Category Archives: Awards

Mokkil Wins SLF’s 2024 AC Bose Grant

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Vineetha Mokkil

Vineetha Mokkil is the winner of the Speculative Literature Foundation’s 2024 A.C. Bose Grant.

Mokkil’s winning piece is called “No One Has To Know and Other Stories.” She is the author of the short story collection, A Happy Place and Other Stories (HarperCollins). Her new collection, Lawrence of Arabia and Other Stories, is forthcoming from Hawakal Publishers. Her work has appeared in the anthologies The Best Asian Short Stories 2018 (Kitaab, Singapore), The Punch Magazine Anthology of New Writing (Niyogi Books, New Delhi), and Things Left and Found at the Side of the Road (Ad Hoc Fiction, UK). She is currently based in New Delhi, India.

Her stories have been published in the Santa Fe Writers’ Project Journal, Quarterly Literary Review Singapore, Fictive Dream, Barren magazine, The Bombay Review, and Asian Cha, among other journals. Poems translated by her from Malayalam to English have been published in Indian Love Poems (ed. Meena Alexander, Everyman’s Library, USA). The flash fiction collection, Lightning Strikes: An Anthology of Flash Fiction by Fifty Indian Writers (Dhauli Books), edited and introduced by her, was published in 2024. Mokkil was nominated for Best Small Fictions 2019 and shortlisted for the Bath Flash Fiction Award. Her journalistic writing has appeared in The Hindu, Outlook, The Times of India, Open, and Asian Review of Books.

In 2019, the Speculative Literature Foundation and DesiLit co-sponsored the A.C. Bose Grant in memory of Ashim Chandra Bose, a lover of books—especially science fiction and fantasy. Bose’s children, Rupa Bose and Gautam Bose, founded the grant to honor the legacy of the worlds their father opened up for them. The donors hope that this grant will help develop work that will let young people imagine different worlds and possibilities. The A.C. Bose Grant annually provides $1,000 to South Asian or Desi diaspora writers developing speculative fiction. Visit speculativeliterature.org/grants for more information.

Launched in January 2004 to promote literary quality in speculative fiction, the Speculative Literature Foundation addresses historical inequities in access to literary opportunities for marginalized writers. The SLF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, entirely supported by community donations. For more information, visit speculativeliterature.org.

The Speculative Literature Foundation is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, Village of Oak Park, Illinois Arts Council Agency, National Endowment for the Arts and Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation.

[Based on a press release.]

Second Annual Brave New Weird Winners

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It’s an award, says Brave New Weird anthology editor Alex Woodroe, avoiding any “Is it a breath mint? No, it’s a candy mint!” arguments. Tenebrous Press announced the winners of the second annual Brave New Weird Award on April 9, chosen from over a thousand submissions. They constitute the table of contents of Brave New Weird: The Best New Weird Horror vo. 2 which will be shipped in June.

BRAVE NEW WEIRD VOLUME TWO TABLE OF CONTENTS

  • Amitha Jagannath Knight – My Mother, The Exoskeleton
  • Anemone Moss – Everything You Dump Here Ends Up in the Ocean
  • Chris Kuriata – Family Not Going To Heaven
  • Daniel DeRock – Guest Opinion: We must take action regarding the [REDACTED] High School janitor
  • David Simmons – Food is Poison
  • Eirik Gumeny – A Balanced Breakfast
  • Elena Sichrovsky – Embryo
  • Geneve Flynn – A Box of Hair and Nail
  • Hussani Abdulrahim – The Library Virus
  • Ivan Zoric – Our Roots Will Dry Out in the End
  • Judith Shadford – Endless Yearning
  • Karlo Yeager Rodríguez – Up In the Hills, She Dreams of Her Daughter Deep In the Ground
  • KS Walker – River Bargain Baby
  • LC von Hessen – Transmasc of the Red Death
  • M.M. Olivas – The Prince of Oakland
  • Michael Bettendorf – As the Music Plays Groovy
  • Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas – Lullaby for the Unseen
  • Patrick Malka – Show Me
  • Perfect Kiss Strickoll – punctum (o baked alaska for you i am a former american)
  • Premee Mohamed – Quietus
  • Rachael K. Jones – The Sound of Children Screaming
  • Simone le Roux – The Man Outside
  • Thomas Ha – In That Crumbling Home

In addition to the Table of Contents, Brave New Weird has also honored a few notable individuals for their contributions to the New Weird spectrum:

BRAVEST, NEWEST, WEIRDEST IN SHORT FICTION:

And what is New Weird Horror? Tenebrous Press says:

We define New Weird Horror as a Horror subgenre focused on progress, creatively capturing themes and questions that bleed into fiction straight from the modern reader’s life and future. It acts as a challenge to break new ground in terms of form and content and to engage with the unknown. Beyond that, New Weird Horror will be defined by the winning pieces themselves.

Laurent Wins 2024 Prix Jeunesse des Univers Parallèles

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Author Magali Laurent has won the Prix Jeunesse Des Univers Parallèles 2024 (Youth Prize for Parallel Universes) for her novel Fièvre bleue.

The announcement took place April 10 at the International Book Fair in Québec after a meeting between the three finalist authors and high school students who have read the nominated works during the past academic year.

The other finalists were Le monde paranormal d’Odile by Ariane Charlan, and Équinoxe d’automne (La sorcière d’hiver, #1) by Gabrielle Dubé

A $2,000 scholarship is awarded to the winner – this is the second time Laurent has won.

The prize was created to raise a taste for reading among lower secondary school students and to introduce them, through a school activity, to the literature of science fiction and fantasy.

[Based on a press release.]

The 2024 Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival Award Winners

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The Philip K. Dick Science Fiction Film Festival has announced the award winners for its eleventh annual event, which presented films, panels, screenplay and graphic novel competitions, and virtual reality demonstrations. Screenings were held from April 4-7 in Queens and Manhattan. 

Exploring the influence of novelist Philip K. Dick and the sci-fi community, the event recognized 20 official selections for outstanding filmmaking and storytelling. 

The award winners follow the jump.

Continue reading →

Self-Published Science Fiction Competition 3 Finalists

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The third annual Self-Published Science Fiction Competition’s 6 finalists were announced on April 10.

  • Kenai by Dave Dobson
  • Three Grams of Elsewhere by Andy Giesler
  • Thrill Switch by Tim Hawken
  • Children of the Black (Book 1) by W J Long III
  • Gold Record: Memoirs of a Synth by Leigh Saunders
  • Dark Theory by Wick Welker

The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, created by Hugh Howey and Duncan Swan, is modeled after Mark Lawrence’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, and has his blessing. The contest started with 300 novels and ten teams of book bloggers who read and scored the books through several elimination rounds.

In the final round the top seven books will be read by all the judges. The teams’ scores for each finalist and links to their reviews will be posted at the SPSFC website. The winner is due to be announced in July.

The Tolkien Society Awards 2024 Shortlist Announced

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The Trustees of The Tolkien Society have released the shortlist for The Tolkien Society Awards 2024. Members of the Society have until April 12 to cast their votes.

The shortlist for the Awards is:

BEST ARTWORK

BEST ARTICLE

BEST BOOK

  • Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many, Thomas P. Hillman
  • The Battle of Maldon, ed. Peter Grybauskas
  • The Letters of JRR Tolkien: Revised and Expanded edition, eds. Humphrey Carpenter and Christopher Tolkien

BEST ONLINE CONTENT

OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION AWARD

The recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award 2024 has been selected by the Trustees and will be announced in due course.

Canadian SF&F Association Hall of Fame 2024 Nominees

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CSFFA Hall of Fame trophy.

The 2024 nominees for The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association Hall of Fame have been posted. (Click the links to read a statement about each candidate.)

The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association Hall of Fame honors people who have over the past number of decades made a great contribution to the genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy. These include people who have made a contribution either professionally or as a fan, as writers, artists, musicians, scientists, publishers, editors, and organizers. Each year three people are selected for the Hall of Fame and have their name added to the Hall of Fame trophy.

See the roll of past CSFFA Hall of Fame Inductees at the link.

Indigenous Literacy Foundation Receives 2024 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

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For its innovative work with spreading literature to First Nations children in Australia, the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) today received the 2024 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Given annually, it is the largest in the world of its kind. The prestigious award comes with a cash prize of SEK 5 million (EUR 450,000).

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation seeks to increase reading and highlight the value of all people’s own languages and stories. In its reading promotion work, ILF emphasizes the importance of First Nations children seeing themselves, their culture and their language reflected in the books they read.

‘The importance of all people’s own languages and stories is the foundation for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation’s shining work among First Nations peoples in Australia. Their innovative activities, which build on respect, collaboration and sensitivity, are an inspiration for reading promotion work around the world,’ says Boel Westin, chair of the jury for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

The jury’s motivation:

”With curiosity and respect, Indigenous Literacy Foundation works with reading and storytelling among First Nations children in Australia. In close collaboration with Communities, they highlight the value of all people’s own languages and stories. By spreading books and stimulating reading, storytelling and creativity, Indigenous Literacy Foundation builds the desire to read and fosters pride, self-confidence and a sense of belonging. Every child has the right to their language and their stories.”

About the Indigenous Literacy Foundation

The Indigenous Literacy Foundation was formed in 2011 to encourage reading and promote literacy by securing access to good literature for First Nations children of Australia. ILF’s reading promotion work is based on collaboration with and commitment from local Communities. Through various programs they offer book packs to children and families in First Nations Communities around Australia and on the Torres Strait Islands, translate books, organize reading out loud activities, and support the publication of children’s books that have been created in Communities. Today, ILF works in 427 First Nations Communities all over the Australian continent.

ILF emphasizes the importance of First Nations children finding themselves, their culture and their languages reflected in the books they read. With trust and respect for each Community and its unique conditions, traditions and wishes, and in cooperation with Community residents, ILF promotes reading for pleasure, education, the creation of new stories and the preservation of language. ILF’s innovative, creative work is an inspiration – not only for reading promotion among First Nations peoples, but also for work with children in other social groups whose stories, languages and experiences are not recognized by the majority society.

ILF is the fourth reading promotion group to receive the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, after Banco del Libro (2007), the Tamer Institute (2009) and PRAESA (2015), and the third Laureate from Australia, after Sonya Hartnett (2008) and Shaun Tan (2011).

[Based on a press release.]

2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award Winners

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The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) has named Heinz Janisch from Austria and Sydney Smith from Canada as winners of the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Awards.

Given every other year by IBBY, the awards recognize lifelong achievement and are presented to an author and an illustrator whose complete works have made an important, lasting contribution to children’s literature.

The criteria used to assess the nominations included “the aesthetic and literary quality as well as the freshness and innovation of each nominee’s work; the ability to see the child’s point of view and to stretch their curiosity; and the continuing relevance of the work to children and young people.” The Award is based on the entire body of work.

The Author’s Award has been given since 1956, and the Illustrator’s Award since 1966. The winners each receive a gold medal and a diploma.

2024 AUTHOR WINNER HEINZ JANISCH

Heinz Janisch maintains that “nothing is too small for literature”. He was born in 1960 in Burgenland not far from the Hungarian border and now lives in Vienna. According to the Jury, Janisch is a master of the short-form story that leaves room for the readers’ imagination. Although many of his works are humorous, even sometimes absurd, he has a philosophical element to his writing that often makes his books profound. His simple texts are meaningful, and the saying “less is more” can be applied to the 2024 author winner. His writing is universal, and it appeals to children and young people everywhere. Additionally, his contribution to literature is enormous, not only through his writing, but also by his many readings, workshops on literary and creative writing for children and adults, including creative workshops for disabled young artists. Janisch’s writing is nuanced with many layers, which makes it universal, as well as uplifting.

2024 ILLUSTRATOR WINNER SYDNEY SMITH

Sydney Smith said in an interview with Prof. Deirdre Baker in April 2022, “listening … is more in line with how I approach stories” when he is illustrating the texts of others and as well as illustrating his own stories. Smith was born in 1980 in rural Nova Scotia and has now returned to the province with his family after living for several years in Toronto. The jury noted that Smith’s work is like a visual narrative or a short musical memory, which echoes his statement that listening is how he approaches stories. He uses seemingly simple techniques to tell the story—really a result of intense practice. His modest but authentic characters are sympathetic as well as gentle. He uses colour to introduce nature, smells and drama to each book. The saying “less is more” can also be applied to every one of his works as he strips away the superfluous to express emotions. Smith is a truly universal artist.

[Based on a press release.]

15th Annual Xingyun Awards for Chinese Science Fiction Finalists

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The finalists for the 15th annual Xingyun Awards for Chinese science fiction have been announced by the World Chinese Science Fiction Association. Winners will be revealed at a ceremony to be held in Chengdu, Sichuan, China on May 18, 2024.

BEST NOVEL 2023

  • Gods of the Earth: Return of the Dead, by Fenxing Chengzi (Shenzhen Publishing House; Science and Fantasy Growth Foundation)
  • The City in the Well, by Liu Yang (People’s Literature Publishing House)
  • Cosmo Wings, by Jiang Bo (People’s Literature Publishing House; 8-Light Minutes Culture)
  • The Age of God Making, by Yan Xi (Sichuan University Press; Science Fiction World)

BEST NOVELLA 2023

  • “The Fleeting Gravity of Words”, by Zhou Wen (Visiting the Stars: Chinese Stories of Flying to the Outer Space)
  • “The Solar System on Set: The Teahouse at the End of the Universe”, by Shuang Chimu (Shanghai Literature, No. 4 2023)
  • “Our Martians”, by Bao Shu (Visiting the Stars: Chinese Stories of Flying to the Outer Space)
  • “The Salt Bridge”, by Liang Ling (Lighting up Mars: Collection of Winning Stories from the 6th Lenghu Awards)

BEST SHORT STORY 2023

  • “Lake Breezes that Brush Over the Palace of Moon”, by Wanxiang Fengnian (Visiting the Stars: Chinese Stories of Flying to the Outer Space)
  • “A Window with a View”, by Bao Shu (Non-Exist SF, January 24 2023)
  • “Let the White Deer Roam”, by Cheng Jingbo (Science Fiction World, November 2023)
  • “City of Choice”, by Gu Shi (Beijing Literature, July 2023)

BEST TRANSLATED WORK 2023

  • Babel, by R.F. Kuang, translated by Chen Yang (CITIC Press)
  • The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi, translated by Gen Hui (New Star Press)
  • SF Soul: Autobiography of Komatsu Sakyo, by Komatsu Sakyo, translated by Meng Qingshu (Sichuan Science & Technology Press; Science Fiction World)
  • Escape from the Future, by Kobayashi Yasumi, translated by Ding Dingchong (Yilin Press)

BEST NON-FICTION 2023

  • Unlocking the Future: The Urban Imagination in Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction, by Luo Xiaoming (Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House)
  • Gazing at the Stars: My Personal Encounter with Chinese Science Fiction, by Yang Xiao (Sichuan People’s Publishing House; Science Fiction World)
  • “Impressions of Chinese SF Practitioners on Foreign SF Culture: A Brief Analysis of the History of Introducing Foreign SF Culture”, by RiverFlow (Zero-Gravity SF, No. 12)
  • Chinese Science Fiction: An Oral History, Vol.1-Vol.3, edited by Yang Feng (Chengdu Times Publishing House; 8-Light Minutes Culture)

BEST REVIEW 2023

  • “From the Valleys to the Stars: Ursula K. Le Guin’s Speculative Anthropology”, by Jiang Weihe (The Beijing News, September 22 2023)
  • “The Curve of Human Destiny and the Poetics of Humanity: Reading ‘Last and First Men’”, by Shuang Chimu (Imagining Science: Reading SF Literature Classics)
  • “A Specter of the Anthropocene is Haunting: A Review of Mark Bould’s ‘The Anthropocene Unconscious: Climate Catastrophe Culture’”, by Lyu Guangzhao (Science Writing Review, Issue 1 2023)
  • “‘Journey to the West’: An Atypical Segment of the Science Fiction Community”, by Xi Xia (Literature Press Wechat Official Account, April 4 2023)

BEST NEW WRITER 2021-2023

  • Lu Hang*
  • Qi Ran*
  • Wang Cencen*
  • Wang Xiaohai**

(*Finalists in their 3rd year of eligibility, **Finalist in his 1st year of eligibility)

[Thanks to Feng Zhang and the World Chinese Science Fiction Association for the story.]