On May 2 the Australasian Horror Writers Association announced the shortlists for the Australian Shadows Awards 2018.

The juried award is given in seven categories for work by an Australasian author that has horror/dark fiction content either as a focal point or an integral element of the work, and the intent of the work must be to disturb or inspire fear in the reader. Eligible genres/sub-genres include horror, dark fiction, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction.

The finalists were selected by judging panels from 183 submitted works. Winners will be announced at Continuum 15: Other Worlds.

Best Collected Work

• Bones by Andrew Cull
• The Dalziel Files by Brian Craddock
• Exploring Dark Fiction #2 A Primer to Kaaron Warren, Shadows on the Wall by Steven Paulsen
• Beneath the Ferny Tree by David Schembri

Best Edited Work

• Cthulhu Land of the Long White Cloud & Cthulhu Deep Down Under Volume II – eds. Steve Proposch, Christopher Sequeira, Bryce Stevens
• Hellhole An Anthology of Subterranean Horror – ed. Lee Murray
• Behind the Mask – ed. Steve Dillon

Best Graphic Novel

The judges of the Graphic Novel category unanimously agreed on a winner but no shortlist will provided this year.

Best Novel

• Devouring Dark by Alan Baxter
• Contrition by Deborah Sheldon
• Tide of Stone by Kaaron Warren
• Teeth of the Wolf by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray

Best Poetry

• Your Mortician Knows by Bee Nielsen
• Matinee by Hester J. Rock
• Polarity by Jay Caselberg
• Revenants of the Antipodes by Kyla Lee Ward
• The Middle of the Night by Rebecca Fraser.

The Rocky Wood Award for Non-Fiction and Criticism

Several of the non-fiction entries received were excellent short form pieces, with great writing, quality research, and bravery shown in addressing the various subject matter. The judges felt that none were of sufficient depth or length to qualify for the Rocky Wood Award.

Short Fiction

• Planned and Expected by Piper Mejia
• Slither by Jason Nahrung
• The Ward of Tindalos by Debbie & Matt Cowens
• The House of jack’s Girls by Lee Battersby
• Riptide by Dan Rabarts.

The Paul Haines Award for Long Fiction

• Time and Tide by Robert Hood
• Love Thee Better by Kaaron Warren
• The Black Sea by Chris Mason
• Thylacines by Deborah Sheldon

[Via Locus Online.]