ISFDB Award Descriptions

The Analog Analytical Laboratory is a reader's poll. In its current form, it started in 1979, but some form of it runs back to the days when the magazine was named Astounding, edited by John W. Campbell, Jr. and possibly before.

Prix annuel à l'initiative de Jacques Sadoul décerné depuis 1972 et jusqu'en 1990 par un jury.

The Prix Apollo was founded by writer, publisher and critic Jacques Sadoul in 1972. A rotating panel of three judges selected from the leading French writers and critics, votes on the best science fiction novel novel to have been published in the French language (original or translated) during the cource of the preceding year.

The readers of Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, published since 1977, make their choices for the best of the previous year, in a variety of categories. The Asimov's Science Fiction Annual Readers' Poll Awards are usually presented by a representative of Dell Magazine during the SFWA's Nebula Banquet weekend.

The Isaac Asimov Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy is co-sponsered by Asimov's Science Fiction magazine and the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts. Full-time undergraduate students attending any accredited university of college are eligible. The winners are selected by jury, and the prizes are presented at the annual Conference on the Fantastic.

The Aurealis Awards are presented by Chimaera Publications for excellence in Australian Speculative Fiction as determined by a panel of judges for works published in the previous year.

The Aurora Award (known as the Casper prior to 1991), is presented by the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association to the best SF works written by Canadians in the previous year. The award is very similar to the Hugo with respect to categories and voting procedures. Up through the 2000 award year, works nominated for the "Long Form" awards had two years of eligibility. From 2001 forward eligibility is the same as the other categories (1 year).

This short lived award, always referred to as The Coveted Balrog Award was presented by the International Fantasy Gamers Society to the best in a variety of predominantly fantasy categories.

The British Fantasy Awards are presented annually by the British Fantasy Society (formed in 1971), usually at FantasyCon (1975 - present), to the best fantasy of the year. The award was established in memory of August Derleth and the the novel category is still often referred to as the August Derleth Award. The membership of the British Fantasy Society, and attendees to the annual FantasyCon, are eligible to vote for the British Fantasy Awards. The Awards are awarded on a simple majority vote system.

The British Science Fiction Awards are presented annually by the British Science Fiction Association (formed in 1958), usually at EasterCon. This award started as the British Fantasy Award in 1966 and became the British Science Fiction Award in 1970.

The John W. Campbell Jr. Memorial Award is awarded to the best SF novel published in English in the previous year, by the University of Kansas' Center for the Study of Science Fiction, at the annual Campbell Conference. This award should not be confused with the John W. Campbell Award (JWCA) for best new writer (although it often is), which is traditionally handed out at the Hugo award ceremony. The winner is selected by a jury comprised of critics and SF writers. This award is presented in conjunction with the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and since 1996, the Hall of Fame Award.

The Chesley Bonestell Award is handled by ASFA (The Association of SF Artists, for artwork. It is somewhat orthogonal to the ISFDB fiction database, but some of it ties to the magazine listings.

The Arthur C. Clarke Award is awarded to the best SF novel published in the UK in the previous year. The publication must be a UK first edition. The winner is chosen by a jury of six, consisting of two members from each of the following organizations: The Science Fiction Foundation (publishers of the magazine "Foundation"), the British Science Fiction Association, and the British Science Museum.

The Compton Crook Award is voted upon, and given by, the Baltimore Science Fiction Society (BSFS) at the annual Balticon, for the best first novel of science fiction published during the previous year. The name honors the memory of the late SF writer Compton Newby Crook (1908 - 1981), who wrote under the name Stephen Tall.

The readers of Deathrealm (published from 1987 to 1997) made their choices for the best of the previous year, in a variety of categories. The Deathrealm Awards were presented annually during the World Horror Convention. (The nominations were never made public and never will be as they have been discarded).

The Australian Science Fiction Awards (Ditmars) were created in 1969 by the committee of that year's Australian National Science Fiction Convention. The award was named after Martin James (Ditmar) Jenssen, a founding member of the Melbourne Science Fiction Club, who financially supported the award until about 1975. The awards are given out at the Australian National Science Fiction Convention. While nominations are open to fandom in general, only members of the national convention may vote for the award.

The Endeavour Award is presented in November at OryCon in Portland, Oregon to the author of a distinguished SF or Fantasy novel or single-author collection by a writer from the Pacific Northwest. The award is named for the ship The H. M. Bark Endeavour in which Capt. Cook explored the Pacific. It is judged by a committee and sponsored by Oregon SF Conventions, Inc (OSFCI)

The Gandalf Award was an award which was administered by the Worldcon Committee and determined by the Hugo nomination and voting mechanism. It was sponsored by Lin Carter and S.A.G.A (The Swordsmen and Sorcerers Guild of America, Ltd.). The Gandalf Grand Master Award was presented in all years, while the Gandalf Book-Length Fantasy Award was presented only in 1978 and 1979.

The Jack Gaughan Award for Best Emerging Artist is awarded at the annual Boskone convention by the New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) to an artist who has become an SF professional in the past five years. The award is chosen by a panel of three judges. The name honors the memory of the late SF artist Jack Gaughan (1930 - 1985).

The Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children's Science Fiction Literature are presented at Worldcon each year. The Golden Duck Award was created by several interested fans who were unsuccessful in lobbying for a children's Hugo in 1991. It is a cash award, funded by Duckon, a western Chicago suburbs convention that started in 1992. There are three Golden Duck Awards:

1. Picture Book for children under 8 years old. Award goes to the Illustrator.
2. Middle Grades Award for reading level grades 2 - 6.
3. The Hal Clement Young Adult Award

The HOMer Awards were founded in 1991 by Jim Schneider, one of the system operators of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Forum on the CompuServe Information Service. The award's name recalls both the ancient Greek epic poet and the CompuServe code-page for this forum, HOM-9. All members of the SF&F Forum are eligible to nominate for, and vote on the final ballot, for the awards.

The Science Fiction Achievement Award, commonly called the Hugo (after Hugo Gernsback), is awarded in a variety of categories at the annual World SF Convention (WorldCon) by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), which is usually held over the Labor Day weekend. The awards are voted upon by fans holding membership in either the current or preceding WorldCon.

The International Fantasy Awards were created by four British enthusiasts, including John Beynon Harris (John Wyndham), and first presented at the 1951 British Science Fiction Convention. The IFAs were presented to the author(s) of the best speculative fiction book of the year, with a second category for the best nonfiction book related to the genre. The nonfiction class was dropped after 1953. Winners were selected by a panel of prominent personalities, with the panel going international after 1951. Once the Hugos had been successfully launched, some of the raison d'etre for the IFAs was gone. The last IFA was presented at the London Worldcon in 1957.

The International Horror Guild (formerly known as the International Horror Critics Guild), presents annual awards, in a variety of categories, to recognize the achievements of those who toil in the Horror/Dark Fantasy field. Nominations can be submitted by anyone via e-mail.

le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire est décerné annuellement depuis 1992 par un jury de spécialistes (écrivains, critiques, directeurs de collections). En 1991, afin de pallier à la disparition du Prix Apollo (qui récompensait des romans de SF de toutes nationalités) et aussi afin de s'ouvrir à des genres voisins tels que le Fantastique, l'Horreur, l'Insolite et la Fantaisie de toutes nationalités, le Grand Prix de la Science-Fiction a changé de peau et s'est transformé en Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire. Le vote se déroule en deux tours, le premier, par correspondance, jouant le rôle de présélection, le second à Paris chez Jacques Goimard. Il est décerné en novembre et donne lieu à un cocktail offert par les maisons d'édition lauréates.

le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire is awarded annually since 1992 by a jury of specialist in the field (writers, critics and editors). In 1991, after the disappearance of the Prix Apollo (which honored SF novels of any nationality) and also in broadening the definition of SF to include Fantasy and Horror of any nationality, le Grand Prix de la Science Fiction transformed into le Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire. Voting takes place in 2 stages, the first, by correspondence, performs the role of preselection; the second, in Paris at Jacques Goimard's. The results are announced in November at a cocktail party hosted by the award winner's publishing houses.

The John W. Campbell Award is awarded to the best new SF writer of the year. It is administered by the Worldcon Committee, determined by the Hugo nomination and voting mechanism, and presented at the annual World SF Convention (WorldCon) during the Hugo ceremony by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS). Sponsored by Conde-Nast, publishers of Analog, the award was created in 1972 as a tribute to John W. Campbell Jr, its celebrated editor, who died in 1971. Over the years, sponsorhip changed hands as Analog was sold to Davis Publications in 1979, then to Dell Magazines in 1993 and finally to Penny Press in 1996. It is no longer considered part of the Hugo Awards.

The Lambda Literary Award has been awarded annually, since 1989, by the Lambda Book Report to recognize excellence in gay and lesbian writing and publishing in the U.S. during the preceding year. The awards are given in numerous categories but only the speculative fiction categories have been included here. Final nominees are announced by the Lambda Book Report staff, and the final voting is done by a small group of volunteer judges in each category.

Locus Magazine conducts an annual readership poll, with the results published in the August issue and available online. The poll is valuable in helping to construct reading lists, since as many as 2 dozens books may appear in each of the final ordinal lists. Since the Locus readership consists of professional writers, would-be writers, and hard-core fans, it presents an interesting middle ground between the Hugo (fan-voted) and the Nebula (writer-voted) awards.

The Mythopoeic Awards are chosen each year by committees composed of volunteer Mythopoeic Society members, and presented at the annual Mythcon (there was only one award for each of 1975, 1976 and 1981, and no awards between 1977 - 1980). The Society is a non-profit organization devoted to the study, discussion and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and Charles Williams, known as the "Inklings".

The Nebula is a writing award given in several categories (based on length) by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The awards are voted upon by members of the SFFWA. This is a peer system, as membership in the SFFWA requires publication of at least 3 short stories, or 1 full-length book, in a professional market.

The Philip K. Dick Award is awarded to the best science fiction or fantasy work first published in paperback in the previous year. The award was founded by Thomas M. Disch after Philip K. Dick's death in 1982. The award is chosen by a jury of writers and critics, administered by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, and presented at Norwescon.

The Libertarian Futurist Society, presents the annual Prometheus Award for best libertarian SF novel and the Hall of Fame Award for best classic libertarian SF novel. The Prometheus Award was created in 1979 by L. Neil Smith to honor libertarian speculative fiction. It fell into limbo the next year. The LFS, founded in 1982, revived the award and created The Hall of Fame Award the same year to honor classic libertarian fiction. The Hall of Fame Award is open to any work of fiction over five years old. Books for both awards are nominated by, and the winner chosen, by all members of the LFS.

Retrospective Hugos may be given to works which could have been nominated at a Worldcon which was held 50, 75, or 100 years prior to the current Worldcon. Note that the award is optional, that a Worldcon must have been held in the target year, that neither Hugos nor Retro Hugos were awarded during that year, and that the voting rules are precisely the same as the Hugo awards.

The Rhysling awards are given by the Science Fiction Poetry Association, founded by Suzette Haden Elgin. Nominees are selected by the SFPA in two categories: short poem (less than 50 lines in length), and long poem.

The Book of the Year Award is given, and voted upon, by members of theScience Fiction Book Club, honoring the Best Main Selection of the previous year.

The readers of the Science Fiction Chronicle, published since 1979, made their choices for the Best of the previous year, in categories which closely paralleled those offered by the World Science Fiction Convention's Hugo Awards. SFC's award voting is by a weighted voting method, which gives 1st choice 3 points, 2nd 2 and 3rd 1.

The Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were conceived in late 1995 and are presented each year to recognize excellence in alternate history. The award takes its name from Murray Leinster's 1934 short story "Sidewise In Time". Two awards will be given each year: The Long Form award (60,000 words or more, which may include completed series), and the Short Form award. The awards are decided by jury.

The Edward E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction (commonly referred to as the Skylark) is awarded at the annual Boskone convention by the New England Science Fiction (NESFA) to someone who has contributed significantly to science fiction. The award is voted on by the NESFA membership. The name honors the memory of the late SF writer Edward E. "Doc" Smith (1890 - 1965).

The Bram Stoker Awards are given in several categories (based on length) by the Horror Writers Association.

The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for best science fiction short fiction (under 17,500 words) published in English in the previous year, by the University of Kansas' Center for the Study of Science Fiction, at the annual Campbell Conference. The winner is selected by a jury comprised of critics and SF writers. This award is presented in conjunction with the John W. Campbell Jr., Memorial Award, and since 1996, the Hall of Fame Award.

The Sunburst Award is awarded to a speculative fiction novel (or novel-length short story collection) published in the previous year by a Canadian writer.

The James Tiptree, Jr. Award is awarded annually to "science fiction or fantasy that explores and expands the roles of women and men."

The World Fantasy Awards (sometimes referred to as the Howard Awards, after H. (Howard) P. Lovecraft) are presented at the World Fantasy Convention. Attending and supporting members of the convention are eligible to nominate potential winners (only living persons are eligible), however, the final decisions are made by a panel of judges.

The James White Award is awarded by a panel of judges to the best short SF story by a non-professional author in the previous year.