Did you forget about The Sputnik Award? Jo Lindsay Walton’s new award, covered by File 770 in May, promised a winner would be announced before the year is out. And that’s almost what has happened.

Walton reports two finalists have emerged from the Dungeons of Democracy —

• N.K. Jemisin, THE FIFTH SEASON
• Naomi Novik, UPROOTED

“The winner will be announced in a virtual ceremony in the coming months,” he promises. “Keep your eyes flayed.”

Victory depends on an RPG-like tournament in the Dungeons of Democracy, governed by rules like these —

(6) Ballots who have run out of HP flee the Dungeons of Democracy using a Town Hall Portal spell, to await the results.

(7) The process is repeated from (2). If two rounds pass in a row without any damage being inflicted, the award administrator must either:

• introduce a Monster Ballot (see below); and/or
• eliminate the ballot with the lowest number of total HP, even if it’s not yet at zero.

While you’re waiting for the process to play out, entertain yourself by reviewing a list of the illustrious past winners of the Sputnik Award:

While 2016 is the first year that Terrans can vote in the Award, it has been going strong in other parts of the universe for eons. Past winners include:

#TeamHedgehog
Robert Silverbellied, Majiporcupine Chroniprickles
Theodore Pincushion, E Pluribus Unomnomnomnomnom
David Gerrolledup, The Hedgehog Who Folded Himself Right Up
William Gibsonic, Mario Luigi Overdrive

#TeamWitch
E.E. Smithryn, Expecto Galactic Patronum
David Broom, Hat of the Kermit
Frank Herb, Dune: House Hufflepuff Joe Haldemon, The Forever Wart
Vernor Vingerbread, A Frog Upon the Lap

#TeamDalek
Philip K. Dalek, Through a Stairwell Dalekly
J.K. Rolling, Harry Plunger and the Order of the Peppershaker
Kevin J. Anderselfiestick, The Dalek Between the Stairs
Ann Dalekie, Ancillary Justice! Ancillary Justexterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate!