The 2021 Sir Julius Vogel Award finalists have been announced. The awards recognize excellence in science fiction, fantasy, or horror works created by New Zealanders and New Zealand residents.

Best Novel

• Gad’s Army by Drew Bryenton (Sci Fi Cafe)
• The Stone Weta by Octavia Cade (Paper Road Press)
• Transference by B.T. Keaton (Ingleside Avenue Press)
• The Court of Mortals by A.J. Lancaster (Camberion Press)
• Blood of the Sun by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray (Raw Dog Screaming Press)

Gad’s Army by Drew Bryenton

The Stone Weta by Octavia Cade, art by Emma Weakley

Transference by B.T. Keaton, art by Damon Za

Blood of the Sun by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, art by Daniele Serra

The Court of Mortals by A.J. Lancaster, art by Jennifer Zemanek

Best Youth Novel

• Earthcore Book 4: HIgh Tide by Grace Bridges (Splashdown Books)
• These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
• Golden City by S.R. Manssen (Manssen Publishing House)
• Follow Me In by Terri Sinclair
• Brasswitch and Bot by Gareth Ward (Walker Books Australia)

Best Novella/Novelette

• “Hexes and Vexes” by Nova Blake (Witchy Fiction NZ)
• “How to Get a Girlfriend (When you’re a Terrifying Monster)” by Marie Cardno
• “No Man’s Land” by A.J. Fitzwater (Paper Road Press)
• “Marbles” by Sean Monaghan (Asimov’s Science Fiction, July/August 2020)
• “Riverwitch” by Rem Wigmore

Best Short Story

• “Salt Water, Rose Red”, E. Celeste (Dually Noted F(r)iction Log)
• “Synaesthete” by Melanie Harding-Shaw (Things in the Well)
• “For Want of Human Parts” by Casey Lucas (Diabolical Plots)
• “The Good Wife” by Lee Murray (Weird Tales, issue 364)
• “Arachne’s Web” by James Rowland (Aurealis issue #132)

Best Collected Work

• The Voyages of Cinrak the Dapper by A.J. Fitzwater (Queen of Swords Press)
• Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction & Fantasy Volume 2 edited by Marie Hodgkinson (Paper Road Press)
• Ghost Bus – Tales from Wellington’s Dark Side by Anna Kirtlan
• The Better Sister and Other Stories by Piper Mejia (Breach)
• Grotesque: Monster Stories by Lee Murray (Things in the Well)

Best Professional Artwork

• Cover art by Laya Rose for No Man’s Land by A.J. Fitzwater (Paper Road Press)
• Cover art by Laya Rose for Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy Volume 2 edited by Marie Hodgkinson (Paper Road Press)
• Cover art by Vivienne To for The Chaos Curse by Sayantani DasGupta (Scholastic)
• Cover art by Emma Weakley for The Stone Weta by Octavia Cade (Paper Road Press)

No Man’s Land by A.J. Fitzwater, art by Laya Rose Mutton-Rogers

Year’s Best Aotearoa New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy: Volume II edited by Marie Hodgkinson, art by Laya Rose Mutton-Rogers

The Chaos Curse by Sayantani DasGupta, art by Vivienne To

The Stone Weta by Octavia Cade, art by Emma Weakley

Best Professional Production/Publication

• This is Not the End by Deanna Gunn, chapters 1.5-2.10
• Masterpiece (Or Artful Dodgers) by Michelle Kan
• Fantastical Worlds and Futures at the World’s Edge: A History of New Zealand Science Fiction and Fantasy by Simon Litten and Sean McMullen
• “How New Zealand’s Best Fantasy and Science Fiction Authors got Shafted on a Global Stage” by Casey Lucas (The Spinoff)
• Wonderland Nights: White Rabbit’s Diary by Sky Bear Games (Steam)
• “Aotearoa is Not Middle Earth” by Alexander Stronach (The Spinoff)

Best Fan Artwork

• Ministry for Public Art fan art by Shaun Garea (Estrata Productions)
• Oriental Bay Piranhas by Shaun Garea (Estrata Productions)
• Destiny & dead people tea by Michelle Kan
• Faerie Ring (critical role) by Michelle Kan
• Blue and Red (This is How You Lose the Time War) by Laya Rose
• Gyre from The Luminous Dead, by Laya Rose

Best Fan Production/Publication

• Codex by Stephen Brough (Lost Arcana)
• FIYAHCON Guest of Honour Speech by Cassie Hart
• Mollymauk Tealeaf – Court of Jesters (showcase) by Michelle Kan
• Phoenixine edited by John and Jo Toon
• “Dramatic Chairing of the 2020 WSFS Business Meeting” by Darusha Wehm
• CoNZealand Souvenir Book created by Darusha Wehm and Amber Carter

Best Fan Writing

• “Alone Together at the Edge of the World” by Andi C. Buchanan (CoNZealand Souvenir Book)
• “Queer Speculative Aotearoa New Zealand” by A.J. Fitzwater (LGBTQ Reads)
• “Review of Hello Strange, by Dylan Howell” (My Opinion on Books)
• “SITREP” by Alex Lindsay (Phoenixine)
• “What If” by Kyra Saywell (Poetry Box)
• “An exploration of menstruation in horror and dark fiction” by Tabatha Wood (horrortree.com)

New Talent

• Chloe Gong
• Deanna Gunn
• Kate Haley
• B.T. Keaton
• A.J. Lancaster
• Deborah Makarios

Services to Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror

• Lee Murray
• Cassie Hart

Services to Fandom

• Nigel Rowe et al
• CoNZealand Crew

The 2021 Long List for the award is at the link.

The Sir Julius Vogel Awards are administered by SFFANZ, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand Inc. The awards ceremony will be announced by the end of May.