given the SFWA GRANDMASTER AWARD

THIS YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

I urge you, I implore you, join with me in launching a ferocious, all-fronts assault on the laggardly SFWA apparat that has allowed this brilliant sf visionary to wait in excess of 50 years to get his contemporaries’ due. NORMAN SPINRAD wrote

Bug Jack Barron
The Iron Dream
The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde
Passing Through The Flame
Little Heroes
Songs From The Stars
The Men In The Jungle
Pictures at 11
No Direction Home
Journals of the Plague Years
Vampire Junkies
The Solarians
Fragments of America
Agent of Chaos
Riding The Torch
The Star-Spangled Future
A World Between
The Mind Game
The Void Captain’s Tale
Other Americas
Deus X

and…as the brilliant novelist, biographer, and savant, PAUL Di FILIPPO advised us yesterday in a widely-posted Locus review of Norman’s latest [novel] Osama The Gun, it is shameful that even though duds such as I have been accorded Grandmaster Laureate status — while I went on tv and had to lobby like a braying mule for Grandmaster Awards to be accorded Philip Jose Farmer, AE van Vogt (I was successful), Robert Sheckley and Kate Wilhelm (I was not), my voice has been shamefully absent TILL NOW, in support of

NORMAN SPINRAD AS IMMEDIATE SFWA GRANDMASTER!

I ask that you put aside for just one day, your usual tweets, blasts, replies, fill-in replies, facebook trivia, yelps, hoots, whatever…and go to every Infobahn contact you possess — SFWA threads, previous Grandmasters, Worldcon members, writer of all sorts, friends and e.contacts, past presidents or officials of SFWA (or the secret Sanhedrin assembling the list of “potential nominees” and initiate a Petition to be signed by Grandmaster Laureates — you may, with my permission put me on that list — and start it viral today.

Let Paul Di Filippo know. Let Norman (who has e.mail and Facebook pages or somesuch), who is in Paris now, with Dona, let HIM know this is fulminating. Tell Buzz Dixon to spread it. Alert Jerry Pournelle and David Gerrold and Robin Wayne Bailey and Robert Silverberg and anyone else you might think even tangentially useful.

Go thee hence, in d’name’a de Lawd, do this noble deed!!!

Yr. Pal, Harlan

(Who herewith grants permission to post the foregoing, intact, far and wide and usefully.)

Although his broadside refers to Paul Di Filippo’s review of Osama the Gun appearing “yesterday” it was actually posted October 9 — the same day Ellison had his stroke. That suggests to me Harlan may have had this draft in the works just before he was hospitalized.

Posted in Awards | Tagged Harlan Ellison, Norman Spinrad, SFWA, SFWA Grandmaster | 3 Replies

2014 Endeavour Awards

Posted on by Mike Glyer
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The winners of the 2014 Endeavour Awards were announced November 7 at OryCon in Portland, OR.

The result was a tie: Nexus by Ramez Naam and Requiem by Ken Scholes both won.

The Endeavour Award honors a distinguished science fiction or fantasy book (either a novel or a single-author collection) created by a writer living in the Pacific Northwest. The judges this year were Catherine Asaro, Scott Edelman, and Matthew Johnson.

[ Via Locus Online.]

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2014 World Fantasy Award Winners

Posted on by Mike Glyer
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WFA Novel winner Sofia Samatar.

The recipients of the 2014 World Fantasy Awards were announced November 9 at World Fantasy Con in Arlington, VA.

Novel
Sofia Samatar, A Stranger in Olondria (Small Beer Press)

Novella
Andy Duncan & Ellen Klages “Wakulla Springs” (Tor.com, 10/13)

Short Fiction
Caitlín R. Kiernan, “The Prayer of Ninety Cats” (Subterranean magazine, Spring 2013)

Anthology
George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, eds. Dangerous Women (Tor Books/Voyager UK)

Collection
Caitlín R. Kiernan, The Ape’s Wife and Other Stories (Subterranean Press)

Artist
Charles Vess

Special Award – Professional
Irene Gallo, for art direction of Tor.com
William K. Schafer, for Subterranean Press

Special Award – Non-Professional
Kate Baker, Neil Clarke, & Sean Wallace, for Clarkesworld

2014 Lifetime Achievement Awards
(Previously announced)
Ellen Datlow
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Posted in Awards | Tagged Sofia Samatar, World Fantasy Award, World Fantasy Convention | Leave a reply

World Fantasy Award Nominee Pin

Posted on by Mike Glyer
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spacer What could be a more appropriate way of recognizing this year’s World Fantasy Award nominees than with a pin-sized replica of Gahan Wilson’s bust of H.P. Lovecraft from the full-sized trophy?

That’s not a purely rhetorical question this year, after some writers said Lovecraft is not someone whose image they really want on display in their home due to his notoriously insensitive views.

The 2014 winners will be revealed this weekend at World Fantasy Con.

Posted in Awards | Tagged Lovecraft, World Fantasy Award | 1 Reply

China’s Galaxy Awards at 25

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The winners of the 25th annual Galaxy Awards were announced at a ceremony in Shanghai on September 20. Regina Kanyu Wang delivered the results to English-language readers as part of her coverage of the event for Amazing Stories. (The titles are her translations.)

BEST SHORT STORY
“Age of the Elderly” by Han Song
“Wake up at Dust” by Jiang Bo
“Reaping the Childhood” by A Que

BEST NOVELLA
The Windy City by Zhang Ran

BEST NOVEL
Escaping the Mother Universe by Wang Jinkang

BEST NEW WRITER:
Chen Zijun

BEST TRANSLATION:
Wyrd Sister by Hu Shu

BEST ARTIST
Liu Junwei/Shark Dan

BEST EDITOR
Yang Feng, deputy editor-in-chief of Science Fiction World

MOST POPULAR FOREIGN WRITER
Ken Liu

BEST ORIGINAL BOOK
Escaping the Mother Universe, Sichuan Science and Technology Press & Science Fiction World

BEST TRANSLATED BOOK
The Difference Engine, New Star Press

BEST RELATED BOOK
Fly! The Great Qing Empire: Imagination and Science in Modern China, Beijing United Press & Motie Press

BEST GAME
The Legend of Galaxy: Time Fleet

BEST SCREENPLAY
Honey from the Star

BEST SCIENCE EDUCATION ORGANIZATION
Beijing Green & Shine Foundation
Fosun Charity Foundation

The Galaxy Award was established in 1986 and currently is hosted by China’s Science Fiction World magazine.

Posted in Awards | Tagged Galaxy Award, Science Fiction World | Leave a reply

Award Winners at 2014 Utopiales Festival

Posted on by Mike Glyer
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spacer The following awards were announced at Utopiales in Nantes on October 31.

Prix Julia Verlanger* 
L’esprit du Melkine by Olivier Paquet (Editions L’Atalante, 2013)

(*The Julia Verlanger Prize is a literary award established in 1986 which honors science fiction and fantasy novels.)

Prix Extraordinaire
Chris Foss

Prix du meilleur scénario de jeux de rôle / Best screenplay RPG
Les Brumes de Saint-Malo (for the game Les Larmes du Cardinal) by Pierre Éric Mouton

Prix du meilleur jeu vidéo réalisé à la Game Jam /  Award for best video game made during the Game Jam
Neuromance by Bastien Kerspern (GD), Charles Perinet (GD), Rémi Gourrierec (Graph), Alain Puget (Graph et Dev), Pierre Chabiland (Dev), Louis Godart (SD)

Prix de la meilleure bande dessinée de science-fiction /  Award for best science fiction comic
Punk Rock Jesus by Sean Murphy (Éditions Urban Comics, 2013)

Mention spéciale du jury / Honorable mention
Kanopé by Louise Joor (Éditions Delcourt, 2014)

Prix du Jury – compétition internationale de courts métrages / Jury Prize – International short film competition
Reset by Marcus Kryler and Fredrik Åkerström (Swweden, 2012)

Mention spéciale du jury / Honorable mention
Triad by Bradley Oliver-White (Great Britain, 2013)

Prix du public – compétition internationale de courts métrages / Audience Award - International short film competition
The Nostalgist by Giacomo Cimini (Great Britain, 2014)

Grand Prix du Jury – compétition internationale de longs métrages / Jury Award – International short film competition
The Midnight After by Fruit Chan (China / Hong Kong, 2014)

Mention spéciale du jury pour l’interprétation /  Special Jury Mention for translation
Morse, the creator and investigator of the Sûreté du Québec
Tusk (by Kevin Smith, United States, 2014): Justin Long, Michael Parks and Johnny Depp

Prix Syfy du public – compétition internationale de longs métrages / Syfy Award – International competition of feature films
Predestination by Michael and Peter Spierig (Australia, 2014)

Prix Utopiales Européen Jeunesse / European Youth Prize
Pixel Noir by  Jeanne-A Debats (Éditions Syros Jeunesse, 2014)

Mention spéciale du jury / Honorable mention
Automne by Jan Henrik Nielsen (translated by Aude Pasquier), (Éditions Albin Michel, 2014)

Prix Utopiales Européen / Utopiales European Prize*
Sumerki  by Dmitry Glukhovsky (translated by Denis E. Savine), (Éditions L’Atalante, 2014)

(*Given by the Nantes International Science Fiction Festival, the juried award recognizes a novel, or a collection, published in French during the eligibility period whose author is a citizen of a country belonging to the European Community. The prize is 2000 euros.)

Posted in Awards | Tagged Prix Utopiales Jeunesse, Utopiales | Leave a reply

SF&F Translation Awards Ended

Posted on by Mike Glyer
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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Translation Awards series has come to an end. Cheryl Morgan, a director of the Association for the Recognition of Excellence in SF & F Translation (ARESFFT) which administered the award, announced October 29 the organization is being dissolved.

There are many reasons for this, but mostly they are to do with the time and effort required to run the awards on an amateur basis. It has become increasingly difficult to find people willing to act as jurors. Several of the existing Directors have had major changes in their lives that have left them with far less free time than they had previously. And all attempts to find new Directors have failed to produce any volunteers.

The members of the Board of Directors were Gary K. Wolfe, President, Kevin Standlee, Secretary-Treasurer, Melissa Conway, Rob Latham, Cheryl Morgan and Nalo Hopkinson.

The SF&F Translation Awards were given from 2011-2013.

Posted in Awards | Tagged Cheryl Morgan, Gary K. Wolfe, Kevin Standlee, Melissa Conway, Nalo Hopkinson, Rob Latham, SF&F Translation Awards | 1 Reply