The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) has announced that the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service Award will be presented to Julia Rios at the 55^th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards.

The Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award recognizes a member of SFWA who best exemplifies the ideal of service to his or her fellow members. O’Donnell won the Service Award in 2005 and other recipients have included Lee Martindale, Bud Sparhawk, Jim Fiscus, and Vonda N. McIntyre. The award will be presented at the SFWA Nebula Conference in Woodland Hills, CA, May 28-31.

Julia Rios has established and overseen the SFWA Mentoring Initiative, an all-volunteer service provided free of charge, which aims to connect emerging writers to each other and to established pros with the objective of providing community, sharing knowledge, and offering networking opportunities. Rios is a writer, editor, podcaster, and narrator who has won the Hugo, Aurealis, and Ditmar Awards. They have cohosted the podcasts The Skiffy and Fanty Show and This is Why We’re Like This.

SFWA President Mary Robinette Kowal has said about Rios, “One of the most effective pieces of outreach and education that SFWA currently has is our mentorship program. Julia Rios’s work to match mentors and mentees has been the backbone of that program. More importantly, they set up robust processes so that the program is not person dependent and has room for growth.”

 [Based on a press release.]