Detcon1, the 2014 NASFiC, host of the presentation of this year’s Golden Duck Awards, a juried award for children’s and young adult science fiction, has created two member’s choice awards to accompany them called the Detcon1 Awards for Young Adult and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction.

Nominations for the members’ choice awards are now being taken. Eligible are any book-length young adult or children’s science fiction or fantasy books first published in calendar year 2013. Works published in a language other than English are also eligible if their first year of publication in English was 2013.

Anyone may nominate. Just one nomination form will be accepted per person. A nomination form with full instructions is available at http://www.detcon1.org/award/. Nominations can be made using a printed ballot, or electronically after creating a user account at detcon1.org. All nominations are due by February 28.

The finalists in each category will be announced in early April. The winners will be selected by a vote of members of Detcon1. Voting information will be sent to Detcon1 members directly. Memberships can be purchased at http://detcon1.org/involved/registration/

All the awards will be given at a joint ceremony.

Detcon1 chairperson Tammy Coxen says, “We created these awards to recognize the growing interest in and demand for young adult speculative fiction. Capturing young readers is crucial to the long-term outlook of the science fiction and fantasy field as a whole.”

Helen Gbala and Doug Drummond of Super-Con-Duck-Tivity and the Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction say “We are always happy to cooperate with all groups that promote children’s literacy and literature.”

Super-Con-Duck-Tivity has been presenting the Golden Duck Awards since 1992 to recognize excellence in the field of Children’s Science Fiction. More information can be found at http://www.goldenduck.org/.

Funding for the Detcon1 Awards and related Young Adult programming was provided by Chicon 7, the 2012 World Science Fiction Convention.

The full press release follows the jump.

[Via Andrew Porter.]

Press Release #3 – Detcon1 Announces the Detcon1 Awards for Young Adult and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2014

Detroit, MI – Detcon1, the 2014 North American Science Fiction Convention, is delighted to announce that nominations are now open for the newly created Detcon1 Awards for Young Adult and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction.

Detcon1 is proud to host the presentation of the 2014 Golden Duck Awards, an annual juried award for children’s and young adult science fiction given by Super-Con-Duck-Tivity. To accompany the juried award, Detcon1 is creating two Member’s Choice awards to be presented with the Golden Ducks in a joint ceremony.

Detcon1 chairperson Tammy Coxen says, “We created these awards to recognize the growing interest in and demand for young adult speculative fiction.  Capturing young readers is crucial to the long-term outlook of the science fiction and fantasy field as a whole.”

Nominations for the Detcon1 Awards for Young Adult and Middle Grade Speculative Fiction are open to the general public, and are being accepted for any book-length young adult or children’s science fiction or fantasy books first published in calendar year 2013.  Works published in a language other than English are also eligible if their first year of publication in English was 2013.

Each nominating person may submit a single form with up to five nominated works.  The nomination form and full instructions are available at http://www.detcon1.org/award/  Nominations must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 28, 2014.

A short list of finalists for each category will be released by the Award Administrator, and voting will begin in early April 2014.  Only members of Detcon1, supporting or attending, will be eligible to vote.  Further information on voting will be sent to Detcon1 members directly.  Those interested in purchasing a supporting or attending membership to Detcon1 can do so at http://detcon1.org/involved/registration/

Helen Gbala and Doug Drummond of Super-Con-Duck-Tivity and the Golden Duck Awards for Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction say “We are always happy to cooperate with all groups that promote children’s literacy and literature.”

Since 1992, Super-Con-Duck-Tivity has been presenting the Golden Duck Awards to recognize excellence in the field of Children’s Science Fiction.  Each year, Super-Con-Duck-Tivity grants an award for best Picture Book, the Eleanor Cameron Award for Best Middle School Novel, and the Hal Clement Award for Young Adult Novel for this honor.  The winners are announced at DucKon, a Chicago-area convention run by Super-Con-Duck-Tivity, with the awards presented annually at either Worldcon or NASFiC. Past winners of the Golden Duck Awards include Jack Prelutsky, Suzanne Collins, Cory Doctorow, M.T. Anderson, Eoin Colfer, and Garth Nix. More information can be found at http://www.goldenduck.org/.

Funding for the Detcon1 Awards and related Young Adult programming was provided by Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Chicago, IL.

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PRESS INFORMATION FOR DETCON1

Direct press queries or requests to be removed from the Detcon 1 Press Release Mailing List should be sent to [email protected]

Inquiries regarding the nomination or voting process, or about the Detcon1 Awards can be directed to the Award Administrator, Maggi Idzikowski, [email protected].

ABOUT DETCON1

Detcon1 is being held July 17 through 20, 2014, at the Renaissance Center Marriott in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

The North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC), is held in years when the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) is held outside of North America.  Worldcon, an international gathering of the science fiction and fantasy community, is being held in London, England in August 2014.

Memberships for Detcon1 can be purchased at http://www.detcon1.org/

For more details on Detcon1, visit http://www.detcon1.org/

“World Science Fiction Society,” “WSFS,” “World Science Fiction Convention,” “Worldcon,” “NASFiC,” “Hugo Award,” the Hugo Award Logo, and the distinctive design of the Hugo Award Trophy Rocket are service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society.