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Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2024 Winners

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The Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2024 winners have been announced. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The award ceremony will take place as part of ElsterCon, a multimedia event on science fiction, fantasy, and horror that will be held September 27-29 at Haus des Buches in Leipzig.

BEST GERMAN SF-NOVEL FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Aiki Mira, Neurobiest   Eridanus129
NomineesPoints
2Sven Haupt, Niemandes Schlaf   Eridanus114
3Lena Richter, Dies ist mein letztes Lied   OhneOhren97
4Jacqueline Montemurri, Skábma – Das Nanobot-Experiment   Edition Roter Drache92
5Michael Marcus Thurner, Die Terrania-Trilogie (Perry Rhodan, vol. 3208-3210)   VPM86
6Brandon Q. Morris, Tachyon – Die Waffe (Tachyon, Band 1)   Fischer Tor81
7Christian Kellermann, Adam und Ada   Hirnkost76
8Reda El Arbi, [empfindungsfæhig]   Lector Books61
9No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award6

BEST GERMAN SF-STORY FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Uwe Hermann, Die End-of-Life-Schaltung in: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 46   Exodus Selbstverlag128
NomineesPoints
2Christian Endres, Die Straße der Bienen in: Fritz Heidorn and Sylvia Mlynek (ed.): Klimazukünfte 2050 – Geschichten unserer gefährdeten Welt   Hirnkost123 
3Michael Schneiberg, Die Frau in der Wand in: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 47    Exodus Selbstverlag111 
4Aiki Mira, Nicht von dieser Welt in: Team Nova (ed.): Nova 32   p.machinery107 
5Dieter Korger, Nur ein Werbespot in: Hans Jürgen Kugler and René Moreau (ed.): Ferne Horizonte – Entfernte Verwandte   Hirnkost86 
6Michael Marrak, Der Mann, der Räume glücklich machte (Stellaris, Folge 94) in: Robert Corvus, Cyberflora (Perry Rhodan, vol. 3234)   VPM84 
7Yvonne Tunnat, Der Spielplatz in: Marianne Labisch and Gerd Scherm (ed.): Jenseits der Traumgrenze   p.machinery74 
8Melanie Vogltanz, No Filter in: Judith C. Vogt, Lena Richter and Heike Knopp-Sullivan (ed.): Queer*Welten 10   Ach je61 
9Yvonne Tunnat, Trauergeschäfte in: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 47   Exodus Selbstverlag50 
10Wolf Welling, Stulpa in: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 47    Exodus Selbstverlag39 
11Charline Winter, Grüne Herzen in: Judith C. Vogt, Lena Richter and Heike Knopp-Sullivan (ed.): Queer*Welten 11   Ach je37 
12No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award5 

BEST NON-GERMAN SF WORK TRANSLATED FIRST TIME IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Ursula K. Le Guin, Immer nach Hause (Always Coming Home)   Carcosa165
NomineesPoints
2Rebecca F. Kuang, Babel (Babel. Or the Necessity of Violence)   Eichborn70 
3Emily St. John Mandel, Das Meer der endlosen Ruhe (Sea of Tranquility)   Ullstein68 
4Neal Stephenson, Termination Shock (Termination Shock)   Goldmann56 
5Ned Beauman, Der gemeine Lumpfisch (Venomous Lumpsucker)   Liebeskind46 
6Neil Sharpson, Ecce Machina – Die Seele der Maschine (When the Sparrow Falls)   Piper33 
7Guy Hasson, Das perfekte Mädchen (The Perfect Girl)   in: Sheldon Teitelbaum and Emanuel Lottem (ed.): Zion’s Fiction   Hirnkost31 
8Cheon Seon-Ran, Tausend Arten von Blau (천 개의 파랑)   Golkonda30 
9Peter Cawdron, Der Sturm (The Tempest) (Erstkontakt, vol. 2)   A7L Books25 
10Polly Ho-Yen, The Mothers (Dark Lullaby)   Piper22 
11Lucy Kissick, Projekt Pluto (Plutoshine)   Heyne21 
12No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award3 

BEST TRANSLATION OF SF INTO GERMAN, FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Matthias Fersterer, Karen Nölle and Helmut W. Pesch for the translation of
Ursula K. Le Guin, Immer nach Hause (Always Coming Home)   Carcosa		77
NomineesPoints
2Hannes Riffel for the re-translation of
Gene Wolfe, Der fünfte Kopf des Zerberus (The Fifth Head of Cerberus)   Carcosa		70 
3Jakob Schmidt for the re-translation of
Samuel R. Delany, Babel-17 (Babel-17)   Carcosa		66 
4Jakob Schmidt for the re-translation of
Roger Zelazny, Straße nach überallhin (Roadmarks)   Piper		55 
5Jan Henrik Dirks for the translation of
Cheon Seon-Ran, Tausend Arten von Blau (천 개의 파랑)   Golkonda		53 
Jennifer Michalski for the translation of
Donna Barba Higuera, Die letzte Erzählerin (The Last Cuentista)   Dragonfly		 
7Sharyn Wegmann for the translation of
Peter Cawdron, Der Sturm (The Tempest) (Erstkontakt, Band 2)   A7L Books		39 
8No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award0 

BEST SF ART (COVER, ILLUSTRATION) RELATED TO A GERMAN EDITION IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Thomas Thiemeyer for the cover art of
Hans Jürgen Kugler and René Moreau (ed.), Ferne Horizonte – Entfernte Verwandte   Hirnkost		213
NomineesPoints
2Detlef Klewer for the cover art ofChristoph Grimm (ed.), Weltenportal 5   Weltenportal Selbstverlag193 
3Arndt Drechsler-Zakrzewski for the cover art ofTorsten Scheib and Marc Hamacher (ed.), New Dodge   Leseratten153 
4Horst Rellecke for the cover art ofRené Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): exodus 46   Exodus Selbstverlag128 
5Olaf Kemmler for the cover art ofKlaus Bollhöfener (ed.): phantastisch! 92   Atlantis116 
6Dirk Schulz for the cover art ofOliver Fröhlich and Christian Montillon, Facetten aus Eis (Perry Rhodan, vol. 3241)   VPM100 
7Ingo Lohse for the cover art ofRené Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (Ed.): exodus 47   Exodus Selbstverlag68 
8No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award15 

BEST GERMAN SF RADIO PLAY FIRST BROADCASTED IN 2023

Out of four nominations for three radio plays, two were selected and presented to the radio play jury (seven radio play authors, directors and radio play experts).

Award winnerPoints
No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award45
NomineesPoints
2Slughunters – Jagd auf die Jäger by Bodo Traber
Director: Bodo Traber; Composer: André Abshagen; Production: WDR		21 
3Der Ernstfall by Paula Dorten and Kerstin Schütze
Director: Kerstin Schütze; Composer: The Z & Noir Desir; Production: ORF		9 

BEST GERMAN FACTUAL TEXT RELATED TO SF, FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Hans Frey, Vision und Verfall – Deutsche Science Fiction in der DDR   Memoranda193
NomineesPoints
2Alfred Vejchar, Von Andromeda bis Utopia – Eine Zeitreise durchs österreichische Fandom   p.machinery107 
3Gunther Barnewald, Handbuch der Planeten – Reiseführer durch die Welten von Jack Vance   FanPro87 
4Olaf Kemmler, Big Data is watching you! Werden wir durch unsere Smartphones belauscht?   Tor Online61 
5Felix Wirth, Science Fiction im Radio – Programm und Sound utopischer Hörspiele in der Deutschschweiz von 1935 – 1985   transcript49 
6No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award9 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR CURRENT SF ACTIVITIES IN 2023

Award winnerPoints
Fritz Heidorn, the Klimahaus Bremerhaven, the Deutsche Klimastiftung and Hirnkost Publishing for the Climate Futures 2050 literary competition and the publication of the anthology147
NomineesPoints
2Hannes Riffel
for the founding and first program of Carcosa, in particular the publication of Ursula K. Le Guin’s work Always Coming Home		138 
3The team around Claudia Rapp
for the organization of MetropolCon 2023		130 
4Robert Corvus
for the organization of the German participation in the European Science Fiction Award		126 
5Olaf Brill and Michael Vogt
for the comic Der kleine Perry, which introduces children to SF		109 
6Rainer Schorm and Jörg Weigand
for the publication of the anthology Die Zukunft im Blick. Rainer Erler zum 90. Geburtstag		91 
7Yvonne Tunnat
for her literature podcast Literatunnat		88 
8Marianne Labisch, Uli Bendick, Mario Franke and Torsten Low
for the publication of Science Fiction Art & Kalendergeschichten		70 
9Gregor Sedlag
for the artistic organization of the SF-Sketch exhibition In Linearträumen located in Industriesalon in Berlin-Schöneweide		42 
10No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award10 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2023 FOR LONG TERM SF ACTIVITIES

Award winnerPoints
René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler
for 20 years of Exodus (since relaunch)		258
NomineesPoints
2Arndt Drechsler-Zakrzewski
for his life’s work (posthumously)		217 
3Jörg Weigand
for decades of commitment in the field of SF, fantasy and entertainment literature as an editor and non-fiction author		186 
4No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award5 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD CRITICAL, COMMITTED, INTERSECTIONAL 2023

Award winnerPoints
The team of publisher Hirnkost
for the publication of the first German anthology of Israeli SF, Zion’s Fiction		175
NomineesPoints
2Klaus Farin, Hans Frey, Christian Kellermann, Hardy Kettlitz and Karlheinz Steinmüller for the project Kongress der Utopien154 
3Lena Richter, Judith C. Vogt, Heike Knopp-Sullivan and Kathrin Dodenhoeft
for the publication of the magazine Queer*Welten		111 
4Aşkın-Hayat Doğan
for his video series Diverser Lesen mit Ask		59 
5No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award31 

Note:     The Kurd Laßwitz Award names only the first place winner per category as the award winner, no second or third prizes are awarded. The numbering only reflects the order based on the voting points.

Kurd Laßwitz Award 2024 Finalists

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The finalists for the 2024 Kurd Laßwitz Preis were announced on April 3. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The ballot was compiled from 513 nominations submitted by 77 eligible voters plus 256 evaluations and comments from the pre-selection committee. Over 280 eligible voters will have until the end of May to vote on all the categories except for translation and radio play, which a jury of experts will judge.

A new Special Award category is being introduced this year to highlight and reward achievements that combine social commitment with artistic, organizational or scientific excellence. In the tradition of the pacifist and humanist Kurd Laßwitz, the new special prize is intended to honor “critical, committed, intersectional” work that makes the world of German-language science fiction more accessible, diverse and tolerant. The prize sends out a positive signal against anti-Semitism, racism, ableism, sexism, queer hostility and classism and makes the work and commitment that people in science fiction are already demonstrating more visible to the public.

The award ceremony will take place at ElsterCon, to be held September 27-29 at the Haus des Buches in Leipzig.

Best German SF Novel 

From 113 nomination proposals for 52 novels, the eight most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Reda El Arbi, [empfindungsfæhig]   Lector Books
Sven Haupt, Niemandes Schlaf   Eridanus
Christian Kellermann, Adam und Ada   Hirnkost
Aiki Mira, Neurobiest   Eridanus
Jacqueline Montemurri, Skábma – Das Nanobot-Experiment   Edition Roter Drache
Brandon Q. Morris, Tachyon – Die Waffe (Tachyon, vol. 1)   Fischer Tor
Lena Richter, Dies ist mein letztes Lied   OhneOhren
Michael Marcus Thurner, Die Terrania-Trilogie (Perry Rhodan, vol. 3208-3210)   VPM

Best German SF Story 

Out of 124 nomination proposals for 61 short stories, novelettes and novellas, the eleven most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Christian Endres, Die Straße der Bienenin: Fritz Heidorn and Sylvia Mlynek (ed.): Klimazukünfte 2050 – Geschichten unserer gefährdeten Welt   Hirnkost
Uwe Hermann, Die End-of-Life-Schaltungin: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 46   Exodus Selbstverlag
Dieter Korger, Nur ein Werbespotin: Hans Jürgen Kugler and René Moreau (ed.): Ferne Horizonte – Entfernte Verwandte   Hirnkost
Michael Marrak, Der Mann, der Räume glücklich machte (Stellaris, Folge 94)in: Robert Corvus, Cyberflora (Perry Rhodan, vol. 3234)   VPM
Aiki Mira, Nicht von dieser Weltin: Team Nova (ed.): Nova 32   p.machinery
Michael Schneiberg, Die Frau in der Wandin: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 47    Exodus Selbstverlag
Yvonne Tunnat, Der Spielplatzin: Marianne Labisch and Gerd Scherm (ed.): Jenseits der Traumgrenze   p.machinery
Yvonne Tunnat, Trauergeschäftein: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 47   Exodus Selbstverlag
Melanie Vogltanz, No Filterin: Judith C. Vogt, Lena Richter and Heike Knoop-Sullivan (ed.): Queer*Welten 10   Ach je
Wolf Welling, Stulpain: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 47    Exodus Selbstverlag
Charline Winter, Grüne Herzenin: Judith C. Vogt, Lena Richter and Heike Knoop-Sullivan (ed.): Queer*Welten 11   Ach je

Best non-german SF Work translated first time in 2023

From 59 nomination proposals for 32 foreign works, the eleven most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Ned Beauman, Der gemeine Lumpfisch (Venomous Lumpsucker)   Liebeskind
Peter Cawdron, Der Sturm (The Tempest) (Erstkontakt, vol. 2)   A7L Books
Guy Hasson, Das perfekte Mädchen (The Perfect Girl)  in: Sheldon Teitelbaum and Emanuel Lottem (Hrsg.): Zion’s Fiction   Hirnkost
Polly Ho-Yen, The Mothers (Dark Lullaby)   Piper
Lucy Kissick, Projekt Pluto (Plutoshine)   Heyne
Rebecca F. Kuang, Babel (Babel. Or the Necessity of Violence)   Eichborn
Ursula K. Le Guin, Immer nach Hause (Always Coming Home    Carcosa
Emily St. John Mandel, Das Meer der endlosen Ruhe (Sea of Tranquility)   Ullstein
Cheon Seon-Ran, Tausend Arten von Blau (천 개의 파랑)   Golkonda
Neil Sharpson, Ecce Machina – Die Seele der Maschine (When the Sparrow Falls)   Piper
Neal Stephenson, Termination Shock (Termination Shock)   Goldmann

Best Translation of SF into German

Out of 26 nomination proposals for ten translations, seven were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee and are available for the translation jury to choose from:

Jan Henrik Dirks for the translation of
Cheon Seon-Ran, Tausend Arten von Blau (천 개의 파랑)   Golkonda
Matthias Fersterer, Karen Nölle und Helmut W. Pesch for the translation of
Ursula K. Le Guin, Immer nach Hause (Always Coming Home)   Carcosa
Jennifer Michalski for the translation of
Donna Barba Higuera, Die letzte Erzählerin (The Last Cuentista)  Dragonfly
Hannes Riffel for the new translation of
Gene Wolfe, Der fünfte Kopf des Zerberus (The Fifth Head of Cerberus)   Carcosa
Jakob Schmidt for the new translation of
Samuel R. Delany, Babel-17 (Babel-17)   Carcosa
Jakob Schmidt for the new translation of
Roger Zelazny, Straße nach überallhin (Roadmarks)   Piper
Sharyn Wegmann for the translation of
Peter Cawdron, Der Sturm (The Tempest) (Erstkontakt, vol. 2)   A7L Books

Best SF Art (Cover, Illustration) related to a German edition in 2023

From 63 nomination proposals for 27 cover graphics, the seven most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Arndt Drechsler-Zakrzewski for the cover art of
Torsten Scheib and Marc Hamacher (ed.), New Dodge   Leseratten
Olaf Kemmler for the cover art of
Klaus Bollhöfener (ed.): phantastisch! 92   Atlantis
Detlef Klewer for the cover art of
Christoph Grimm (ed.), Weltenportal 5   Weltenportal Selbstverlag
Ingo Lohse for the cover art of
René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): exodus 47   Exodus Selbstverlag
Horst Rellecke for the cover art of
René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): exodus 46   Exodus Selbstverlag
Dirk Schulz for the cover art of
Oliver Fröhlich and Christian Montillon, Facetten aus Eis (Perry Rhodan, vol. 3241)   VPM
Thomas Thiemeyer for the cover art of
Hans Jürgen Kugler and René Moreau (ed.), Ferne Horizonte – Entfernte Verwandte   Hirnkost

Best German SF Radio Play

From four nomination proposals for three radio plays, two were selected and are available for the radio play jury to choose from:

Der Ernstfall byPaula Dorten andKerstin Schütze
Director: Kerstin Schütze; Composer: The Z & Noir Desir; Production: ORF
Slughunters – Jagd auf die Jäger byBodo Traber
Director: Bodo Traber; Composer: André Abshagen; Production: WDR

Best German Non-fiction Texts related to SF

Out of 30 nomination proposals for 17 non-fiction texts, the five most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Gunther Barnewald, Handbuch der Planeten – Reiseführer durch die Welten von Jack Vance   FanPro
Hans Frey, Vision und Verfall – Deutsche Science Fiction in der DDR   Memoranda
Olaf Kemmler, Big Data is watching you! Werden wir durch unsere Smartphones belauscht?   Tor Online
Alfred Vejchar, Von Andromeda bis Utopia – Eine Zeitreise durchs österreichische Fandom   p.machinery
Felix Wirth, Science Fiction im Radio – Programm und Sound utopischer Hörspiele in der Deutschschweiz von 1935 – 1985   transcript

Special Achievement Award for actual SF activities in 2023

Out of 43 nomination proposals for 15 actual sf activities, the nine most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Olaf Brill and Michael Vogt
for the Comic Der kleine Perry, which introduces children to SF
Robert Corvus
for the organization of the German participation in the European Science Fiction Award
Fritz Heidorn, the Klimahaus Bremerhaven, the Deutsche Klimastiftung and the Hirnkost-Verlag for the Climate Futures 2050 literary competition and the publication of the anthology
Marianne Labisch, Uli Bendick, Mario Franke and Torsten Low
for the edition of Science Fiction Art & Kalendergeschichten
The Team around Claudia Rapp
for the organization of MetropolCon 2023
Hannes Riffel
for the founding and first program of Carcosa, in particular the German publication of Ursula K. Le Guin’s work Always Coming Home
Rainer Schorm and Jörg Weigand
for the edition of the anthology Die Zukunft im Blick. Rainer Erler zum 90. Geburtstag
Gregor Sedlag
for the artistic organization of the SF Tear Drawing Exhibition In Linearträumen in the Industriesalon in Berlin-Schönweide
Yvonne Tunnat
for her literary podcast Literatunnat

Special Achievement Award 2023 for long term activities

From 30 nomination proposals for eleven long term sf activities, the three most nominated were selected in consultation with the preselection committee:

Arndt Drechsler-Zakrzewski
for his lifetime achievement (posthumously)
René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler
for 20 years of publishing Exodus (since restart)
Jörg Weigand
for decades of commitment in the field of SF, fantasy and entertainment literature as an editor and non-fiction author

Special Achievement award critical, committed, intersectional 2023

From 21 nomination proposals for ten sf activities, the four most nominated were selected in consultation with the preselection committee:

Aşkın-Hayat Doğan
for his video series Diverser Lesen mit Ask
The Team of Hirnkost publishing house
for the publication of the first German anthology of Israeli SF, Zion’s Fiction
Klaus Farin, Hans Frey, Christian Kellermann, Hardy Kettlitz and Karlheinz Steinmüller
for the project Kongress der Utopien
Lena Richter, Judith C. Vogt, Heike Knopp-Sullivan and Kathrin Dodenhoeft
for the edition of the magazine Queer*Welten

Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2023 Winners

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The Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2023 winners have been announced. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The award ceremony will take place on May 19 as part of MetropolCon, a multimedia event on science fiction, fantasy, and horror to be held May 18-20 in Berlin

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF NOVEL FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2022

  • Aiki Mira, Neongrau – Game Over im Neurosubstrat (POLARISE)

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF STORY FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2022

  • Uwe Hermann, Die Nachrichtenmacher in: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 44, (EXODUS SELBSTVERLAG)

BEST NON-GERMAN SF WORK TRANSLATED FIRST TIME IN 2022

  • Becky Chambers, Die Galaxie und das Licht darin (The Galaxy and the Ground Within) (Wayfarer, Vol. 4) (FISCHER TOR)

BEST TRANSLATOR FOR A WORK OF SF FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2022

  • Eva Bauche-Eppers for the translation of Jeff VanderMeer, Veniss Underground (Veniss Underground) (WANDLER)

BEST SF ART (COVER, ILLUSTRATION) RELATED TO A GERMAN EDITION IN 2022

  • Thomas Thiemeyer for the cover art of René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 44 (EXODUS SELBSTVERLAG)

BEST GERMAN SF RADIO PLAY FIRST BROADCAST IN 2022

  • Die Nacht war bleich, die Lichter blinkten by Emma Braslavsky based on her novel; Director and Composer: Lorenz Schuster, Editor: Katarina Agathos, Production: BR

BEST GERMAN FACTUAL TEXT RELATED TO SF, FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2022

  • Hardy Kettlitz and Melanie Wylutzki (ed.), Das Science Fiction Jahr 2022 (HIRNKOST)

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR ACTUAL SF ACTIVITIES IN 2022

  • Wolfgang Both, Mario Franke and Ralf Neukirchen for SF in DDRas part of the exhibition Leseland DDR

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2022 FOR LONG TERM SF ACTIVITIES

  • Christian Hoffmann and Udo Klotz for the edition of Magazine !Time Machine

Kurd Laßwitz Award 2023 Finalists

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The finalists for the 2023 Kurd Laßwitz Preis were announced on March 15. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The ballot was compiled from 510 nominations submitted by 81 eligible voters plus 135 evaluations and comments from the pre-selection committee. Over 260 eligible voters will have until mid-April to vote on all the categories except for translation and radio play, which a jury of experts will judge.

The award ceremony will take place during MetropolCon, to be held May 18-20 in Berlin.

Best German SF Novel first published in 2022

From 150 nomination proposals for 50 novels, the eleven most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Kris Brynn, A.R.T. – Coup zwischen den Sternen   Knaur
Theresa Hannig, Pantopia   Fischer Tor
Sven Haupt, Wo beginnt die Nacht   Eridanus
Lisa J. Krieg, Drei Phasen der Entwurzelung – Oder: Die Liebe der Schildkröten   Wortschatten
P.M. [= Hans Widmer], Die Leitung – Ein Libretto   Hirnkost
Aiki Mira, Neongrau – Game Over im Neurosubstrat   Polarise
Aiki Mira, Titans Kinder   p.machinery
Jacqueline Montemurri, Der verbotene Planet   Plan9
Brandon Q. Morris, Die letzte Kosmonautin   Fischer Tor
Jol Rosenberg, Das Geflecht – An der Grenze   OhneOhren
Nils Westerboer, Athos 2643   Klett-Cotta Hobbit Presse

Best German SF Story first published in 2022

Out of 130 nomination proposals for 69 short stories, novelettes and novellas, the ten most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

C.M. Dyrnberg, Fast Forwardin: N.N. (ed.): Nova 31, p.machinery
Christoph Grimm, Die Summe aller Teilein: Christoph Grimm (ed.): Alien Contagium, Eridanus
Uwe Hermann, Die Nachrichtenmacherin: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 44, Exodus Selbstverlag
Michael K. Iwoleit, Briefe an eine imaginäre Frauin: N.N. (ed.): Nova 31, p.machinery
Thorsten Küper, Hayes‘ Töchter und Söhnein: Janika Rehak and Yvonne Tunnat (ed.): Der Tod kommt auf Zahnrädern, Amrûn
Aiki Mira, Digital Detoxin: Sylvana Freyberg and Uwe Post (ed.): Future Fiction Magazine 02/22, FFM Selbstverlag
Aiki Mira, Die Grenze der Weltin: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 44, Exodus Selbstverlag
Aiki Mira, Die Zukunftin: Janika Rehak and Yvonne Tunnat (ed.): Der Tod kommt auf Zahnrädern, Amrûn
Leszek Stalewski, Some Time in Mozambiquein: René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 45, Exodus Selbstverlag
Yvonne Tunnat, Morsche Hautin: Janika Rehak and Yvonne Tunnat (ed.): Der Tod kommt auf Zahnrädern, Amrûn

Best non-german SF Work translated first time in 2022

From 51 nomination proposals for 23 foreign works, the eight most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Becky Chambers, Die Galaxie und das Licht darin (The Galaxy and the Ground Within) (Wayfarer, Vol. 4)   Fischer Tor
Jennifer Egan, Candy Haus (Candy House)   S.Fischer
Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, Verlorene der Zeiten (This Is How You Lose the Time War)   Piper
N.K. Jemisin, Die Wächterinnen von New York (The City We Became) (The Big Cities, Vol. 1)   Tropen
Mary Robinette Kowal, Die Berechnung der Sterne (The Calculating Stars) (Lady Astronaut, Vol. 1)   Piper
Arkady Martine, Am Abgrund des Krieges (A Desolation Called Peace) (Teixcalaan, Vol. 2)   Heyne
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Die Scherben der Erde (The Shards of Earth) (Architekten, Vol. 1)   Heyne
Tade Thompson, Fern vom Licht des Himmels (Far from the Light of Heaven)   Golkonda

Best Translation of SF into German, first published in 2022

Out of 17 nomination proposals for 10 translations, six were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee and are available for the translation jury to choose from:

Eva Bauche-Eppers for the translation of
Jeff VanderMeer, Veniss Underground(Veniss Underground)   Wandler
Horst Illmer for the new translation of the interviews with L. Ron Hubbard, Theodore Sturgeon, and Stephen King
in: Charles Platt, Weltenschöpfer, Vol. 3 (Dream Makers)   Memoranda
Bernhard Kempen for the translation of
Dan Frey, Future – Die Zukunft gehört dir (The Future is Yours)  Heyne
Claudia Kern for the translation of
Ada Palmer, Dem Blitz zu nah (Too Like the Lightning) (Terra Ignota, Vol. 1)   Panini
Matita Leng for the new translation of the interviews with Andre Norton and Joan D. Vinge
in: Charles Platt, Weltenschöpfer, Vol. 3 (Dream Makers)   Memoranda
Simon Weinert for the translation of
Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, Verlorene der Zeiten(This Is How You Lose the Time War)   Piper

Best SF Art (Cover, Illustration) related to a German edition in 2022

From 66 nomination proposals for 29 cover graphics, the eight most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Michael Böhme for the cover art ofRené Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 45   Exodus Selbstverlag
Arndt Drechsler-Zakrzewski for the cover art series of
Perry Rhodan – Atlantis   VPM (12 volumes)
Jan Hoffmann for the cover art of
Klaus Bollhöfener (ed.): phantastisch! 88   Atlantis
Detlef Klewer for the cover art ofChristoph Grimm (ed.): Weltenportal Nr. 3   Weltenportal Selbstverlag
Per Prada for the cover art ofBernd Schuh, Irre real – 49 seltsame Begebenheiten   p.machinery
Alexander Rommel for the cover art ofSylvana Freyberg and Uwe Post (ed.): Future Fiction Magazine 03/22 FFM Selbstverlag
Rainer Schorm for the cover art of
Monika Niehaus, Austern im Halbschlaf   p.machinery
Thomas Thiemeyer for the cover art of
René Moreau, Hans Jürgen Kugler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): exodus 44  Exodus Selbstverlag

Best German SF Radio Play first broadcasted in 2022

From 13 nomination proposals for seven radio plays, the seven most nominated were selected and are available for the radio play jury to choose from:

Animate byChris Salter based on the comics of Kate Story; Director: Chris Salter and Anouschka Trocker, Composer: Caterina Barbieri, Limpe Fuchs and Sam Slater, Production: DLFK
Für immer wir alle zusammen byThilo Reffert; Director: Stefan Kanis, Composer: Michael Hinze, Editor: Thomas Fitz, Production: MDR/SR (2035 – Die Zukunft beginnt jetzt, part 3)
Marie Ka Ih – Schluss mit Gurkensalat byLiza Szabo; Director: Claudia Johanna Leis, Composer: Gilda Razani and Hans Hermann Wanning, Editor: Ulla Illerhaus, Production: WDR
Die Nacht war bleich, die Lichter blinkten byEmma Braslavsky based on her novel; Director and Composer: Lorenz Schuster, Editor: Katarina Agathos, Production: BR
Pyramidenkorrektur byTom Heithoff; Director and Composer: Tom Heithoff, Editor: Cordula Huth, Production: HR
Rückwärts-Hannah byMartin Heindel; Director: Martin Heindel, Composer: Hans Fuss, Production: BR (2035 – Die Zukunft beginnt jetzt, part 2)
Unter Drohnen byTim Staffel; Director: Tim Staffel, Composer: Alexandra Holtsch, Editor: Natalie Szallies, Dramaturgy: Hannah Georgi, Production: WDR

Best German Non-fiction Texts related to SF first published in 2022

Out of 26 nomination proposals for 15 non-fiction texts, the three most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Hardy Kettlitz and Melanie Wylutzki (ed.), Das Science Fiction Jahr 2022   Hirnkost
Aiki Mira, Was ist Queer*SF? Mehr als nur Science Fiction!   Tor Online
Jörg Weigand, Autoren der fantastischen Literatur. Ein Leitfaden durch die deutschsprachige Sekundärliteratur – Monografien, Erinnerungen und Festschriften   p.machinery

Special Achievement Award for actual SF activities in 2022

Out of 22 nomination proposals for ten actual sf activities, the six most nominated were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee:

Wolfgang Both, Mario Franke and Ralf Neukirchen
for »SF in DDR« as part of the exhibition Leseland DDR
Christoph Grimm
for the edition of Weltenportal magazine
Christoph Grimm and Jana Hoffhenke
for publication of the anthology Alien Contagium
Michael Haitel and Thomas Franke
for new edition of Die Gelehrtenrepublik by Arno Schmidt as splendid volume
Uwe Post and Sylvana Freyberg
for the edition of Future Fiction Magazine
Janika Rehak, Yvonne Tunnat and Jürgen Eglseer
for publication of the anthology Der Tod kommt auf Zahnrädern

Special Achievement Award 2022 for long term activities

From 35 nomination proposals for 20 long term sf activities, the six most nominated were selected in consultation with the preselection committee:

Olaf Brill and Michael Vogt
for their robot fairy tale series Ein seltsamer Tag
Hermke Eibach, Gerd Eibach and Bernhard Sterner
for the bookstore Hermkes Romanboutique and its events since four decades
Rico Gehrke (posthumously)and Peggy Weber-Gehrke
for their promotion of German science fiction short story
Christian Hoffmann and Udo Klotz
for the edition of !Time Machine magazine
Horst Tröster
for his commitment to science fiction audio play as a reviewer, textbook author, editor and jury chairman
Jörg Weigand
for his life’s work as an author, publisher and promoter of young talents

Kurd Laßwitz Award Radio Play Category Winner

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The Kurd Laßwitz Preis is a literature award for German-language science fiction that is awarded annually in up to eight categories. The other winners were announced earlier this year. For the Kurd Laßwitz Award radio category, the radio play jury (eight radio play authors, directors and radio play experts) selected the finalists. The winner was decided after a runoff due to close ranking of the first two nominations.

The award ceremony is planned as part of the 16th ElsterCon, which will take place this year the third weekend in September in Leipzig.

Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2022 Winners

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The Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2022 winners have been announced. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The awards ceremony will be on September 17 at the ElsterCon at the Haus des Buches (House of the Book) in Leipzig.

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF NOVEL FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Nanopark by Uwe Hermann

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF STORY FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • “Utopie27” (Utopia 27) by Aiki Mira in Am Anfang war das Bild (In the beginning, there was the image), edited by Uli Bendick, Aiki Mira and Mario Franke

BEST SF IN GERMAN TRANSLATION FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Das Ministerium für die Zukunft (The Ministry for the Future) by Kim Stanley Robinson

BEST TRANSLATOR FOR A WORK OF SF FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Pia Biundo for Das Licht der Hohlwelt (Una nueva consciencia) by Carlos Suchowolski

BEST COVER FOR A WORK OF SF FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Hubert Schweizer for the cover of exodus 43, edited by René Moreau, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF AUDIO DRAMA FIRST BROADCAST IN 2021

  • Dein haploides Herz (Your haploid Heart) by Martin Heindel, based on the story by James Tiptree Jr, broadcast by WDR
  • Das neue Vertrauen (The new trust) by Aline Bender and Alex Schaad, based on a short film by Alex and Dimitri Schaad, broadcast by BR
  • r_crusoeTM by Christian Wittmann and Georg Falk-Huber, broadcast by Deutschlandfunk
  • Der Untergang der Stadt Passau (The demise of the city of Passau) by Bernadette Sonnenbichler, based on a novel by Carl Amery, broadcast by BR

SPECIAL AWARD FOR ONE-TIME EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF SF 2021

  • René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler for the anthology Macht und Wort (Power and Word)
  • Uli Bendick, Aiki Mira and Mario Franke for the anthology Am Anfang war das Bild (In the beginning, there was the image)
  • Monika Niehaus for the collection Geschichten aus Donnas Kaschemme (Stories from Donna’s disreputable bar)
  • Uli Bendick and Michael Tinnefeld for the anthology Diagnose F: Science Fiction trifft Psyche (Diagnosis F: Science fiction meets the psyche)

SPECIAL AWARD FOR LONG-TIME EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF SF 2021

  • Thomas Hofmann for 70 issues of the fanzine Neuer Stern (New Star) as well as his graphic work and support for fandom
  • Ralf P. Krämer for a lifetime of running SF-Clubs and organising cons, particularly Penta-Con
  • Franz Rottensteiner for a lifetime of editing, reviewing and writing essays about SF
  • Jörg Weigand for a lifetime of writing and editing SF and supporting young writers

BEST GERMAN SF RADIO PLAY FIRST BROADCAST IN 2021

In consultation with the radio play jury, four were selected from twelve proposed radio plays and provided to the radio play jury (radio play authors, directors and radio play experts). The evaluation is still ongoing.

  • Dein haploides Herz by Martin Heindel based on the story of James Tiptree jr.;Director: Martin Heindel, Production: WDR
  • Das neue Vertrauen by Aline Bender and Alex Schaad based on the short movie of Alex and Dimitrij Schaad;Director: Alex Schaad, Composer: Richard Ruzicka, Production: BR
  • Der Untergang der Stadt Passau by Bernadette Sonnenbichler based on the novel of Carl Amery;Director: Bernadette Sonnebichler, Composer: Jacob Suske, Production: BR
  • R_crusoe™ by Christian Wittmann and Georg Falk-Huber [= Zeitblom]; Director and Composer: Christian Wittmann and Georg Falk-Huber, Production: DLF

[Thanks to Udo Klotz for the press release, and to Cora Buhlert for the story and the translations.]

Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2022 Finalists

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The finalists for the 2021 Kurd Laßwitz Preis were announced on March 15. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The German language editions of Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson, Goldilocks by Laura Lam, The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson, Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, and Network Effect by Martha Wells are some of the finalists for Best SF in German Translation.

And the translators of The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff, The Carhullan Army by Sarah Hall, and The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley are among the nominees in the Best Translator category.

The winners will be announced on September 17, 2022, at the ElsterCon at the Haus des Buches (House of the Book) in Leipzig.

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF NOVEL FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Mars Discovery (KI Goliath, Book 3) by Andreas Brandhorst
  • Dave by Raphaela Edelbauer
  • Stille zwischen den Sternen (Silence between the Stars) by Sven Haupt
  • Nanopark by Uwe Hermann
  • Von Zeit zu Zeit (From time to time) by Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • Der Koloss aus dem Orbit (The colossus from orbit) by Jacqueline Montemurri
  • Klima-Korrektur-Konzern (Climate-Correction-Corporation) by Uwe Post
  • Memories of Summer – Wer bist du ohne Vergangenheit? (Memories of Summer – Who are you without your past?) by Janna Ruth
  • Anarchie Deco (Anarchy Deco) by Judith and Christian Vogt
  • Der vierte Mond (The Fourth Moon) by Kathleen Weise

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF STORY FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • “Der stille Besucher” (The Silent Visitor) by Galax Acheronian in Singularitätsebenen (Singularity Levels), edited by Peggy Weber-Gehrke
  • “Notizen zur Beobachtung von Schildkröten nach einer Bruchlandung” (Notes on observing turtles after a crash landing) by Lisa Jenny Krieg in exodus 42, edited by René Moreau, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • “Davida” by Hans Jürgen Kugler in Macht und Wort (Power and Word), edited by René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • “Salvation” by Sybille Lengauer in Singularitätsebenen (Singularity Levels), edited by Peggy Weber-Gehrke
  • “Das Universum ohne Eisbärin” (The universe without a female polar bear) by Aiki Mira in c’t Magazin 5/2021
  • “Utopie27” (Utopia 27) by Aiki Mira in Am Anfang war das Bild (In the beginning, there was the image), edited by Uli Bendick, Aiki Mira and Mario Franke
  • “Vorsicht Synthetisches Leben!” (Careful, synthetic life!) by Aiki Mira in exodus 43, edited by René Moreau, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • “Regenmädchen” (Rain Girl) by Markus Müller in Nova 30, edited by Michael K. Iwoleit and Michael Haitel
  • “Onkel Nate oder die hohe Kunst, aus dem Fenster zu schauen” (Uncle Nate or the high art of looking out of the window) by Janika Rehak in Am Anfang war das Bild (In the beginning, there was the image), edited by Uli Bendick, Aiki Mira and Mario Franke
  • “Das Ding” (The Thing) by Norbert Stöbe in exodus 43, edited by René Moreau, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler

BEST SF IN GERMAN TRANSLATION FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Klara und die Sonne (Klara and the Sun) by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • Erde 0 (The Space Between Worlds) by Micaiah Johnson
  • Das ferne Licht der Sterne (Goldilocks) by Laura Lam
  • Die Anomalie (L’anomalie) by Hervé Tellier
  • Das Ministerium für die Zukunft (The Ministry for the Future) by Kim Stanley Robinson
  • Things from the Flood (Flodskörden) by Simon Stålenhag
  • Der Astronaut (Project Hail Mary) by Andy Weir
  • Der Netzwerkeffekt (Network Effect) by Martha Wells

BEST TRANSLATOR FOR A WORK OF SF FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Pia Biundo for Das Licht der Hohlwelt (Una nueva consciencia) by Carlos Suchowolski
  • Pia Biundo for “Glühwürmchen” (Luciémagas) by Vlad Hernández in Am Anfang war das Bild (In the beginning, there was the image), edited by Uli Bendick, Aiki Mira and Mario Franke
  • Frank Böhmert for Der lange Nachmittag der Erde (Hothouse) by Brian W. Aldiss
  • Oliver Hoffmann for Die Klügere gibt nach (The Better Part of Valor) by Tanya Huff
  • Sophia Lindsay for Die Töchter des Nordens (The Carhullan Army) by Sarah Hall
  • Helga Parmiter for Der Sterne Zahl (The Stars are Legion) by Kameron Hurley

BEST COVER FOR A WORK OF SF FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2021

  • Uli Bendick and Mario Franke for the cover of Diagnose F: Science Fiction trifft Psyche (Diagnosis F: Science fiction meets the psyche), edited by Uli Bendick and Michael Tinnefeld
  • Dirk Berger for the cover of phantastisch 84, edited by Klaus Bollhöfener
  • Arndt Drechsler-Zakrzewski for the cover of phantastisch 83, edited by Klaus Bollhöfener
  • Timo Kümmel for the cover of phantastisch 81, edited by Klaus Bollhöfener
  • Simon Lejeune for the cover of exodus 42, edited by René Moreau, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • Rainer Schorm for the cover of Fantastische Wirklichkeiten (Fantastic Realities), edited by Jörg Weigand
  • Hubert Schweizer for the cover of exodus 43, edited by René Moreau, Heinz Wipperfürth and Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • Michael Vogt for the cover of Macht und Wort (Power and Word), edited by René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler
  • Michael Vogt for the cover of phantastisch 82, edited by Klaus Bollhöfener

BEST GERMAN LANGUAGE SF AUDIO DRAMA FIRST BROADCAST IN 2021

  • Dein haploides Herz (Your haploid Heart) by Martin Heindel, based on the story by James Tiptree Jr, broadcast by WDR
  • Das neue Vertrauen (The new trust) by Aline Bender and Alex Schaad, based on a short film by Alex and Dimitri Schaad, broadcast by BR
  • r_crusoeTM by Christian Wittmann and Georg Falk-Huber, broadcast by Deutschlandfunk
  • Der Untergang der Stadt Passau (The demise of the city of Passau) by Bernadette Sonnenbichler, based on a novel by Carl Amery, broadcast by BR

SPECIAL AWARD FOR ONE-TIME EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF SF 2021

  • René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler for the anthology Macht und Wort (Power and Word)
  • Uli Bendick, Aiki Mira and Mario Franke for the anthology Am Anfang war das Bild (In the beginning, there was the image)
  • Monika Niehaus for the collection Geschichten aus Donnas Kaschemme (Stories from Donna’s disreputable bar)
  • Uli Bendick and Michael Tinnefeld for the anthology Diagnose F: Science Fiction trifft Psyche (Diagnosis F: Science fiction meets the psyche)

SPECIAL AWARD FOR LONG-TIME EXCEPTIONAL SERVICES IN THE FIELD OF SF 2021

  • Thomas Hofmann for 70 issues of the fanzine Neuer Stern (New Star) as well as his graphic work and support for fandom
  • Ralf P. Krämer for a lifetime of running SF-Clubs and organising cons, particularly Penta-Con
  • Franz Rottensteiner for a lifetime of editing, reviewing and writing essays about SF
  • Jörg Weigand for a lifetime of writing and editing SF and supporting young writers

[Thanks to Cora Buhlert for the story and the translations.]

Pixel Scroll 7/1/21 Scrolling By 40 Specially Trained Ecuadorian Mountain Pixels

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(1) KGB IN TIMES TO COME. Fantastic Fiction at KGB reading series hosts Ellen Datlow and Matthew Kressel present Nancy Kress and Kim Stanley Robinson in a YouTube livestream event on Wednesday, July 21 at 7 p.m. EDT. Link to follow. 

  • Nancy Kress

Nancy Kress is the multiple-award winner of science fiction and the occasional fantasy.  Her most recent works are the stand-alone novella Sea Change, about the genetic engineering of crops, and the space-opera The Eleventh Gate. Based in Seattle with, Nancy divides her time between writing and trying to train a very stubborn Chihuahua puppy.

  • Kim Stanley Robinson

Kim Stanley Robinson is a multi-award winner of science fiction probably best known for his Mars trilogy. His most recent novels are Red Moon and The Ministry for the Future. He lives in Davis, California.

(2) JEMISIN’S STATEMENT. Following publication of the Vox article “How Twitter Can Ruin A Life”, based on an interview with Isabel Fall, author of “I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter,” some of N. K. Jemisin’s tweets about the topic from 2020 (see the Wikipedia) have been criticized. Today Jemisin posted an explanatory “Statement on Isabel Fall comments” at her blog.

… The reporter also reached out to me while researching this article, because there’s been a lot of internet chatter about my involvement. I shared what I could with her (off the record), and since she let me know that she was in direct contact with Ms. Fall, I took the opportunity to send a private apology at that time. I had hesitated to do so publicly before this because I didn’t know if it would just bring more unwanted attention to Ms. Fall — but since we’re talking about all of this again, now seems like a good time….

Jemisin recaps in some detail what she was trying to say and what went wrong, followed by this short summary:

…I am deeply sorry that I contributed to Ms. Fall’s distress, and that I was not as thoughtful as I should have been in my response. Let me also apologize specifically to my trans and NB readers, some of whom caught flak because I RTed them, and others who may have been hurt or confused by what I said. I just should’ve done a better job of it.

By now I hope it’s clear that I never wanted to hurt Ms. Fall and was trying to offer support…. 

(3) ALIEN COMING TO TV. Vanity Fair interviews the showrunner: “New ‘Alien’ TV Series Will Be Class Warfare With Xenomorphs”.

…Now a new FX TV series based on the franchise is in the works from Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley—who says it’s about time for the facehuggers and xenomorphs to sink their claws into the white-collar executives who have been responsible for sending so many employees to their doom. 

In a conversation about the symbolism of season four of Fargo, Hawley also offered an update on the Alien series, as well as his new novel, Anthem. The show, however, will have to wait a little while, since the crush of new productions after the pandemic has consumed all of Hollywood’s resources. How appropriate….

…Vanity Fair: What’s next for you? Is there a season five in the works for Fargo?

Noah Hawley: Yeah, I think so. I don’t have it yet. I have pieces that will have to survive. They’re not connected. I think it would be good to create an ending, and deliberately come to something, knowing it’s the last one and see how one might wrap up this anthology. What’s next for me, it looks like, is [an] Alien series for FX, taking on that franchise and those amazing films by Ridley Scott and James Cameron and David Fincher. Those are great monster movies, but they’re not just monster movies. They’re about humanity trapped between our primordial, parasitic past and our artificial intelligence future—and they’re both trying to kill us. Here you have human beings and they can’t go forward and they can’t go back. So I find that really interesting.

(4) SPEED READING. Cat Rambo will be part of the July 2 First Friday Quick Read Zoom event. It’s free – register at the link.

Join us for a lunchtime tasting menu of science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories written by women and non-binary authors. We’ll feature 6 authors who will each have 8 minutes to tempt and tantalizing you with their reading. Our readings are like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you’ll get!

(5) RADIO PLAY WINS KURD LAßWITZ AWARD. The radio play jury of Kurd Laßwitz Award has finished voting reports award trustee Udo Klotz. The winner is Der zweite Schlaf by Heinz Sommer.

  • Best German SF Radio Play First Broadcast In 2020

 (6) SFF AFTER MAO. There is a new book on Chinese sff in the 70s and 80s that readers might be interested in: Hua Li’s Chinese Science Fiction during the Post-Mao Cultural Thaw, from University of Toronto Press.

The late 1970s to the mid-1980s, a period commonly referred to as the post-Mao cultural thaw, was a key transitional phase in the evolution of Chinese science fiction. This period served as a bridge between science-popularization science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s and New Wave Chinese science fiction from the 1990s into the twenty-first century. Chinese Science Fiction during the Post-Mao Cultural Thaw surveys the field of Chinese science fiction and its multimedia practice, analysing and assessing science fiction works by well-known writers such as Ye Yonglie, Zheng Wenguang, Tong Enzheng, and Xiao Jianheng, as well as the often-overlooked tech–science fiction writers of the post-Mao thaw.

Exploring the socio-political and cultural dynamics of science-related Chinese literature during this period, Hua Li combines close readings of original Chinese literary texts with literary analysis informed by scholarship on science fiction as a genre, Chinese literary history, and media studies. Li argues that this science fiction of the post-Mao thaw began its rise as a type of government-backed literature, yet it often stirred up controversy and received pushback as a contentious and boundary-breaking genre. Topically structured and interdisciplinary in scope, Chinese Science Fiction during the Post-Mao Cultural Thaw will appeal to both scholars and fans of science fiction.

(7) TIME LIMIT. A trailer has dropped for the fourth and final installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion — Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon A Time.

The fourth and final installment of the Rebuild of Evangelion. Misato and her anti-Nerv group Wille arrive in Paris, a city now red from core-ization. Crew from the flagship Wunder land on a containment tower. They only have 720 seconds to restore the city. When a horde of Nerv Evas appear, Mari’s improved Eva Unit 8 must intercept. Meanwhile, Shinji, Asuka, and Rei wander around Japan.

(8) MARS IN CULTURE. “Exploring the Red Planet through History and Culture” with Nick Smith (past President of LASFS) will be hosted by the Pasadena Museum of History. This free virtual presentation* will be available for viewing Thursday, July 22 through Sunday, July 25. Sign up for email notification here.

The planet Mars has long been connected to humankind through religions, literature, and science. Join Nick Smith, guest curator of PMH’s 2018 exhibition Dreaming the Universe, to explore our fascination with Earth’s neighboring planet, and discover some of the many ways Mars is part of our culture. 

This free virtual presentation* will be available for viewing Thursday, July 22 through Sunday, July 25. An email with the link to the presentation will be sent to all of our email subscribers on Thursday, July 22.

*Pre-recorded presentation from Spring ArtNight 2021.

(9) RESOURCES FOR HORROR FICTION SCHOLARSHIP. The University of Pittsburgh library system announced the acquisition of the papers of Linda Addison, Kathe Koja, and the archives of the Horror Writers Association: “University of Pittsburgh Library System Acquires Additional Archives for its Horror Studies Collection”/

…The ULS has acquired the papers of Linda D. Addison, the most decorated horror poet today with a total of six Bram Stoker literary awards. Addison became the first African American writer to win a Stoker in 2001 for her collection, Consumed, Reduced to Beautiful Grey Ashes and has also received the Lifetime Achievement (2018) and Mentor of the Year (2016) Awards from the Horror Writers Association as well as the title Grand Master from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (2020). Her poetry explores themes of race, gender, loss, struggle, hope, and the resiliency of humanity through a lyrical style that employs both traditional horror tropes of the supernatural as well as stark realism. Her archive will include drafts and manuscripts of her poetry as well as ephemera such as convention programs and awards which help demonstrate her impact on the genre. On her hopes that her archive will inspire others, she says:

“Having my writing journey from journals, through edits to final versions, become part of the University of Pittsburgh Horror Studies Collection is a dream, I never imagined, come true! To think that others, studying my process, could find value and inspiration will allow my work to safely exist past the length of my life, is an incredible blessing.”

The ULS has also acquired the papers of Kathe Koja, who is a true iconoclast whose works push boundaries, expand our conceptions of horror, and prove that horror is indeed a true literary genre. Her first novel, The Cipher (1991), won both a Bram Stoker Award and Locus Award and solidified her impact as a force within new horror. She employs a striking and unique prose style to explore themes of alienation and social isolation as well as transcendence, often through art. Her collection will include drafts, manuscripts, and notes from her novels and short stories. On her decision to establish her archive at the University of Pittsburgh, Koja said:

“A book is its writing as well as its words: the thoughts and notes and drafts and edits (and edits, and edits) that comprise the final text. To have all that making made available for scholars, readers, and fans of horror literature is a real boon, and I’m beyond delighted that my own horror novels will now be available this way.”

Lastly, the ULS has acquired the archives of the Horror Writers Association (HWA), the premiere professional organization for writers working in the genre.  This collection, established by current HWA President John Palisano with support from former President Lisa Morton, documents the history of the organization through its newsletters, convention booklets and programs, and other published materials. Collectively, these materials illustrate the work of the HWA, as well as the community it has built. The HWA has been the main space for writers working within the genre to collect and collaborate since the late 1980s and has issued the Bram Stoker literary awards since 1987 at yearly conventions, such as the World Horror Convention and, since 2016, StokerCon.

(10) HUGO NOMINEE IS PLEASED. Best Professional Artist Hugo finalist Maurizio Manzieri tweeted –

(11) MEMORY LANE.

2003 – Eighteen years ago, Iain M. Banks’ only non-fiction book was published. It was Raw Spirit: In Search of The Perfect Dram. Of course he published it as Iain Banks as only his SF was under published under Iain M. Banks. It was his tour of the small whisky distilleries of Scotland in the small red sports coupe that he’d bought with the advance from the publisher who’d underwrote the entire affair on the word of Banks that it was a Great Idea. And being Banks about the Iraq War as well.  As he says in his introduction, “After doing extensive research, I can definitely tell you that single malt whiskies are good to drink”.  If you want to know more about this book, we reviewed it here at Green Man Review. And yes, it is available from the usual suspects. 

(12) TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS.

[Compiled by Cat Eldridge.]

  • Born July 1, 1891 — Otis Adelbert Kline. Early pulp writer and and literary agent whose great claim to fame was a possibly apocryphal feud with fellow author Edgar Rice Burroughs, in which he supposedly raised the latter’s anger by producing close imitations of Burroughs’s Mars novels. Wollheim and Moskowitz believed in it having happened, Lupoff did not. (Died 1945.)
  • Born July 1, 1934 — Jean  Marsh, 87. She was married to Jon Pertwee but it was before either involved in Dr. Who. She first appeared alongside The First Doctor in “The Crusade” as Lady Joanna, the sister of Richard I (The Lionheart). She returned later that year as companion Sara Kingdom in “The Daleks’ Master Plan”. And she’d return yet again during the time of the Seventh Doctor in “Battlefield” as Morgana Le Fay. She’s also in Unearthly Stranger Dark Places, Return to Oz, Willow as Queen Bavmorda and The Changeling. (CE)
  • Born July 1, 1935 — David Prowse. The physical embodiment of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy. Ok, it’s been  a very long time since I saw Casino Royale but what was Frankenstein’s Creation doing there, the character he played in his first ever role? That he played that role in The Horror of Frankenstein and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Hammer Films a few later surprises me not. He shows up in Gilliam’s Jabberwocky according to IMDB as Red Herring and Black Knights (and no I’ve no idea what that means). Finally he’s the executioner in The People That Time Forgot, a film that’s very loosely based off of several Burroughs novels. (Died 2020.)
  • Born July 1, 1952 — Dan Aykroyd, 69. Though best known as Dr. Raymond Stantz in the original Ghostbusters films (which he wrote with Harold Ramis), he actually shows up a year earlier in his first genre role in Twilight Zone: The Movie as Passenger / Ambulance Driver. He’s reprising his role in the recent Ghostbusters 2020. 
  • Celebrated July 1, 1955 — Robbie the Robot. On this date in 1955, Robby the Robot was born. Or more properly constructed. Or so claims the studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, that would release Forbidden Planet, where he had his first screen appearance, on March 3, 1956 when the movie had its US premiere. He would go on to be in a number of  series including Lost in Space twice plus on The Addams Family, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. twice,  Twilight Zone (five appearances , mostly as toys) and Holmes & Yo-Yo to name but a few of his other  appearances. His latest appearance was on The Big Bang Theory with other movie props in “The Misinterpretation Agitation” episode. He had a memorable appearance on The New Adventures of Wonder Woman where he was the Master of Ceremonies at one of our SF Cons!  
  • Born July 1, 1962 — Andre Braugher, 59. He’s the voice of Darkseid in Superman/Batman: Apocalypse which is why he makes the Birthday list. If there’s ever proof that a great voice actor can make an animated role, this is it. It’s also a superb film. His other major genre role is as General George W. Mancheck in The Andromeda Strain series that originally aired on A&E. 
  • Born July 1, 1964 — Charles Coleman Finlay, 57. The Traitor to the Crown series is his best known work. His first story, “Footnotes”, was published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction where many of his stories have since been published. Six years the editor of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, ending in February of this year.
  • Born July 1, 1981 — Genevieve Valentine, 40. Author of the superb  Persona novel and also she scripted a Catwoman series, working with artists Garry Brown and David Messina. Her first novel, Mechanique: A tale of the Circus Tresaulti, won the Crawford Award for a first fantasy novel. She scripted a run of Xena: Warrior Princess, and scripted Batman & Robin Eternal as well. 

(13) COMICS SECTION.

(14) HUGOS FROM THE HAGUE. Fanac.org now hosts a video of the ConFiction (1990) Worldcon Hugo Ceremony.  

This video, captured with a hand held camera, covers the Hugo Awards, as well as the Campbell Award for New Writers, and the fannish Big Heart and First Fandom awards. Many awards were accepted by designees for the recipients, and we see Anne McCaffrey and Jack Chalker among those accepting for others. There’s a bit of humor from Dave Langford, and appearances by the American Ambassador to the Netherlands, C. Howard Wilkins. The World Science Fiction Society Banner, first hung at NyCon II in 1956, makes its appearance, and the video ends with the traditional view of all the recipients on stage. The video was recorded by John Cramer, provided by Tom Whitmore and used with the permission of Kees van Toorn, Chairman of ConFiction.

(15) SHAT TRADES SMACK. Shat gets into trouble by being a host on Russian propaganda network RT.“Star Trek Icon William Shatner Spars With Journalists About His New Show on Kremlin TV” says The Daily Beast.

Star Trek star William Shatner has taken to Twitter to trade blows with journalists who called him out for hosting a new show on the Kremlin’s notorious state-funded network, RT.

Earlier this week, the 90-year-old Canadian actor—known for taking on the legendary role Captain James Kirk in the Star Trek saga—announced he would be hosting a new general talk show on the American branch of RT called “I Don’t Understand,” where he’ll be posing questions to guests on a variety topics. The show is set to debut later this month.

Alexey Kovalev, an investigative editor for Meduza—one of the most popular independent Russian-language news outlets—had some choice words for Shatner on his work with the network.

“Quick reminder about [RT’s] views and editorial policies @WilliamShatner is now endorsing (whether he wants to or not),” he tweeted on Thursday, linking to a thread that ends with “Don’t go on RT, unless you are okay with sharing a mic with some of the most vile racist degenerates out there. It’s not a legitimate media platform. It has no redeeming qualities. And if no other platform will have you, then you really shouldn’t have *any* platform.”

Those comments seem to have hit a nerve with Shatner, who wrote back, “Perhaps instead of rebuking me with facts that have zero influence on my show, a better use of your time would be to move? It seems that you being in Moscow means you are directly supporting the very regime you are berating me about. #hypocrite.”…

(16) POE’S SCIENCE REPORTING. Daniel Engber reviews John Tesch’s Poe biography The Reason for the Darkness of the Night: Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science in “Edgar Allan Poe’s Other Obsession” at The Atlantic.

…By 1840, Poe was working at a men’s magazine, where he launched a feature called “A Chapter on Science and Art,” consisting of the sorts of squibs on innovation later found in Popular Mechanics. (“A gentleman of Liverpool announces that he has invented a new engine,” one entry started.) With this column, Tresch suggests, “Poe made himself one of America’s first science reporters.” He also made himself one of America’s first popular skeptics—a puzzle master and a debunker, in the vein of Martin Gardner. Poe wrote a column on riddles and enigmas, and he made a gleeful habit of exposing pseudoscience quacks….

(17) RAILGUN R.I.P. The idea got a lot of media attention, however, they’re going another direction: “Navy ditches futuristic railgun, eyes hypersonic missiles” reports the AP.

The U.S. Navy pulled the plug, for now, on a futuristic weapon that fires projectiles at up to seven times the speed of sound using electricity.

The Navy spent more than a decade developing the electromagnetic railgun and once considered putting them on the stealthy new Zumwalt-class destroyers built at Maine’s Bath Iron Works.

But the Defense Department is turning its attention to hypersonic missiles to keep up with China and Russia, and the Navy cut funding for railgun research from its latest budget proposal.

“The railgun is, for the moment, dead,” said Matthew Caris, a defense analyst at Avascent Group, a consulting firm.

(18) PUNCH, BROTHERS, PUNCH WITH CARE. At the link, another fabulous Middle-Earth transit map, from 2018 – “One does not simply walk into Mordor” by artist Christian Tate.

Middle Earth map commissioned for Empire Magazine plotting the journeys of Tolkien’s key characters through Peter Jackson’s six films of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogies.

(19) A REALLY SHORT HOBBIT. Brenton Dickieson introduces readers to “The First Animated Hobbit, and Other Notes of Tolkienish Nonsense” at A Pilgrim in Narnia. The film runs about 11 minutes.

…Rembrandt Films had purchased film rights to produce a film by 1967, but a Hollywood feature-length deal fell apart. According to the Wikipedia page, the film was produced cheaply and quickly–Mythmoot lore places it at 7-10 days–and premiered on the last day that the contract, paying people to see the film. Having fulfilled the contract, they were able to return rights to Tolkien, opening possibilities for future adaptations, including the 1977 animation (which I call “the cute Hobbit” in my mind), and the trilogy epic of the fairy tale in the early 2010s by Peter Jackson, which some may have heard about….

(20) VIDEO OF THE DAY. The HISHE series says this is “How Godzilla vs Kong Should Have Ended”.

[Thanks to Mike Kennedy, Andrew Porter, Martin Morse Wooster, Shao Ping, N., Tom Becker, Daniel Dern, JJ, Michael Toman, John King Tarpinian, and Cat Eldridge for some of these stories. Title credit belongs to contributing editor of the day Jon Meltzer.]

Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2021 Winners

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The winners of the 2021 Kurd Laßwitz Preis for German-language science fiction have been announced.

For 40 years, the authors, translators, editors, publishers, graphic artists and journalists working professionally in SF genre in Germany, Austria and Switzerland have been voting on the best new releases from the previous year.

The award ceremony will be at the 12th Penta-Con, taking place in Dresden the first week of November.

Award Trustee Udo Klotz reports that the point tally was based on 421 nominations from 66 voters, as well as the 241 reviews and comments from the pre-selection committee. The resulting 72 nominations were sent to over 230 voters, of whom 92 took part, submitting a total of 1,164 votes (up to five nominations can be rated 5-4-3-2-1 points per category).

In the translation category, a jury of ten translators and editors acted, while in the radio play category, the jurors (radio play directors, radio play authors and radio play experts) are still working and their choice will be announced later.

NOTE: The table was prepared by the Award Trustee, and has a few formatting errors I don’t know how to fix.

BEST GERMAN SF-NOVEL FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2020

68 people voted in this category

Award winnerPoints
Andreas Eschbach, Eines Menschen Flügel  Lübbe118
Nominees
2Tom Hillenbrand, Qube (Aus der Welt der Hologrammatica, vol. 2) Kiepenheuer & Witsch109
3Gabriele Behrend, Salzgras & Lavendel  p.machinery88
4Uwe Post, E-Tot  Polarise78
5Michael Marrak, Anima ex Machina (2nd novel of Kanon series) Edition Mono / Monochrom74
6Zoë Beck, Paradise City  Suhrkamp70
7Heribert Kurth, Unter den Sternen von Tha  p.machinery63
8Marc-Uwe Kling, QualityLand 2.0  Ullstein54
9Christoph Dittert, Fallender Stern  Piper48
10Sameena Jehanzeb, Was Preema nicht weiß  self published36
11No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award0

BESTE GERMAN SF-STORY FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2020

64 people voted in this category

Award winnerPoints
Angela and Karlheinz Steinmüller, Marslandschaften in: René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 41, Exodus Selbstverlag and in: Angela and Karlheinz Steinmüller: Marslandschaften, Memoranda101
NomineesPoints
2Heidrun Jänchen, Mietnomaden in: René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler (ed.): Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel, Hirnkost87 
3Christian Endres, Der Klang sich lichtenden Nebels in: René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler (ed.): Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel, Hirnkost80 
4Gabriele Behrend, Meerwasser in: Sylvana Freiberg and Ralf Zacharias (ed.): Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani, Begedia68 
5Uwe Post, Terra Halbpension in: Sylvana Freiberg and Ralf Zacharias (ed.): Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani, Begedia54 
6Hans Jürgen Kugler, Die Insulaner in: René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler (ed.): Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende, Hirnkost52 
7Michael Marrak, Insomnia in: Michael Marrak: Das Haus Lazarus, Memoranda50 
8Kai Focke, Gastropoda galactica in: Ellen Norten (ed.): Das Alien tanzt Walzer, p.machinery46 
[TIE for 8] Frank Lauenroth, Delter in: Sylvana Freiberg and Ralf Zacharias (ed.): Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani, Begedia46 
10Thorsten Küper, Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani in: Sylvana Freiberg and Ralf Zacharias (ed.): Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani, Begedia39 
11Carsten Schmitt, Wagners Stimme in: Klaus N. Frick (ed.): Wie künstlich ist Intelligenz?, Plan938 
12Galax Acheronian, Verloren auf Firr’Dars  in: Galax Acheronian (ed.): Hyper Orbis, Verlag für Moderne Phantastik30 
[TIE FOR 12] Axel Kruse, Grassoden in: Peggy Weber-Gehrke (ed.): 2101 – Was aus uns wurde, Verlag für Moderne Phantastik30 
14Christian Künne, Friedensfahrt in: Peggy Weber-Gehrke (ed.): Rebellion in Sirius City, Verlag für Moderne Phantastik11 
15No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award0 

BEST NON-GERMAN SF WORK TRANSLATED FIRST TIME IN 2020

56 people voted in this category

Award winnerPoints
Simon Stålenhag, Tales from the Loop (Ur Varselklotet)  Fischer Tor67
NomineesPoints
2Stephen Baxter, Artefakt (Destroyer) (Sternenpforte, Band 1)Heyne64 
[TIE FOR 2] Tade Thompson, Rosewater (Rosewater) (Wormwood, Band 1)Golkonda64 
4William Gibson, Agency (Agency) (Jackpot, Band 2)Klett-Cotta Tropen62 
5Basma Abdel Aziz, Das Tor (???????)  Heyne58 
6Zack Jordan, Last Human – Allein gegen die Galaxis (The Last Human)  Heyne48 
7Jodi Taylor, Miss Maxwells chaotischer Zeitkompass (Symphony of Echoes)
(Die Chroniken von St. Mary’s, vol. 2)Blanvalet		45 
8Baoshu, Großes steht bevor (???) in: Ken Liu (ed.): Zerbrochene Sterne, Heyne41 
9Samanta Schweblin, Hundert Augen (Kentukis)  Suhrkamp35 
10Agustina Bazterrica, Wie die Schweine (Cadáver exquisito)  Suhrkamp34 
11David Wellington, Die letzte Astronautin (The Last Astronaut)  Piper33 
12James S.A. Corey [= Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck], Tiamats Zorn (Tiamat’s Wrath)
(The Expanse, vol. 8)Heyne		25 
13Christopher Paolini, Infinitum – Die Ewigkeit der Sterne (To Sleep in a Sea of Stars)  Knaur23 
14Dennis E. Taylor, Die Singularitätsfalle (The Singularity Trap)  Heyne14 
15John Marrs, The Passengers – Du entscheidest über Leben and Tod (The Passengers)  Heyne9 
16No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award0 

BEST TRANSLATION OF SF INTO GERMAN, FIRST PUBLISHED IN 2020

Eleven nominated translations out of twelve were selected in consultation with the pre-selection committee (one was published in 2019 and rejected) and were provided to the translation jury (ten translators and proofreaders) as comparable excerpts of original and translated text.

Award winnerPoints
Susanne Gerold  for the translation of
N.K. Jemisin, Die große Stille (The Broken Earth) [3 volumes] Knaur		76
NomineesPoints
2Eva Kemper  for the translation of
Katie Hale, Mein Name ist Monster (My Name is Monster)  S.Fischer		69 
[TIE FOR 3] Jürgen Langowski  for the translation of
Zack Jordan, Last Human – Allein gegen die Galaxis (The Last Human)  Heyne		69 
[TIE FOR 3] Jakob Schmidt  for the translation of 
Tade Thompson, Rosewater (Rosewater) (Wormwood, Band 1)Golkonda		69 
5Henning Ahrens  for the translation of
Kira Jane Buxton, Hollow Kingdom – Das Jahr der Krähe (Hollow Kingdom)  Fischer Tor		67 
6Pia Biundo  for the translation of
Vlad Hernández, Nemesis (Nemesis) in: René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler (ed.)Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende  Hirnkost		60 
7Larissa Bender  for the translation of
Basma Abdel Aziz, Das Tor (???????)  Heyne		58 
8Jakob Schmidt for the new translation of
Frank Herbert, Die Kinder des Wüstenplaneten (Children of Dune) (Der Wüstenplanet, Band 3)Heyne		56 
9Pia Biundo  for the translation of
Vlad Hernández, Lebensstationen eines Idealisten (13 instantes de un paradigma) in: c’t 25/2020  Heise		55 
[TIE FOR 9] Stefan Pluschkat  for the translation of
Simon Stålenhag, Tales from the Loop (Ur Varselklotet)  Fischer Tor		55 
11Oliver Hoffmann  for the translation of
Tanya Huff, Im Dienst der Föderation (Valor’s Choice) (Confederation of Valor, Band 1)Plan9		34 
12No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award0 

BEST SF ART (COVER, ILLUSTRATION) RELATED TO A GERMAN EDITION IN 2020

80 people voted in this category

Award winnerPoints
Meike Schultchen  for the cover of  
René Moreau and Michael Vogt (ed.): Cozmic 2  Atlantis		142
Nominees
2Dirk Berger  for the cover of René Moreau, Olaf Kemmler and Heinz Wipperfürth (ed.): Exodus 40  Exodus Selbstverlag140 
3Jan Hoffmann  for the cover of Klaus Bollhöfener (ed.): phantastisch! 79  Atlantis132 
4Uli Bendick for the cover and inside illustrations of
René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler (ed.): Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel 
Hirnkost		130 
5Michael Vogt  for the cover of  
René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler (ed.): Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende 
Hirnkost		95 
6Arndt Drechsler  for the cover of Galax Acheronian (ed.): Hyper Orbis  Verlag für Moderne Phantastik92 
7Lothar Bauer  for the cover of Michael K. Iwoleit and Michael Haitel (ed.): Nova 29  p.machinery91 
8Lothar Bauer  for the cover of Ellen Norten (ed.): Das Alien tanzt Walzer  p.machinery67 
9No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award10 

BEST GERMAN SF RADIO PLAY FIRST BROADCASTED IN 2020

In consultation with the radio play jury, three were selected from six nominations for five radio plays and provided to the radio play jury (radio play authors, directors and radio play experts). The evaluation is still ongoing.

Cassandra Rising by Martin Heindel
Director: Martin Heindel,Composer: Ralf Haarmann, Production: WDR
Heaven Line – Traumstadt wird zur Todesfalle by Bodo Traber
Director: Bodo Traber, Dramaturgy: Natalie Szallies, Production: WDR
Der zweite Schlaf by Heinz Sommer based on the novel of Robert Harris
Director: Leonhard Koppelmann, Production: HR

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR ACTUAL SF ACTIVITIES IN 2020

76 people voted in this category

Award winnerPoints
Hans Frey
for the first two volumes of his history of German Science Fiction, Fortschritt and Fiasko and Aufbruch in den Abgrund		211
Nominees
2René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler
for the edition of Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel and Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende		178 
3Torben Kuhlmann
for the illustrated book Einstein – Die fantastische Reise einer Maus durch Raum and Zeit		102 
4No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award30 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2020 FOR LONG TERM ACTIVITIES

81 people voted in this category

Award winnerPoints
Freundeskreis Science Fiction Leipzig e.V.
for continuous organisation of ElsterCons, even during pandemic times		156
Nominees
2Hardy Kettlitz
for Memoranda Verlag		154 
3Science Fiction Club Deutschland e.V.
for promoting SF literature for 65 years		137 
4Dieter von Reeken
for his services to classic German SF and the history of German SF		115 
5Jörg Weigand
for his tireless support also of young authors		103 
6Rico Gehrke and Peggy Weber-Gehrke
for supporting the SF short story through the anthologies in their Verlag für Moderne Phantastik		84 
7Ralf Peter Krämer
for 50 years of engagement in the fandom from Stanislaw-Lem-Klub till Penta-Con		74 
8Christina Hacker and the Team of PRFZ club magazine SOL
for their unpaid work full of energy and enthusiasm on the occasion of the 100th edition		72 
9No award – I consider none of the nominations in this category to be worthy of an award10 

For more information about the award, see the links to Wikipedia, ISFDB and the KLP Homepage.

Kurd Laßwitz Preis 2021 Finalists

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The finalists for the 2021 Kurd Laßwitz Preis were announced on March 30. The award, named after German author Kurd Laßwitz, is given to works written in or translated into the German language and published during the previous year.

The German language editions of Stephen Baxter’s World Engines: Destroyer, James S. A. Corey’s Tiamat’s Wrath, William Gibson’s Agency, Christopher Paolini’s To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Simon Stålenhag’s Tales from the Loop, and Tade Thompson’s Rosewater are some of the finalists for Best Foreign Novel.

And in the Best Translation category, the translators of  N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy, Simon Stålenhag’s Tales from the Loop, and Tade Thompson’s Rosewater are among the nominees.

Voting is open until May 31. The award ceremony will take place during PentaCon 12 on the first weekend in November in Dresden.

Best German language novel first published in 2020

  • Zoë Beck: Paradise City (Suhrkamp)
  • Gabriele Behrend: Salzgras & Lavendel (p.machinery)
  • Christoph Dittert: Fallender Stern (Piper)
  • Andreas Eschbach: Eines Menschen Flügel (Lübbe)
  • Tom Hillenbrand: Qube (Aus der Welt der Hologrammatica 2) (Tor)
  • Sameena Jehanzeb: Was Preema nicht weiß
  • Marc-Uwe Kling: QualityLand 2.0 (Ullstein)
  • Heribert Kurth: Unter den Sternen von Tha (p.machinery)
  • Michael Marrak: Anima ex Machina (2. Novellenroman des Kanon-Zyklus) (Edition Mono/Monochrom)
  • Uwe Post: E-Tot (Polarize)

Best German language short fiction first published in 2020:

  • Galax Acheronian: “Verloren auf Firr’Dars” in Hyper Orbis (Verlag für Moderne Phantastik)
  • Gabriele Behrend: “Meerwasser” in Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani (Begedia)
  • Christian Endres: “Der Klang sich lichtenden Nebels” in Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel (Hirnkost)
  • Kai Focke: “Gastropoda galactica” in Das Alien tanzt Walzer (p.machinery)
  • Heidrun Jänchen: “Mietnomaden” in Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel (Hirnkost)
  • Axel Kruse: “Grassoden in “2101 – Was aus uns wurde (Verlag für Moderne Phantastik)
  • Hans Jürgen Kugler: “Die Insulaner” in Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel (Hirnkost)
  • Christian Künne: “Friedensfahrt” in Rebellion in Sirius City (Verlag für Moderne Phantastik)
  • Thorsten Küper: “Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani” in Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani (Begedia)
  • Frank Lauenroth: “Delter” in Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani (Begedia)
  • Michael Marrak: “Insomnia” in Das Haus Lazarus (Memoranda)
  • Uwe Post: “Terra Halbpension” in Unsere Freunde von ? Eridani (Begedia)
  • Carsten Schmitt: “Wagners Stimme” in Wie künstlich ist Intelligenz? (Plan9)
  • Angela und Karlheinz Steinmüller: “Marslandschaften” in Exodus 41 und in Marslandschaften (Memoranda)

Best foreign novel first published in German in 2020:

  • Basma Abdel Aziz: Das Tor (Heyne)
  • Baoshu: Großes steht bevor in Zerbrochene Sterne (Heyne)
  • Stephen Baxter: Artefakt (Sternenpforte 1) (Heyne)
  • Agustina Bazterrica: Wie die Schweine (Suhrkamp)
  • James S. A. Corey: Tiamats Zorn (The Expanse 8) (Heyne)
  • William Gibson: Agency (Jackpot 2) (Tropen)
  • Zack Jordan: Last Human – Allein gegen die Galaxis (Heyne)
  • John Marrs: The Passengers – Du entscheidest über Leben und Tod (Heyne)
  • Christopher Paolini: Infinitum – Die Ewigkeit der Sterne (Knaur)
  • Samanta Schweblin: Hundert Augen (Suhrkamp)
  • Simon Stålenhag: Tales from the Loop (Tor)
  • Dennis E. Taylor: Die Singularitätsfalle (Heyne)
  • Jodi Taylor: Miss Maxwells chaotischer Zeitkompass (Die Chroniken von St. Mary’s 2) (Blanvalet)
  • Tade Thompson: Rosewater (Wormwood 1) (Golkonda)
  • David Wellington: Die letzte Astronautin (Piper)

Best translation into German first published in 2020

  • Henning Ahrens for the translation of Kira Jane Buxton’s Hollow Kingdom – Das Jahr der Krähe (Tor)
  • Larissa Bender for the translation of Basma Abdel Aziz’ Das Tor (Heyne)
  • Pia Biundo for the translation of Vlad Hernández’ Nemesis in Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende (Hirnkost)
  • Biundo for the translation of Vlad Hernández’ Lebensstationen eines Idealisten in c’t 25/2020 (heise)
  • Susanne Gerold for the translation of N.K. Jemisin’s Die große Stille (3 Bände) (Knaur)
  • Oliver Hoffmann for the translation of Tanya Huff’s Im Dienst der Föderation (Confederation of Valor 1) (Plan9)
  • Eva Kemper for the translation of Katie Hale’s Mein Name ist Monster (Fischer)
  • Jürgen Langowski for the translation of Zack Jordan’s Last Human – Allein gegen die Galaxis (Heyne)
  • Stefan Pluschkat for the translation of Simon Stålenhag’s Tales from the Loop (Ur Varselklotet) (Tor)
  • Jakob Schmidt for the new translaton of Frank Herbert’s Die Kinder des Wüstenplaneten” (Der Wüstenplanet 3) (Heyne)
  • Jakob Schmidt for the translation of Tade Thompson’s Rosewater” (Wormwood 1) (Golkonda)

Best cover art first published in 2020

  • Lothar Bauer for the cover of Nova 29 (p.machinery)
  • Lothar Bauer for the cover of Das Alien tanzt Walzer (p.machinery)
  • Uli Bendick for the cover and interior illustrations of Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel (Hirnkost)
  • Dirk Berger for the cover of Exodus 40
  • Arndt Drechsler for the cover of Hyper Orbis (Verlag für Moderne Phantastik)
  • Jan Hoffmann for the cover of phantastisch! 79 (Atlantis)
  • Meike Schultchen for the cover of Cozmic 2 (Atlantis)
  • Michael Vogt for the cover of Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende (Hirnkost)

Best German language audio drama first broadcast in 2020:

  • “Cassandra Rising” by Martin Heindel (Director: Martin Heindel, Composition: Ralf Haarmann, Production: WDR)
  • “Heaven Line – Traumstadt wird zur Todesfalle” by Bodo Traber (Director: Bodo Traber, Dramaturgy: Natalie Szallies, Production: WDR)
  • “Der zweite Schlaf” von Heinz Sommer nach dem Roman von Robert Harris (Director: Leonhard Koppelmann, Production: HR)

Special award for one-time outstanding achievements in SF in 2020

  • Hans Frey for his non-fiction books on the history of German science fiction, Fortschritt und Fiasko and Aufbruch in den Abgrund
  • Torben Kuhlmann for his illustrated book Einstein – Die fantastische Reise einer Maus durch Raum und Zeit
  • René Moreau and Hans Jürgen Kugler for the Publication of the SF anthologies Der grüne Planet – Zukunft im Klimawandel and Pandemie – Geschichten zur Zeitenwende

Special award for longterm outstanding achievements in SF in 2020

  • Freundeskreis Science Fiction Leipzig e.V. for the continuous organization of the ElsterCon, even in times of a pandemic
  • Rico Gehrke und Peggy Weber-Gehrke for supporting the SF short story through the anthologies in their publishing house for modern fantasy
  • Christina Hacker and the team of the PRFZ member magazine ” SOL “for their unpaid work full of energy and enthusiasm on the occasion of the 100th edition
  • Hardy Kettlitt for his Memoranda Verlag
  • Ralf Peter Krämer for 50 years of involvement in fandom from Stanislaw Lem Club to the Penta-Con
  • Dieter von Reeken for his services to the classic German SF and the history of the German-speaking SF
  • Science Fiction Club Deutschland e.V. for the promotion of SF literature for 65 years
  • Jörg Weigand for his tireless support, including young authors