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2026 World Fantasy Awards Finalists

4 August 2026 at 18:12

World Fantasy Awards logo with trophyThe World Fantasy Awards ballot for works published in 2025 has been announced. The awards will be presented during the 2026 World Fantasy Convention, scheduled for October 22-25, 2026 in Oakland CA.

The World Fantasy Awards finalists are:

Best Novel

  • Audition for the Fox, Martin Cahill (Tachyon)
  • Once Was Willem, M.R. Carey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
  • The Secret Market of the Dead, Giovanni De Feo (Saga)
  • The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK)
  • The Adventures of Mary Darling, Pat Murphy (Tachyon)

Best Long Fiction

  • The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia)
  • “The Secret Diary of Mina Harker”, Theodora Goss (Letters from an Imaginary Country)
  • “Uncertain Sons”, Thomas Ha (Uncertain Sons and Other Stories)
  • The Death of Mountains, Jordan Kurella (Lethe)
  • “The Spotter”, Josh Malerman (You, Human: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction, Vol. 2)
  • Psychopomp & Circumstance, Eden Royce (Tordotcom)
  • A Mouthful of Dust, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Best Short Fiction

  • “The Hungry Mouth at the Edge of Space and the Goddess Knitting at Home”, Renan Bernardo (Reactor 8/27/25)
  • “In My Country”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 4/25)
  • “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days”, Samantha Mills (Uncanny 3-4/25)
  • “St. Dymphna’s School for Borderland Girls”, Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (Weird Horror Spring ‘25)
  • “Unfinished Architectures of the Human-Fae War”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny 5-6/25)

Best Anthology

  • Night & Day, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Saga)
  • Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett & Craig Laurance Gidney, eds. (Essential Dreams)
  • The Best Weird Fiction of the Year: Volume 1, Michael Kelly, ed. (Undertow)
  • Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible)
  • Bog People: A Working-Class Anthology of Folk Horror, Hollie Starling, ed. (Chatto & Windus)

Best Collection

  • Letters from an Imaginary Country, Theodora Goss (Tachyon)
  • Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, Thomas Ha (Undertow)
  • The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories, Salman Rushdie (Random House; Jonathan Cape)
  • Black Hole Heart and Other Stories, K.A. Teryna, tr. Alex Shvartsman (Fairwood)

Best Artist

  • Galen Dara
  • Kathleen Jennings
  • Daniele Serra
  • Rachel Smythe
  • Charles Vess

Special Award – Professional

  • Clive Bloom, for London Uncanny: A Gothic Guide to the Capital in Weird History and Fiction (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • Jaymee Goh, Jill Roberts & Jacob Weisman, for Tachyon Publications
  • Tim Lucas, for Succubus (PS/Electric Dreamhouse)
  • Blumhouse & Dave Schilling, for Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse (Simon Element)
  • Becky Siegel Spratford, for Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature (Saga)
  • Richard Wolinsky, for Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods!: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends (Tachyon)

Special Award – Non-Professional

  • Scott H. Andrews, for Beneath Ceaseless Skies
  • Andy Cox, for Remains
  • Patrick Swenson, for Fairwood Press and for the Rainforest Writers Village Retreat
  • Elise C. Tobler, for The Deadlands
  • Wendy Wagner, for Nightmare

The Life Achievement Awards recipients have not yet been announced.

This year’s judges are Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, Tamsyn Muir, Madeleine E. Robins, Richard Thomas, and Ann VanderMeer. For more information, see the WFC website.

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2026 Booker Prize Longlist

28 July 2026 at 21:48

The 13-title longlist for the 2026 Booker Prize has been announced, with works and writers of genre interest including:The Booker Prizes logo

The End of Everything, M. John Harrison (Serpent’s Tail)

The Renovation, Kenan Orhan (Hamish Hamilton)

The Vivisectors, Missouri Williams (4th Estate)

Helen of Nowhere, Makenna Goodman (Coffee House)

Switzy, Emma Cline (Random House)

The Disappearers, Marlon James (Riverhead)

The shortlist will be announced September 22, 2026. Shortlisted authors receive £2,500. The winner will be announced November 9, 2026; the winning work receives £50,000.

For more information, including the complete longlist, see the International Booker Prize website.

For previous titles of genre interest listed for the Booker, see past Locus coverage of the award.

2026 Wellman Award Winner

28 July 2026 at 20:15

Con-Gregate Convention Logo with Greg the alien and scene from orbit.The North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation (NCSFF) has announced the winner for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award. The award recognizes “outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors.”

  • WINNER: Transmentation: Transience, Darkly Lem (Blackstone)
  • The Unseen, Ania Ahlborn (Gallery)
  • Last Chance Live!, Helena Haywoode Henry (Nancy Paulsen)
  • Infinite Archive, Mur Lafferty (Ace)
  • The Coming Dark, D.J. Molles (Self-published)
  • Labyrinth, A.G. Riddle (Head of Zeus/AdAstra)
  • Shadows Upon Time, Christopher Ruocchio (DAW)
  • Children of Solitude, Michael G. Williams (Gold Dust)
  • Closing Time at the Sunny-Side-Up, David Niall Wilson (Shotgun Honey)
  • Fallen City, Adrienne Young (Saturday)

The winner was announced July 17, 2026 during ConGregate 12, held at the Airport Marriott in Greensboro NC. For more information, visit the NCSFF website.

2026 Imadjinn Awards

28 July 2026 at 18:29

Winners for the 2026 Imadjinn Awards have been announced. Winners were selected by jury and announced at the Imaginarium Convention, held July 17-19, 2026 at the Holiday Inn Louisville East in Louisville KY.

Best Science Fiction Novel

  • WINNER: Dead to Rights: A Car Warriors Autoduel Novel, Jay Barnson (Three Ravens)
  • Frozen Echoes, Ed Downes (Undertaker)
  • Bifrost Down, Jon R. Osborne (Seventh Seal)

Best Fantasy Novel

  • WINNER: Rise From Ruin, Melissa Olthoff (Baen)
  • The Blacksmith’s Boy, Bruce Buchanan (Wild Ink)
  • The Healer’s Heir, Katie Fitzgerald (self-published)
  • A Count of Courage, Nancy Moser (Mustard Seed)

Best Horror Novel

  • WINNER: Darkness Calls, Joe Chianakas (Rogue River)
  • Southern Cross, Vaughn A. Jackson (Falstaff)
  • The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon, Barry Maher (Crystal Lake)
  • The Exorcist’s House: Resurrection, Nick Roberts (Crystal Lake)

Best Urban Fantasy Novel

  • WINNER: The Unlife of Lisa Cooper: Vengeance, J.M. Celi (Rockamooka)
  • A Conundrum of Wizards, K.R. Brady (Woods)
  • Reaper, John G. Hartness (Falstaff)
  • House of Owls, Jon R. Osborne (New Mythology)

Best Paranormal Romance

  • WINNER: Dancing with a Demon, L.R. Braden (Magical Realms)
  • S’more Love, K. Rose (self-published)
  • Resurrection, Karen White

Best Romance Novel

  • WINNER: No Apologies, Andrea Jenelle (Willow Creek Publishing)
  • The Scald Crow, Karen White (Baisong)

Best Young Adult Novel

  • WINNER: The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine, Lindsay A. Franklin (Enclave Escape)
  • Paramour, Robin Alvarez (Tides Collide)
  • Missing Mom, Lynn Slaughter (Fire & Ice Young Adult)
  • Awakening: Winberie Journals Book One, Lynn Tincher (Hydra)

Best Middle Grade Book

  • WINNER: Not Lucille, Mike Steele (Creative James Media)
  • Dreams of Gold and Fire, Fred Phillips (Raconteur)
  • Scareville: Food to Die For, John Ward (Crystal Lake)

Best Cross Genre Novel

  • WINNER: The Eagle Flies at Night, Lance Loot (self-published)
  • Clutching Cthulhu’s Pearls, Marilyn Barr (self-published)

Best Anthology

  • WINNER: What Swallows the Light, Theresa Derwin, Charlene du Toit, Victoria Kiska & Paula Limbaugh, eds. (Crystal Lake)
  • Dancing With Destruction, Jason Cordova, ed. (Baen)
  • It Came From the Trailer Park: Double Wide Volume 1, Jesse James Fain & William Joseph Roberts, eds. (Three Ravens)

Best Short Story Collection

  • WINNER: Midnight Vintage, Sean Eads & Joshua Viola (Crystal Lake)
  • The Wind’s Four Quarters, Alma Alexander (Book View Cafe)
  • Six O’Clock House & Other Strange Tales, Rebecca Cuthbert (Watertower Hill)

Best Short Story

  • WINNER: “Through the Holler, Into the Dark”, Emma E. Murray (The Drowning Machine and Other Obsessions)
  • “The Leper’s Garden”, Jeff Clulow (The Leper’s Garden: And Other Contagions)
  • “This Broken World”, Mia Dalia (Choices: An Anthology of Reproductive Horror)

Best Audiobook Narration

  • WINNER: Harvest of Evil: The John Fisher Chronicles, Book 1, William H. Lehman, narrated by Perry Wince (Three Ravens)
  • Ghostship Derelict, J.R. Handley, narrated by Brian Fairbank (Three Ravens)
  • Shadow Card Guardian, Kacey Ezell, narrated by Anna Delphine (Sevillalost)

Best Thriller Novel

  • WINNER: The First Wives, S.E. Reed (Storm)
  • Cash Target, Edale Lane (self-published)
  • Collateral Damage, Mick Williams (Valiant)

Best Western Novel

  • WINNER: Legends of the West, Micheal Black (Circulation & Trade Division)
  • Blood Lake, C.M. Saunders (Undertaker)

Best Poetry Collection

  • WINNER: The Eight, Rita Spalding (Hydra)
  • The Book of Hours, Darius Jones (self-published)

Best Magazine/Periodical

  • WINNER: Kentucky Monthly, Stephen M. Vest (self-published)
  • parABnormal Magazine, H. David Blalock, ed.

Imadjinn prizes were also awarded for categories including Historical Fiction, Thriller, Children’s Book, Graphic Novel/Comic Book, and others. For more information, including a complete list of winners, see the Imaginarium website.

2026 Tähtifantasia Award Winner

21 July 2026 at 21:18

Noidanlanka by J. S. Meresmaa (Myllylahti), is the winner of the 2026 Tähtifantasia Award, presented by the Helsinki Science Fiction Society for the best Finnish fantasy book published in thePink cover including decals of vines and flowers, with a silhouette of a bird in the center. The title reads: "Noidanlanka" previous year. Other nominees were:

  • Kuulotorvi, Leonora Carrington, tr. by Kristiina Drews (Kosmo)
  • Lumenlaulaja, Emmi Itäranta (Teos)
  • Kun aurinko kuoli, Yan Lianke, tr. Riina Vuokko (Rìxī)
  • Vahalapsi, Olga Ravn, tr. Sanna Manninen (Voksbarnet)

The 2026 jurors were Jukka Halme, Aleksi Kuutio, Osmo Määttä, and Niina Tolonen. For more information, see the official announcement.

Buhkman International Booker Prize Judges Announced

14 July 2026 at 21:28

Bukhman International Booker Prize LogoThe prize formerly known as the International Booker Prize has announced a partnership with Bukhman Philanthropies, which “has made a generous commitment to fund the next 10 years of the International Booker Prize.” The funding will double the prize awarded to the winning title from £50,000 to £100,000, split between the author and translator.

The Buhkman International Booker Prize “celebrates the best works of long-form fiction or collections of short stories translated into English and published in the UK and/or Ireland.” This year’s judges are Katie Kitamura (chair), Patrick McGuinness, Caleb Azumah Nelson, Olga Ravn, and Tessa Thompson. Submissions are open until September 24, 2026.

The shortlist will be announced on April 15, 2027. The winner will be announced the following month. Shortlisted titles receive £5,000, or £2,500 each for author and translator.

For more information, including submission guidelines for the prize, see the Booker Prize website.

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2026 SF&F Hall of Fame Inductees

13 July 2026 at 21:40

The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) announced the 2026 inductees to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame: Lois McMaster Bujold and Tim Burton were honored asLogo text reading: "SFF HOF (Science Fiction + Fantasy Hall of Fame)" creators. “Metropolis” and the X-Men franchise were also recognized as exceptional creations in genre media. Inductees are added to the SF&F Hall of Fame display in the museum.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame was founded in 1996 and then relocated from the Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction and Fantasy at the University of  Kansas to its permanent home at MoPOP (formerly EMP) in 2004.

For more information, including a complete list of Hall of Fame members, see the MoPOP website.

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2026 Prometheus Awards Winners

13 July 2026 at 17:52

The Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS) has announced A Kiss for Damocles by J. Kenton Pierce (Raconteur) [amazon / bookshop] as the winner of the Prometheus Award in the Best Novel category, honoring pro-freedom works published in 2025. Other nominees were:An image of a 2006 American Gold Eagle coin used as the logo for the Libertarian Futurist Society (LFS)

  • Storm-Dragon, Dave Freer (Raconteur) amazon / bookshop
  • War By Other Means, Karl K. Gallagher (Kelt Haven) amazon
  • No Man’s Land Volumes 1-3, Sarah A. Hoyt (Goldport) amazon / bookshop
  • Powerless, Harry Turtledove (Caezik SF & Fantasy) amazon / bookshop

Storm-Dragon by Dave Freer (Raconteur) won the first Special Prometheus Award Winner for Young Adult Fiction.

Brave New World, a 1932 title by Aldous Huxley (Chatto & Windus), is the winner of the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award for Best Classic Fiction. Other finalists were:

  • The Star Dwellers, James Blish (Faber & Faber; Avon)
  • That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis (Scribner)
  • Salt, Adam Roberts (Gollancz)
  • Singularity Sky, Charles Stross (Ace)

Nominees for Hall of Fame may be in any narrative or dramatic form, including prose fiction, stage plays, film, television, other video, graphic novels, song lyrics, or epic or narrative verse; they must explore themes relevant to libertarianism and must be science fiction, fantasy, or related genres. All members of the Libertarian Futurist Society were eligible to vote.

“The 46th annual Prometheus Awards will be presented online Sunday afternoon Aug. 16, 2026, in a zoom awards ceremony open to the public. This year’s hourlong ceremony, tentatively scheduled for 2-3 p.m. Eastern time and emceed by LFS President William H. Stoddard, will feature a guest speaker: Lifelong science-fiction fan Ilya Somin (George Mason University law professor, Cato Institute scholar and author), who will present the Hall of Fame award.”

For more information, see the official press release.

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Elgin Wins Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award

13 July 2026 at 17:32

SF poet and author Suzette Haden Elgin is the winner of the 2026 Cordwainer Smith Rediscovery Award, intended to bring attention to lesser-known SF and fantasy authors. Her first story publication, “For the Sake of Grace”, was in F&SF in 1969. She wrote several SF series leaning into her background in linguistics and was the founder of the SFPA, now the Science Fiction & Fantasy Poetry Association.

The award was announced at Readercon 35, held July 9-12, 2026 in Burlington MA. The jury members are Ann VanderMeer, Steven H Silver, and Rich Horton.

For more information about the award, see the Wikipedia page.

[via File770.com]

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2025 Shirley Jackson Awards Winners

11 July 2026 at 19:30

Shirley Jackson Awards logoThe winners of the 2025 Shirley Jackson Awards for outstanding achievement in horror, psychological suspense, and dark fantasy fiction were announced Saturday, July 11, 2026 at Readercon 35 in Burlington MA, hosted by Readercon guests of honor P. Djèlí Clark and David Gerrold.

Novel

  • WINNER: Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng, Kylie Lee Baker (Hanover Square)
  • Old Soul, Susan Barker (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)
  • How to Fake a Haunting, Christa Carmen (Thomas & Mercer)
  • Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, Grady Hendrix (Berkley)
  • Moonflow, Bitter Karella (Run For It)
  • The Lamb, Lucy Rose (HarperCollins)

Novella

  • WINNER: The Death of Mountains, Jordan Kurella (Lethe)
  • The Glass Garden, Jessica Lévai (Lanternfish)
  • Psychopomp & Circumstance, Eden Royce (Tordotcom)
  • The Cold House, A.G. Slatter (Titan)
  • DuMort, Michelle Tang (Ghost Orchid)

Novelette

  • WINNER: “Emily”, Vanessa Santos (Make a Home of Me)
  • Letter Slot, Owen King (Amazon Original Stories)
  • “The Severity of Things”, Mo Moshaty (Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment)
  • “The Millay Illusion”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 11-12/25)
  • The Confirmed Bachelors, Stephen Volk (Black Shuck)

Short Fiction

  • WINNER: “Bitter Skin”, Kaaron Warren (Night & Day)
  • “Room 24”, Caroline Kepnes (The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand)
  • “Lapse”, Kirsty Logan (Unquiet Guests)
  • “Silver Boots”, Donna Lynch (HOWL: An Anthology of Werewolves from Women-in-Horror)
  • “Mother’s Mother’s Daughter”, Audrey Zhou (Silk and Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora)

Single-Author Collection

  • WINNER: Issues with Authority, Nadia Bulkin (Ghoulish)
  • Moon Songs, Carol Emshwiller (Third Man)
  • Clairviolence: Tales of Tarot and Torment, Mo Moshaty (Tenebrous)
  • Good and Evil and Other Stories, Samanta Schweblin, tr. Megan McDowell (Alfred A. Knopf)
  • Portalmania, Debbie Urbanski (Simon & Schuster)

Edited Anthology

  • WINNER (TIE): Unquiet Guests, Dan Coxon, ed. (Dead Ink)
  • WINNER (TIE): Night & Day, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Saga)
  • Roots of My Fears, Gemma Amor, ed. (Titan)
  • Silk and Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora, Kristy Park Kulski, ed. (Bad Hand)
  • Were Wolf Short Stories, Catherine Taylor, Nick Wells & Gillian Whitaker, eds. (Flame Tree)

For more information, see the award website.

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2026 ESFS Awards Winners

9 July 2026 at 19:36

ESFS logoThe European Science Fiction Society (ESFS) announced the Hall of Fame Awards, Achievement Awards, and winners of the Chrysalis Awards for emerging talent.

The Hall of Fame Awards winners are:

Best Author

  • WINNER: Luís Filipe Silva (Portugal)
  • Marc Elsberg (Austria)
  • Alessandro Forlani (Italy)
  • Agnieszka Hałas (Poland)
  • Christian Léourier (France)
  • Ruth Frances Long (Ireland)
  • Julija Lukovnjak (Slovenia)
  • Michael Marrak (Germany)
  • Emil Minchev (Bulgaria)
  • Ondřej Neff (Czech Republic)
  • Luís Filipe Silva (Portugal)
  • Cosimo Suglia (Luxembourg)
  • Dănuț Ungureanu (Romania)
  • Володимир Єшкілєв/Volodymyr Yeshkiliev (Ukraine)

Best Artist

  • WINNER: Stéphanie Hans (France)
  • Daniel Atanasov-Satanasov (Bulgaria)
  • Maya Hahto (Finland)
  • Андрій Лесів/Andriy Lesiv & Романа Романишин/Romana Romanyshyn (Ukrainian)
  • Luis Louro (Portugal)
  • Mikuláš Podprocký (Czech Republic)
  • Mojca Poljanc (Slovenia)
  • Valentin Tănase (Romania)
  • Adrian van Schwamen (Germany)
  • Lucrezia Viperina (Italy)

Best Magazine

  • WINNER: Supernova (Slovenia)
  • Agamor Gamebooks Magazine (Bulgaria)
  • Dangan (Portugal)
  • Exodus (Germany)
  • Helion (Romania)
  • Hypnos (Italy)
  • Parsec (UK)
  • Le Rocambole (France)
  • Tähtivaeltaja (Finland)

Best Publisher

  • WINNER: Ohneohren (Austria)
  • Carcosa (Germany)
  • Cristian PlusArt (Romania)
  • Critic (France)
  • Editorial Divergência (Portugal)
  • Jakub Němeček (Czech Republic)
  • Newcon Press (UK)
  • The O’Brien Press (Ireland)
  • Orange Books (Bulgaria)
  • Vivat Publishing (Ukraine)
  • Zona 42 (Italy)

Best Promoter

  • WINNER: Francesco Verso (Italy)
  • Afonso Cruz (Portugal)
  • Dmytro aka Khajiit (Ukraine)
  • Bojan Ekselenski (Slovenia)
  • Alain Grousset (France)
  • Karo Leikomaa (Finland)
  • Helmuth W. Mommers (Austria)
  • Václav Pravda (Czech Republic)
  • Prez 9 Zemi [Through Nine Lands] team (Bulgaria)
  • Science Fiction & Fantasy Society Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
  • Cornel Secu (Romania)
  • Klaudia Seibel (Germany)
  • Francesco Verso (Italy)
  • Jo Zebedee (Ireland)

Best Translator

  • WINNER: Mariano Martin Rodriguez (Spain, nominated by Moldova)
  • Pavel Bakič (Czech Republic)
  • Andrea Cassini (Italy)
  • Gilles Goullet (France)
  • Sergej Hvala (Slovenia)
  • Emil Minchev (Bulgaria)
  • Ana-Veronica Mircea (Romania)
  • Ursula Phillips (Poland)
  • Mariano Martin Rodriguez (Moldova)
  • Богдан Стасюк/Bohdan Stasiuk (Ukraine)
  • Teresa Fernandes Swiatkiewicz (Portugal)
  • Austin Wagner (UK)
  • Karin Will (Germany)

The Achievement Awards winners are:

Best Written Work of Fiction

  • WINNER: Tecnologie del Futuro, Marco Passarello, ed. (Italy)
  • Легендарій міських див [The Legendary of the City Wonders], Антонян А., Горбунов Андрій, Кузнєцов В., Павло Дерев’янко/Pavlo Derevianko, Легендарій міських див, Роман Колган, Владислав Лєнцев & Олег Сілін (Ukraine)
  • Ochiul tigrului [Eye of the Tiger], Emilia Burca (Moldova)
  • Prometheus Dezlănțuit [Prometheus Unleashed], Adrian Chifu (Romania)
  • Wolfszone, Christian Endres (Germany)
  • Será de Madrugada, Raquel Fontão (Portugal)
  • Metamorf, Karolina Francova (Czech Republic)
  • The Sword Triumphant, Gareth Hanrahan (Ireland)
  • Lumenlaulaja, Emmi Itäranta (Finland)
  • Skrivnost Srži, Jakob Konda (Slovenia)
  • Mrak, Emil Minchev (Bulgaria)
  • Das zweigeteilte All, Ralph Alexander Neumüller (Austria)
  • Sintonia, Audrey Pleynet (France)
  • Roserei, Cosimo Suglia (Luxembourg)
  • When There Are Wolves Again, E.J. Swift (UK)

Best Work of Art

  • WINNER: DOFRESH for the cover of La Vie secrète des robots [The Secret Life of Robots], Suzanne Palmer (France)
  • Franco Brambilla for the illustration of Tecnologie del Futuro, Marco Passarello, ed. (Italy)
  • Michaela Konrad for “Embrace the Future” (Austria)
  • Tania Mincheva for the cover of Mrak (Bulgaria)
  • Eleonor Piteira for “Time’s End” (Portugal)
  • Оксана Сіненко/Oksana Sinenko for the covers and illustration of the Litopys Siroho Ordeny books, Pavlo Derevianko (Ukraine)
  • Adrian van Schwamen for “Dreieck des Schreckens” (Germany)
  • Nick Wells for the covers of The Fractal Series, Allen Stroud (UK)

Best Fanzine

  • WINNER: Journey Planet #93 (Ireland)
  • Agamor #3 (Bulgaria)
  • ArtZone SF 12/25 (Romania)
  • Basis 11/24 (France)
  • Emarginacje #1 (Poland)
  • Faun #5 (Austria)
  • Il magazzino dei mondi #1 (Italy)
  • Pacto #2 (Portugal)
  • Weltenportal 9/25 (Germany)

Best Work for Children

  • WINNER: Fantastyczne Smoki [Fantastic Dragons], Marcin Kończewski (Poland)
  • Der kleine Perry 3: Meister der Roboter, Olaf Brill, illustrated by Michael Vogt (Germany)
  • Was macht ein Dino im Museum?, Marie Gamillscheg (Austria)
  • Station Symbiose, Noëmie Lemos (France)
  • Corvinho, Luis Louro (Portugal)
  • Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution, Una McCormack (UK)
  • Mitko and the Enchanted Cave, Емил Минчев/Emil Minchev (Bulgaria)
  • Apollo credici, Adrian Fartade, Leo Ortolani & Luca Perri (Italy)
  • Platanos, Doina Rusti (Romania)
  • Вандалізм [Vandalism], Валерія Савотіна/Valeriia Savotina (Ukraine)

Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel

  • WINNER: Tales from Nevermore, Manuel Monteiro, illustrated by Pedro Nascimento (Portugal)
  • Der kleine Perry 3: Meister der Roboter, Olaf Brill, illustrated by Michael Vogt (Germany)
  • Silver: Unearthed, Michael Carroll, illustrated by Joe Currie, lettering by Simon Bowland (Ireland)
  • Cristina Covrig
  • Мор. Частина 2: Потойбіччя [Pestilence. Volume 2: The Beyond], Andrii Dankovych (Ukraine)
  • Daga #3, Giuliano Dimitrov, Kancho Kozhuharov, Haralambi Markov, Diana Naneva, Blagovesta Neycheva, Marko Nikolic, Satanasov, Marko Stoyanovich & Alyosha Tomic (Bulgaria)
  • Oskar Ed: Můj nejlepší přítel, Branko Jelínek (Czech Republic)
  • Ionheart, Lukas Kummer (Austria)
  • La Route, Manu Larcenet (France)
  • Arv, Adrian Nen (Romania)
  • Guida pratica e un po’ comic(a) al Solarpunk, Francesco Verso, ed. (Italy)

Best Internet Publication

  • WINNER: Intergalactic Robot, Artur Coelho (Portugal)
  • Actusf.com (France)
  • Knigi-igri.bg (Bulgaria)
  • Legie.info (Czech Republic)
  • Nörttikulttuurivisa [Geek Culture Quiz] (Finland)
  • Other Than a Fanzine: Fantastica Magazine (Romania)
  • Reading Wildlife (Italy)
  • SciFiNet (Germany)
  • Vlad the Storyteller (Ukraine)

Best Event, Festival or Convention organised by Fans

  • WINNER: Аль Мор [All Mor] 2025 (Ukraine)
  • Archipelacon 2 (Finland)
  • Bazyliszek x Polcon (Poland)
  • Contacto 2025 (Portugal)
  • DeepCon 2025 (Italy)
  • Eastercon 2025 (Ireland)
  • Elstercon 2024 (Germany)
  • Fantasy-Con (Wien) (Austria)
  • FénixCon (zech Republic)
  • Les Intergalactiques, 13e édition (France)
  • LuxCon 2025 (Luxembourg)
  • Na meji nevidnega 2025 (Slovenia)
  • Romcon 2025 (Romania)
  • Through Nine Lands 2025 – Monstrous Encounters (Bulgaria)
  • World Fantasy Convention 2025 (UK)

Best Dramatic Presentation

  • WINNER: Ти — космос [U Are the Universe] (Ukraine)
  • À l’ouest d’Arkham (Luxembourg)
  • Another End (Italy)
  • Chien 51 (France)
  • The Dex Legacy Season 3 (UK)
  • Färjan (Finland)
  • Moonflower (Bulgaria)
  • O Velho e a Espada (Portugal)
  • Poate visezi [Maybe You’re Dreaming] (Romania)

The Chrysalis Awards winners were also announced:

  • Thomas Arnaud (France)
  • Ondřej Blaho (Czech Republic)
  • Vida Delcheva (Bulgaria)
  • Marcel Gherman (Moldova)
  • Elia Gonella (Italy)
  • Ben J.A. Hansen (Luxembourg)
  • Svenja Knisel (Austria)
  • Matjaž Marinček (Slovenia)
  • Afonso Molinar (Portugal)
  • Kevin Moran (Ireland)
  • Yulia Nahorniuk (Юлія Нагорнюк) (Ukraine)
  • Tessa (Germany)
  • Alina Voinea (Romania)

Thomas Recktenwald (Germany) was honored as European Grandmaster.

Winners were announced at Metropol Con 2026, held June 2-5, 2026 in Berlin, Germany. For more information, see the ESFS website.

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2026 Heinlein Scholarship Recipients

8 July 2026 at 17:08

Image that reads "Heinlein Scholarships," with a bust of Robert A. HeinleinWinners of the Heinlein Society’s annual undergraduate scholarships for the 2026-2027 academic year were announced on July 7, 2026, Robert A. Heinlein’s 119th birthday.

This year’s winners are Riya Gupta, Nora Kane, Leslie Manga-Abomo, William Mar, and Evan Sturdivant. The scholarship awards $4,000 to each recipient. Winners were selected from 310 applications, including 40 international submissions from 22 different countries.

Gupta receives the Society’s new, unnamed scholarship and will attend “California Institute of Technology as a sophomore, majoring in mechanical engineering.” Kane, a repeat winner from last year, received the Virginia Heinlein Memorial Scholarship, which is “dedicated to a female candidate majoring in engineering, math, or biological or physical sciences.” Sturdivant received the Dr. Jerry Pournelle Memorial Scholarship, and Mar received the Dr. Yoji Kondo Memorial Scholarship. Manga-Abomo is the winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Scholarship.

Other finalists were:

  • Veronica Mok
  • Lily Myers
  • Sanjay Nair
  • Nevin Roy
  • Ayazhan Shuinshbay
  • Nina-Rose Smith
  • Sarah Witte

The scholarship contest is open to residents of any country who are enrolled as full-time students at an accredited four-year university and majoring in math, engineering, the physical sciences, or science fiction as literature. Applicants must submit a 500-1,000 word essay on a provided topic. The scholarship cannot be offered to incoming freshmen.

For guidelines and more information, visit The Heinlein Society website.

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2026 Deutscher Science Fiction Preis Finalists

7 July 2026 at 22:38

SFCD logo; Finalists for the 2026 Deutsche Science Fiction Preis, presented by Science Fiction Club Deutschland (SFCD), have been announced.

Best German-Language SF Novel:

  • We Burn the Sun, Anika Beer (Piper Verlag)
  • Asimov’s Kindergarten, Reda El Arbi (Lectorbooks)
  • Der Himmel wird zur Seet, Sven Haupt (Eridanus Verlag)
  • Ein Übermaß von Welt, Sven Haupt (Eridanus Verlag)
  • Thanatopia, Tom Hillenbrand (Kiepenheuer & Witsch)
  • Pandoras Flotte, Christian Märtesheimer (Atlantis Verlag)
  • Denial of Service, Aiki Mira (Fischer TOR)
  • Glow in the Dark, L.U. Sanders (self-published)
  • Lyneham, Nils Westerboer (Klett-Cotta)

Best German-language SF Short Story:

  • “Sabotage”, Patricia Eckermann (Andymonaden)
  • “Echo”, Luc François (Anxious and Slightly Yearning)
  • “Notizen eines Sonderling”, Jan Gardemann (Caprice 01)
  • “Das letzte Mal”, Stephanie Lammers (c’t 02/2025)
  • “Ausreißende Sterne”, Aiki Mira (Andymonaden)
  • “Wir waren hier”, Ralph-Alexander Neumüller (Tales of Science II)
  • “Living Nightlights”, Lisa-Viktoria Niederberger (Klimazukünfte 2050: wie werden wir leben?)
  • “Die Amazone”, Michael Pfrommer (Vom Filme schmieden. Und anderen Träumen)
  • “Blumen für Lisa-9”, Uwe Post (Exodus 4/3/2025)
  • “Kinderladen”, Jol Rosenberg (Queer Welten 8/19/25)
  • “Metanoq”, Maximilian Wust (Nova 10/27/25)

Winners are chosen by jury, and receive a €1,000 prize. Second and third place runners-up are recognized with €500 and €300 respectively. Awards will be presented during Elstercon, to be held September 18-20, 2026 in Leipzig, Germany. For more information, see the award site.

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2026 Sunburst Award Shortlist

7 July 2026 at 16:45

Sunburst Award logoThe five-title shortlist for the 2026 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic was announced July 6, 2026:

The winner, who receives a medallion with the Sunburst logo and a cash prize of CAD $3,000, will be announced in the fall. The jurors for the 2026 Award are A.G. Pasquella, Daniel Perry, and A.C. Wise.

For more information, see the Sunburst Award Society website.

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2026 Wellman Award Finalists

2 July 2026 at 00:09

Alien mascot wearing sunglasses above a logo reading "ConGregate: An interactive fan convention."The North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation (NCSFF) has announced the finalists for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award. The award recognizes “outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors.”

  • The Unseen, Ania Ahlborn (Gallery)
  • Last Chance Live!, Helena Haywoode Henry (Nancy Paulsen)
  • Infinite Archive, Mur Lafferty (Ace)
  • Transmentation: Transience, Darkly Lem (Blackstone)
  • The Coming Dark, D.J. Molles (published by the author)
  • Labyrinth, A.G. Riddle (Head of Zeus/AdAstra)
  • Shadows Upon Time, Christopher Ruocchio (DAW)
  • Children of Solitude, Michael G. Williams (Gold Dust)
  • Closing Time at the Sunny-Side-Up, David Niall Wilson (Shotgun Honey)
  • Fallen City, Adrienne Young (Saturday)

The winner will be announced July 17, 2026 during ConGregate 12, to be held at the Airport Marriott in Greensboro NC.

For more information, visit the NCSFF website.

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2026 CSFFA Hall of Fame Inductees

1 July 2026 at 19:13

Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association logoThe Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (CSFFA) announced three inductees to the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame for 2026: author Kelley Armstrong, author James Alan Gardner, and past president of Fanzine Writers of America Mike Glicksohn.

This year’s jury included David Clink (chair), JM Landels, Y.M. Pang, Clifford Samuels, and Edo van Belkom.

For more information, see the CSFFA website.

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2026 Le Guin Prize for Fiction Shortlist

29 June 2026 at 20:20

Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction logoThe Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust has announced the shortlist for the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, awarding a $25,000 cash prize “to the author of a book that reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to Ursula’s own work.”

The nine shortlisted titles are:

  • Audition, Pip Adam (Coffee House)
  • Sunward, William Alexander (Saga)
  • Call and Response, Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock)
  • Midnight Timetable, Bora Chung, tr. Anton Hur (Algonquin)
  • The Works of Vermin, by Hiron Ennes (Tor)
  • Notes from a Regicide, Isaac Fellman (Tor)
  • Mad Sisters of Esi, Tashan Mehta (DAW)
  • One Message Remains, Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp)
  • Slow Gods, Claire North (Orbit)

The 2026 selection panel includes Nicola Griffith, Mat Johnson, Fonda Lee, Darcie Little Badger, and Peter Rock. The winner will be announced October 21, 2026, Le Guin’s birthday.

For more information, see the Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust website.

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2026 Premios Kelvin Winners

25 June 2026 at 17:36

Celsius 232 festival logoWinners have been announced for the 2026 Premios Kelvin 505 Awards, presented by the Celsius 232 festival and honoring the best science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels published in Spain.

Mejor Novela Original (Best Original Novel)

  • WINNER: Animales difíciles, Rosa Montero (Seix Barral)
  • Impía, J.V. Gachs (Dolmen)
  • U.N.I., Antonio Garber (Menoscuarto)
  • Salitre y cenizas, Carlos Di Urarte (El transbordador)

Mejor Novela Traducida (Best Translated Novel)

  • WINNER: El vado de los zorros [Fox Fords], Anna Starobinets, tr. Viktoria Leftérova & Enrique Maldonado (Impedimenta)
  • Los diablos [The Devils], Joe Abercrombie, tr. Manu Viciano (Runas)
  • El reformatorio [The Reformatory], Tananarive Due, tr. María Pérez de San Román (La biblioteca de Carfax)
  • El diablo te lleva a casa [The Devil Takes You Home], Gabino Iglesias, tr. Miguel Sanz Jiménez (La biblioteca de Carfax)

Mejor Novela Juvenil Original (Best Original YA Novel)

  • WINNER: Camden Down, Sofía Rhei (Loqueleo)
  • La luz en la niebla, Victoria Álvarez (Molino)
  • Cuatro dormitorios con piscina, Inés Galiano (Numak)
  • Sangre Real, Marina Tena (Loqueleo)

Mejor Novela Juvenil Traducida (Best Translated YA Novel)

  • WINNER: Amanecer en la cosecha [Sunrise on the Reaping], Suzanne Collins, tr. Pilar Ramírez Tello (Molino)
  • El aliento del dragón [Breath of the Dragon], Fonda Lee & Sharon Lee, tr. Antonio Rivas (Hidra)
  • Ahora todo es mejor [All Better Now], Neal Shusterman, tr. Laura Feijóo Sánchez (Nocturna)
  • Nuestros destinos infinitos [Our Infinite Fates], Laura Steven, tr. Esther Villardón Grande (Umbriel)

The winner of Mejor Portada Edición Española (Best Spanish Edition Cover) was Borja González for Ogros [Ogres] by Adrian Tchaikovsky (Dolmen).

Winners will be honored during the Celsius 232 festival, to be held July 14-18, 2026 in Avilés, Spain. For more information, see the Kelvin 505 website.

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2026 Future Worlds Prize Winner

24 June 2026 at 23:20

The Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour announced the winner of its prize for short fiction at a ceremony in London.

Future Worlds Prize logo

  • WINNER: “A Blade Drawn from Envy”, Ty Ogunade
  • RUNNER-UP: “There Will Come Soft Rains”, Jessica Tsang
  • “A Song of Shir’ja”, Harps Aujla
  • “Zonbi”, Zarah Elouis-Ro
  • “Crooked Straits”, Olivia Ho
  • “One Thousand and One Wishes”, Rakan Khashman
  • “The Sun Wells”, Aiden Ng
  • “A Corruption of Death”, Hadiyah Sama

The judges of the Prize included Carolynne Bain, Ese Erheriene, Eric Huang, Nahrein Kemp, and Chris Pak. The winner receives £4,500, the runner-up £2,500, and the remaining six each receive £850. All eight will receive mentoring from the prize’s publishing partners. The award is funded by author Ben Aaronovitch and actor Adjoa Andoh.

For more information, see the prize’s website.

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Robert E. Howard Awards Winners

23 June 2026 at 21:09

REH Foundation logo, featuring the signature of Robert E. HowardThe REH Foundation has announced the winners of the 2026 Robert E. Howard Awards, voted on by members of the REH Foundation and honoring work that is “substantively devoted to the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard” or that “carries on the spirit and tradition of Robert E. Howard, to better recognize and celebrate his influence on future generations of writers.”

The Costigan—Literary Achievement
  • WINNER: Old Gods and Other Tales, Scott Oden (self-published)
  • Conan: Comrades, Brian D. Anderson (Titan)
  • Conan: The Amulet of Nakamar, Brendan Deneen (Titan)
  • Kull: The Talons of Deep Time, Francesco Dimitri (Titan)
  • Solomon Kane: The Lair of the Mari Lwyd, Shaun Hamill (Titan)
  • Barnaby’s Luck, Al Onia (Cursed Dragon Ship)
  • “This Light of Mine”, Steven Shrewsbury (Black Diadem Fall/Winter ’25/’26)
  • “Jirel Meets Death”, Molly Tanzer (New Edge Sword & Sorcery Magazine #5)
  • Weird Trails, C.P. Webster (Bizarchives)

The Atlantean—Outstanding Achievement, Nonfiction Book

  • WINNER: Robert E. Howard: The Life and Times of a Texas Author, Willard M. Oliver (University of North Texas Press)

The Valusian—Outstanding Achievement, Nonfiction Anthology/Collection

  • WINNER: The Solomon Kane Companion: An Informal Guide to Robert E. Howard’s Dark Avenger, Fred Blosser (Pulp Hero)
  • Windy City Pulp Stories #24, Tom Roberts, ed. (3/25)

The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay

  • WINNER: “Shadows of the Serpent: Howard, Kull and the Birth of Sword and Sorcery”, Jeff Shanks (Scourge of the Serpent #1-4)
  • “Dove cavalcano le sierene: La Poesia di R. H Howard”, Mariano D’Anza (Zothique 8/25)
  • “Relectura de Conan el Bárbaro desde las coordenadas de la era postheroica”, Alfonso Freire-Sánchez (Barataria 2025)
  • “On REH, Conan, and Weird Tales”, Naomi Kanakia (self-published)
  • “‘The Ultimate Barbarian’: Robert E. Howard, Frank Frazetta, and the Pulp Fantasy of Prehistory”, Ryan Linkof (New Worlds, Old Worlds, Lost Worlds: Picturing Prehistory in American Culture)
  • “Conquest Comics Press (An Insider’s View)”, Rick McCollum (Spraguedecampfan)
  • “Robert E. Howard, Grettir the Outlaw, and the origins of two-fisted Weird Fiction”, Eric Williams (Adam’s Notes)

The Venarium—Emerging Scholar

  • WINNER: The Conan Chronology YouTube channel, Dan Yergert
  • Might Makes Right: The Colonial Underpinnings of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Teemu Tarkkala (University of Helsinki)

The Black Lotus—Outstanding Achievement, Web-Based

  • WINNER: The World of Robert E. Howard website, Ståle Gismervik
  • “Robert E. Howard’s Occult Detectives: Kirowan & Conrad” YouTube video, Bob Freeman (Bob Freeman: Occult Detective)
  • Sword & Sorcery Book Club YouTube channel, Lion (Eleazar Tamez)
  • “The Most Accurate Comic Adaptations list of EVERY Robert E Howard’s Conan Story – Battle Royale 25!” YouTube video, Robert MacFarlane (Tennessee Fats)
  • Stygian Dogs YouTube channel, Evan Todd
  • “The Robert E. Howard Show” YouTube series, Michael K. Vaughan
  • The Conan Chronology YouTube channel, Dan Yergert

The Rankin—Artistic Achievement

  • WINNER: Pete Pantazis, Tyler Smith, Richard Starkings & Patrick Zircher for Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring (Titan)
  • João Canola, Roberto De La Torre, Ivan Gil, Tyler Smith, Richard Starkings & Jim Zub for Conan: Scourge of the Serpent (Titan Comics)
  • Roberto De La Torre & Roy Thomas for “Mark of the Beast” (The Savage Sword of Conan #7)
  • Alex Horley, Tyler Smith, Richard Starkings & Jim Zub for “The Nomad” (Conan the Barbarian #25)
  • Valentin Sécher for Conan Illustrated: The Tower of the Elephant (Titan Comics)
  • Liam Sharp for “Tattered Wings” (The Savage Sword of Conan #11)

The Black River—Special Achievement

  • WINNER: Ståle Gismervik for creating and running the Robert E. Howard Foundation website, formatting and establishing the REHF Press Ultimate Edition books

The Crom

  • WINNER: Lee Breakiron

The Black Circle—Special Achievement

  • WINNER: Marcelo Anciano
  • Chris Gruber
  • Fred Malmberg
  • Donald A. Wollheim

For more information, visit the REH Foundation website.

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