2018 Chesley Awards


The Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Artists presented the 33rd annual ASFA awards, the Chesleys, at Worldcon 76 in San Jose on August 17.

Note that each category has a link to an album with images of the finalists.

Best Cover Illustration – Hardback Book

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/dLNApxEe8czyUsoeA

  • Marc Simonetti The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, Grim Oak Press, August 2017

Best Cover Illustration – Paperback Book or Ebook

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/MThpAouoVebnSZ3V2

  • Jaime Jones The Tiger’s Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera, Tor, October 2017

Best Magazine Illustration

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2jF2th7EMhaC2PGb9

  • Ingrid Kallick Cricket Magazine January 2017

Best Interior Illustration

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JEWYafv1NidMuNcj9

  • Gregory Manchess Above the Timberline by Gregory Manchess Saga Press, October 2017

Best Gaming Related Illustration

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/o6sjoSdFjZFJjJSG8

  • Melissa Gay Offering Sagaborn RPG Core Rule Book Lone Wanderer Entertainment August 2017

Best Product Illustration

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zif6qgngtQkyNjB02

  • Annie Stegg Gerard Stormy Serenade, DragonCon Tshirt art 2017

Best Color Work – Unpublished

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/geXR3MLbGco6VQa89

  • Charles Urbach Not All Treasure is Gold Colored Pencil

Best Monochrome – Unpublished

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XEWnQPNhy3ivGe1e7

  • Ruth Sanderson “Dragon Drum” Ink

Best Three Dimensional Art

Album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BWFvrV6pBwPxvOuf1

  • Forest Rogers “Octopoid Descending” Kato polyclay

Best Art Director

  • Neil Clarke Clarkesworld

Lifetime Achievement

  • Alan Lee

The Chesley Awards were established in 1985 as ASFA’s peer awards to recognize individual works and achievements not otherwise recognized by the Hugo Awards, during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later renamed to honor famed astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell after his death in 1986. The awards are usually presented annually at the World Science Fiction Convention or at the North American Science Fiction Convention when the Worldcon is held outside of North America.

The Chesleys have long been internationally acclaimed as the most prestigious awards in the field of fantastic arts. These awards are nominated and decided upon by the members of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists.

[Thanks to Sara Felix for the story.]

4 thoughts on “2018 Chesley Awards

  1. I have serious disagreements with both of the book categories. For hardcover, I would have voted both “The Assassin’s Price” and “Retrograde” ahead of the winner*; for paperback / e-book, the Julie Dillon piece is IMO head and shoulders above everything else in the category. But that’s a matter of personal taste, and beyond that I either agree with or have no argument against anything that won.

    Alan Lee’s Lifetime Achievement Award is kinda “Wait, he didn’t have that already?” 🙂

    * And part of the reason for that is that, like the book itself, it’s so screamingly derivative. Maybe the artist chose to do that to play up the pastiche quality of the book, but I’d still rather look at real Howe/Lee art than something imitating it.

  2. Very nice — my Pinterest Art board just got a bunch of new pins! Would love to get a print of Charles Urbach’s “Not All Treasure is Gold.”

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