Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

• WINNER: Snake-Eater, T. Kingfisher (47North)

• The Charlatan Duology, Holly Black (Tor)
• Audition for the Fox, Martin Cahill (Tachyon)
• The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman (Viking)
• The West Passage, Jared Pechaček (Tordotcom)
• Water Moon, Samantha Sotto Yambao (Del Rey)
• The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (Tor)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Young Adult Literature

• WINNER: The Corruption of Hollis Brown, K. Ancrum (HarperCollins)

• The Leaving Room, Amber McBride (Feiwel & Friends)
• The Little Thieves series, Margaret Owen (Henry Holt & Co.)
• On the Wings of La Noche, Vanessa L. Torres (Knopf)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

• WINNER: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, Aubrey Hartman (Little, Brown)

• The Village Beyond the Mist, Sachiko Kashiwaba, tr. Avery Fischer Udagawa (Yonder)
• The Island of Forgotten Gods, Victor Pinñeiro (Sourcebooks Young Readers)
• The Misewa Saga, David A. Robertson (Tundra; Puffin Canada)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

• WINNER: The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Creation, Michael D.C. Drout (Norton)

• Mapping Middle-earth: Environmental and Political Narratives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Cartographies, Anahit Behrooz (Bloomsbury Academic)
• A Real Taste for Fairy-Stories, Verlyn Flieger (Walking Tree)
• Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many, Thomas P. Hillman (Kent State University Press)
• Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation, Giuseppe Pezzini (Cambridge UP 2025)
• J.R.R. Tolkien’s Utopianism and the Classics, Hamish Williams (Bloomsbury Academic)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

• WINNER: Fantasy: A Short History, Adam Roberts (Bloomsbury Academic)

• Art and Enchantment: How Wonder Works, Patrick Curry, (Routledge 2023)
• Enheduanna: The Complete Poems of the World’s First Author, Sophus Helle, ed. (Yale University Press)
• The Archetype of the Dying and Rising God in World Mythology, Paul R. Rovang (Lexington)
• Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology, Dennis Wilson Wise, ed. (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press)

Best Novel

• All That We See or Seem, Ken Liu (Saga)

Best Shorter Work or Anthology

• The Dagger in Vichy, Alastair Reynolds (Subterranean)

Best Poem or Collection

• Entropocene, Jean-Paul L. Garnier (Space Cowboy)

Best Editor

• Toni Weisskopf (Baen)

Best Literary-Critical Work

• Playing at the World Volume 2, Jon Peterson (MIT Press)

Best Historical Work

• Dreaming of Autonomous Vehicles: Miloslav (Miles) J. Breuer: Czech- American Writer and the Birth of Science Fiction, Jaroslav Olša, Jr. (Space Cowboy)

Best Fan Writer

• Lloyd Penney

Best Fan Editor

• Bob Jennings (Fadeaway)

Best Non-N3F Fan Publication

• The N3F Fan Gazette

Best Fan Artist

• Jose Sanchez

Best Pro Artist

• Bob Eggleton

Best Fan Website

• The FANAC: Fan History Project

The change to the fees is onerous, and a large change compared with the full history of the awards. This is perceived by many as a ‘pay to play’ situation that favours those able to absorb the cost, and disadvantages self-publishing authors and small presses as well as authors whose publishers won’t take on the costs. The new structure will ensure that many works worthy of consideration will not be submitted, and favours larger publishers and well-established authors.

As well, the reduced fees for QWC or GenreCon members is perceived as a clear conflict of interest between award management and the financial operation of the Centre, as well as a disadvantage to authors in regional, remote, or interstate areas for which the above is not practical nor feasible. No costs to enter an award should be passed onto the authors, and especially no preference given to some authors over others.

The letter also expresses concerns about changes to rules, in particular arguing there is “lack of clarity around judge autonomy” and highlighting the rule that works shortlisted for multiple categories can only win in one, saying, “This is an impeachment on judge impartiality and artificially restricts works that blend genre or that cross categories.” The letter requests that the guidelines should also include a “clear statement that AI-generated work is not eligible.”

The letter was sent July 18, 2026 “with almost 250 signatures,” including authors and editors such as Leigh Blackmore, Jeff Clulow, Gabino Iglesias, T.R. Napper, Cat Sparks, and Kaaron Warren.

On July 20, the post was updated to report a reply to the letter: “Thank you for sharing this finally. Because it is so close to our Management Committee meeting we will hold it over for their consultation on the 28th. We will be in touch after that. I will update as and when we hear more.” The meeting was reportedly later delayed to August 10.

For more information, see the QWC website.

Best Science Fiction Novel

• God’s Junk Drawer, Peter Clines (Blackstone)
• The Faith of Beasts, James S.A. Corey (Orbit)
• Operation Bounce House, Matt Dinniman (Ace)
• Radiant Star, Ann Leckie (Orbit US)
• Slow Gods, Claire North (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• The Shattering Peace, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

• Twelve Months, Jim Butcher (Ace)
• Academy of Outcasts, Larry Correia (Aethon)
• The Lost Reliquary, Lyndsay Ely (Saga)
• Hell to Pay, Sherrilyn Kenyon (Oliver Heber)
• Red City, Marie Lu (Tor)
• Queen Demon, Martha Wells (Tor)

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

• Make Me a Monster, Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury YA)
• Ride or Die, Delilah S. Dawson (Delacorte)
• The Executioners Three, Susan Dennard (Tor Teen)
• Hazelthorn, CG Drews (Feiwel & Friends)
• Sky on Fire, E.K. Johnston (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
• Queen of Faces, Petra Lord (HarperCollins)

Best Alternate History Novel

• World War 3.2, John Birmingham (Gigantic Bombs)
• No Man’s Land, Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey)
• A Resistance of Witches, Morgan Ryan (Viking)
• The Winds of Fate, S.M. Stirling (Baen)
• The Unnecessary War, Brian C. Thompson (self-published)
• Powerless, Harry Turtledove (Caezik)

Best Horror Novel

• The Possession of Alba Díaz, Isabel Cañas (Berkley; Solaris UK)
• Play Nice, Rachel Harrison (Berkley)
• King Sorrow, Joe Hill (Morrow; Headline UK)
• The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Arcadia UK)
• Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire)

Best Illustrative Book Cover

• Jeff Brown for The Sapphire Heart, Abigail Bender, Victoria Hungria & Sandra Mead Miller (Three Scribes)
• Dominic Harman for The Ishtar Deception, James L. Cambias (Baen)
• T. Kingfisher for Hemlock & Silver (Tor; Tor UK)
• Carson Lowmiller for Brigands & Breadknives, Travis Baldree (Tor)
• Anna Moshak for The Second Death of Locke, V.L. Bovalino (Forever)
• Joe Wilson for Pretenders to the Throne of God, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Head of Zeus)

Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel

• Absolute Superman, Jason Aaron, illustrated by Rafa Sandoval
• X-Men: Elsewhen, John Byrne
• Daredevil, Stephanie Phillips, illustrated by Lee Garbett
• Absolute Batman, Scott Snyder, illustrated by Nick Dragotta
• Absolute Wonder Woman, Kelly Thompson, illustrated by Hayden Sherman
• Something is Killing the Children, James Tynion IV, illustrated by Werther Dell’Edera

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet

• Alien: Earth
• The Boys Season 5
• Fallout Season 2
• Foundation Season 3
• A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
• Plur1bus
• Strange New Worlds Season 3
• Widow’s Bay

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

• Superman
• Project Hail Mary
• Disclosure Day
• Predator: Badlands
• Frankenstein
• The Sheep Detectives
• Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
• Toy Story 5

Finalists in digital and tabletop gaming-related categories were also announced. Winners will be announced at Dragon Con, to be held September 3-7, 2026 in Atlanta GA.

• Ooreoluwa O. Agbede
• Sara Ang
• N.A. Blair
• Tomás Xavier Díaz
• Angela Luo
• Natalie Anai Nowo Lydick
• Fatima Masood
• Femi Salami
• Ashleigh Spencer
• Plamen Ivanov Vasilev

Art Contest

• River Barton
• Ginger Bertoni
• Emelia Feldman
• Javiera Díaz
• Sierra Eston
• Olive Humphrey
• Niko Kristic
• Jessie Li
• Kurtis Sawyer
• Marcus Leon Solomon

First place winners receive $1,500, second place receives $750, and third place receives $400.

The writing judges are P.A. Cornell and R.S.A. Garcia. The art contest judges are Becca Farrow and Hannah Vardit. The writing contest coordinator was Julia Rios and the art contest coordinator was Ilinca Barbacuta.

For more information, see the Dream Foundry website or their contest press releases.