2021 Ignyte Awards Shortlist

The 2021 Ignyte Awards shortlist was announced by the FIYAHCON 2021 committee on April 22.

The awards “seek to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the current and future landscapes of science fiction, fantasy, and horror by recognizing incredible feats in storytelling and outstanding efforts toward inclusivity of the genre.”

The short list is selected by the Ignyte Awards Committee, 15 BIPOC+ voters made up of FIYAHCON staff and previous award winners, of varying genders, sexualities, cultures, disabilities, and locations throughout the world. They were not permitted to nominate their own works or works of which they were a part. The Committee was not limited to selections authored or otherwise created by BIPOC.

Voting is now open to the public through May 21st at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Public voting on the shortlist does not permit write-in nominations. Click here to vote.

This year’s awards ceremony takes place on September 18 during FIYAHCON 2021 and will be hosted by Ashia Monet.

BEST NOVEL – ADULT

for novel-length (40k+ words) works intended for the adult audience

  • Black Sun – Rebecca Roanhorse (Gallery Books/Saga Press)
  • The City We Became – N. K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  • Midnight Bargain – C. L. Polk (Erewhon Books)
  • The Only Good Indians – Stephen Graham Jones (Gallery Books/Saga Press)
  • Vagabonds – Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (Gallery Books/Saga Press)

BEST NOVEL – YA

for novel-length (40k+ words) works intended for the young adult audience

  • Elatsoe – Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
  • Legendborn – Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
  • Raybearer – Jordan Ifueko (Amulet Books)
  • A Song Below Water – Bethany Morrow (Tor Teen)
  • A Sky Beyond the Storm – Sabaa Tahir (Razorbill)

BEST IN MG

for works intended for the middle grade audience

  • Frightville: Curse of the Wish Eater – Mike Ford (Scholastic Paperbacks)
  • Ghost Squad – Claribel A. Ortega (Scholastic)
  • Maya and the Rising Dark – Rena Barron (HMH Books for Young Readers)
  • Race to the Sun – Rebecca Roanhorse (Read Riordan/Disney Publishing Worldwide)
  • A Wish in the Dark – Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick Press)

BEST NOVELLA

for speculative works ranging from 17,500-39,999 words

  • Empress of Salt and Fortune – Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
  • The Four Profound Weaves – R. B. Lemberg (Tachyon Publications)
  • Ring Shout – P. Djèli Clark (Tordotcom)
  • Riot Baby – Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom)
  • Stone & Steel – Eboni J. Dunbar (Neon Hemlock)

BEST NOVELETTE

for speculative works ranging from 7,500-17,499 words

  • The Inaccessibility of Heaven – Aliette de Bodard (Uncanny Magazine)
  • Love Hangover – Sheree Renée Thomas (Mocha Memoirs Press)
  • The Night Sun – Zin E. Rocklyn (Tordotcom)
  • One Hand in the Coffin – Justin C. Key (Strange Horizons)
  • The Transition of Osoosi – Ozzie M. Gartrell (FIYAH)

BEST SHORT STORY

for speculative works ranging from 2,000-7,499 words

  • “Body, Remember” – Nicasio Andres Reed (Fireside Magazine)
  • “EXPRESS TO BEIJING WEST RAILWAY STATION” – Congyun ‘Mu Ming’ Gu, translated by Kiera Johnson (Samovar)
  • “My Country is a Ghost” – Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny Magazine)
  • “Rat and Finch are Friends” – Innocent Chazaram Ilo (Strange Horizons)
  • “You Perfect, Broken Thing” – C. L. Clark (Uncanny Magazine)

BEST IN SPECULATIVE POETRY

  • “The Alt-History of King Kong” – Renoir Gaither (Speculative City)
  • “Fin – Terese Mason Pierre” (Uncanny Magazine)
  • “The Harrowing Desgarrador” – Gabriel Ascencio Morales (Strange Horizons)
  • “Hungry Ghost” – Millie Ho (Uncanny Magazine)
  • “Tequila Mockingbird” | Matar un Ruiseñor – Raúl Gallardo Flores, translated by Juan Martinez (Strange Horizons)

 CRITICS AWARD

for reviews and analysis of the field of speculative literature

BEST FICTION PODCAST

for excellence in audio performance and production for speculative fiction

  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies – Editor Scott H. Andrews
  • Escape Pod – Editors Mur Lafferty and S.B. Divya; Assistant Editor Benjamin C. Kinney; Hosts Tina Connolly and Alasdair Stuart, Audio Producers Summer Brooks and Adam Pracht, and the entire Escape Pod team
  • Nightlight Podcast – Tonia Ransom
  • PodCastle – Editors Jen R. Albert, Cherae Clark, Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali, Host + Assistant Editor Setsu Uzume, & Audio Producer Peter Adrian Behravesh
  • The Magnus Archives – Written and performed by Jonathan Sims, Directed by Alexander J Newall, Produced by Lowri Ann Davies. Distributed by Rusty Quill

BEST ARTIST

for contributions in visual speculative storytelling

BEST COMICS TEAM

for comics, graphic novels, and sequential storytelling

  • Cuisine Chinoise: Five Tales of Food and Life – Zao Dao, with Diana Schutz & Brandon Kandor (Dark Horse Comics)
  • Far Sector – N. K. Jemisin & Jamal Campbell (DC Comics)
  • Giga – Alex Paknadel & John Lê (Vault Comics)
  • Parable of the Sower – Written by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)
  • You Brought Me the Ocean – Alex Sanchez & Jul Maroh (DC Comics)

BEST ANTHOLOGY/COLLECTED WORKS

  • A Phoenix First Must Burn – ed. Patrice Caldwell (Viking Books for Young Readers)
  • Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of a World that Wouldn’t Die – editor, publisher dave ring (Neon Hemlock)
  • Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction – ed. Joshua Whitehead (Arsenal Pulp Press)
  • Nine Bar Blues – Sheree Renée Thomas (Third Man Books)
  • Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with a Fresh Bite – ed. Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker (Imprint)

BEST IN CREATIVE NONFICTION

for works related to the field of speculative fiction

THE EMBER AWARD

for unsung contributions to genre

  • Clarion West
  • Dhonielle Clayton
  • K. Tempest Bradford
  • Michi Trota
  • Tananarive Due

THE COMMUNITY AWARD

for Outstanding Efforts in Service of Inclusion and Equitable Practice in Genre

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