Category Archives: BSFA Awards

Nominations open for the BSFA Awards 2017

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As the nights draw in, it’s time to cast your mind back and help us decide on the best works published in 2017. Nominations for your favourite SF or fantasy novels, short stories, artworks, and non-fiction are open until 31st December 2017. The voting form and the small print are here: https://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-awards/nominate-for-the-bsfa-awards/ or you can email your nominations (4 per category) to awards@bsfa.co.uk

You must be a member of the BSFA in order to take part in award nominations and voting. You can join or renew here: https://www.bsfa.co.uk/join-the-bsfa/ , or email the Membership Secretary to check your status (membership@bsfa.co.uk).

BSFA Awards 2016 Winners Announced

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The British Science Fiction Association is delighted to announce the winners of the BSFA Awards for works published in 2016.

Best Novel:
Winner: Dave Hutchinson – Europe in Winter (Solaris)

 


Shortlisted works were:

Chris Beckett – Daughter of Eden (Atlantic/Corvus)

Becky Chambers – A Closed and Common Orbit (Hodder & Stoughton)

Dave Hutchinson – Europe in Winter (Solaris)

Tricia Sullivan – Occupy Me (Gollancz)

Nick Wood – Azanian Bridges (NewCon Press)

 

Best Shorter Fiction:
 
Winner: Jaine Fenn – Liberty Bird (Now We Are Ten, NewCon Press)

Shortlisted works were:
Malcolm Devlin – The End of Hope Street (Interzone #266)

Jaine Fenn – Liberty Bird (Now We Are Ten, NewCon Press)

Una McCormack – Taking Flight (Crises and Conflicts, NewCon Press)

Helen Oyeyemi – Presence (What is Not Yours is Not Yours, Picador)

Tade Thompson – The Apologists (Interzone #266)

Aliya Whiteley – The Arrival of Missives (Unsung Stories)

 

Best Non-Fiction:
 
Winner: Geoff Ryman – 100 African Writers of SFF (Tor.com)
Shortlisted works were:

Rob Hansen – THEN: Science Fiction Fandom in the UK 1930-1980 (Ansible Editions)

Erin Horáková – Boucher, Backbone and Blake: The Legacy of Blakes Seven (Strange Horizons)

Anna McFarlane – Breaking the Cycle of the Golden Age: Jack Glass and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy (Adam Roberts: Critical Essays, Gylphi)

Paul Graham Raven – New Model Authors? Authority, Authordom, Anarchism and the Atomized Text in a Networked World (Adam Roberts: Critical Essays, Gylphi)

Geoff Ryman – 100 African Writers of SFF (Tor.com)

Ann & Jeff VanderMeer – Introduction to The Big Book of Science Fiction (Vintage)

 

Best Artwork:
 
Winner: Sarah Anne Langton – Cover for Central Station by Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon Publications)


Shortlisted works were:
Juan Miguel Aguilera – Cover of The 1000 Year Reich by Ian Watson (NewCon Press)

Tara Bush – Transition (Cover of Black Static #53)

Suzanne Dean and Kai & Sunny – Cover of The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan (William Heinemann)

David A Hardy – Cover of Disturbed Universes by David L Clements (NewCon Press)

Sarah Anne Langton – Cover for Central Station by Lavie Tidhar (Tachyon Publications)

Chris Moore – Cover of The Iron Tactician by Alastair Reynolds (NewCon Press)


The BSFA Awards are presented annually by the British Science Fiction Association, based on a vote of BSFA members and – in recent years – members of the British national science fiction convention Eastercon. They are fan awards that not only seek to honour the most worthy examples in each category, but to promote the genre of science fiction, and get people reading, talking about and enjoying all that contemporary science fiction has to offer.

BSFA AWARDS Update: Have YOU Voted Yet?

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Traditionally, we have a celebratory BSFA Awards Booklet appearing every year just before Eastercon (Mancunicon this year), but alas this year’s publication is not likely to reach your postbox ‘til week commencing 20th March, so in an effort to encourage all members of the BSFA (and Mancunicon attendees) to vote in the Awards, we’d like to encourage you to read as much of these as you can online…

We would also encourage you to vote online if possible, and the voting form can be found here: https://www.bsfa.co.uk/bsfa-2015-awards-voting-form/

A reminder of all short-listed nominees, and where to find them:

Best Novel

Mother of Eden by Chris Beckett (Corvus):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mother-Eden-Dark-Book-ebook/dp/B00V2JSTW4/

The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/House-Shattered-Wings-Aliette-Bodard/dp/1473212553/

Europe at Midnight by Dave Hutchinson (Solaris):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-Midnight-Fractured-Sequence-Book-ebook/dp/B015G5LCNC/

Luna by Ian McDonald (Gollancz):
www.amazon.co.uk/Luna-New-Moon-Ian-McDonald/dp/1473202248/

Glorious Angels by Justina Robson (Gollancz):
www.amazon.co.uk/Glorious-Angels-Justina-Robson-ebook/dp/B00NT7YOK8/

Best Short Story

“Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight” by Aliette de Bodard (Clarkesworld 100):
http://clarkesworldmagazine.com/debodard_01_15/

“Witches of Lychford” by Paul Cornell (Tor.com):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Witches-Lychford-Paul-Cornell-ebook/dp/B00WDVSN5I
excerpt: http://www.tor.com/2015/07/29/excerpts-witches-of-lychford-paul-cornell/

“No Rez” by Jeff Noon (Interzone 260):
http://ttapress.com/1888/no-rez-by-jeff-noon/

“Binti” by Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Binti-Nnedi-Okorafor-ebook/dp/B00Y7RWXHU/
excerpt: http://www.tor.com/2015/08/17/excerpts-binti-nnedi-okorafor/

“Ride the Blue Horse” by Gareth L. Powell (online Matter magazine):
https://medium.com/matter/ride-the-blue-horse-7c617871ed54#.10879i1fm

** the full text of all of the above stories will appear in the BSFA Awards Booklet **

Best Non-Fiction

“Time Pieces: Doctor Change or Doctor Die” by Nina Allan (Interzone 261):
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Interzone-Nov-Dec-Science-Fiction-Magazine-ebook/dp/B01861SOCA/

Letters to Tiptree by Alisa Krasnostein and Alexandra Pierce (Twelfth Planet Press):
www.amazon.co.uk/Letters-Tiptree-Alexandra-Pierce-ebook/dp/B014WF9Z86/

“What Price Your Critical Agency” by Jonathan McCalmont (Ruthless Culture blog):
http://ruthlessculture.com/2015/07/08/what-price-your-critical-agency/

Rave and Let Die: The SF and Fantasy of 2014 by Adam Roberts (Steel Quill Books):
http://ruthlessculture.com/2015/07/08/what-price-your-critical-agency/

“From Annihilation to Acceptance: A Writer’s Surreal Journey” by Jeff Vandermeer (The Atlantic, January 2015):
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/01/from-annihilation-to-acceptance-a-writers-surreal-journey/384884/

** there are extended excerpts from Letters to Tiptree and Rave and Let Die in the BSFA Awards Booklet, alongside the full text of all of the articles mentioned above **

Best Artwork

Jim Burns for the cover of Pelquin’s Comet (Newcon Press):
http://www.ianwhates.co.uk/uncategorized/a-new-novel-pelquins-comet/

Vincent Sammy for the short story, “Songbird” in Interzone 257:
http://karbonk.deviantart.com/art/SONGBIRD-515008463

Sarah Anne Langton for the cover of Jews Versus Zombies (Jurassic London):
http://www.jurassic-london.com/jews-vs-zombies.html

Once again, we’d like to encourage you to vote sooner rather than later if you can. Thank you!

UPDATE Jeff Noon Interview to be STREAMED LIVE and at a new BIGGER venue

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On Wednesday 27th January 2016 we’ll be trying our best to stream January’s Jeff Noon interview, live online. Between now and then a public domain recording of The Planet’s by Gustav Holst will be playing and we’d like your feedback on it. Just open the link & let us know what you hear.

MP3 audio only
http://bit.ly/JeffNoonJan2016Interview

For the last few months Chad Dixon has been valiantly trying his best to broadcast BSFA interviews with Periscope, it’s a little error prone so if it doesn’t work we’ll just do the audio. Cheers Chad!

Audio and Video – on the night.
https://periscope.tv/BSFA

NEW LOCATION
Due to the popularity of this event we are moving to a new BIGGER venue which luckily is close by. Andrea has surpassed herself finding this venue 🙂

The Reliance, 336 Old Street, EC1V 9DR
MAP LINK: https://goo.gl/maps/cKQsbT9HDE12

BSFA Awards 2014 – Shortlist Announced

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We are pleased to announce the following shortlisted nominees for the BSFA Awards 2014.

Voting will now be opened to BSFA members and attending members of Eastercon. The  winner will be announced at a ceremony at the 66th Eastercon aka Dysprosium, taking place at the Park Inn, Heathrow from 3-6 April 2015.

Watch this space for details of the presenters and MC for this event, which will be announced shortly.

Once again, BSFA members will receive a commemorative BSFA Awards booklet with details of all the nominees.

Best Artwork:

Richard Anderson for the cover of Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley, published by Angry Robot Books.

Blacksheep for the cover of Bête by Adam Roberts, published by Gollancz

Tessa Farmer for her sculpture The Wasp Factory, after Iain Banks.

Jeffrey Alan Love for the cover of Wolves by Simon Ings, published by Gollancz

Andy Potts for the cover of Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall, published by Egmont

Best Non-Fiction:

Paul Kincaid for Call and Response, published by Beccon Books

Jonathan McCalmont for ‘Deep Forests and Manicured Gardens: A Look at Two New Short Fiction Magazines’

Edward James, for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and the First World War

Strange Horizons: various authors for The State of British SF and Fantasy: A Symposium

Karen Burnham for Greg Egan, published by University of Illinois Press

 

Best Short Fiction:

Ruth E J Booth for “The Honey Trap”, published in La Femme, Newcon Press

Octavia Cade for The Mussel Eater,  published by The Book Smugglers

Benjanun Sriduangkaew for  Scale Bright, published by Immersion Press

 

Best Novel:

Nina Allan, for The Race, published by Newcon Press

Frances Hardinge, for Cuckoo Song, published by Macmillan

Dave Hutchinson, for Europe in Autumn, published by Solaris

Simon Ings, for Wolves, published by Gollancz

Anne Leckie, for Ancillary Sword, published by Orbit

Claire North, for The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, published by Orbit

Nnedi Okorafor,  for Lagoon, published by Hodder

Neil Williamson, for The Moon King, published byNewcon Press

 

  • The number of nominees in this category is due to a tie for fourth place.

 

Congratulations to all the shortlisted nominees, and thanks to our members for nominating.

BSFA Awards Deadline Approaches…

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Dear Members,

As members of the BSFA you are all eligible to nominate for the BSFA Awards.  This is a membership only nominations system and these are your Awards..

I am writing now to ask you to raise awareness that the nominations period closes on 31st January.

The BSFA committee met in December and discussed our objectives with the award.  We want the BSFA Award (and the BSFA itself) to represent the full range of the genre and the diversity of talent and ability behind those working across the spectrum of short fiction, novels, art and nonfiction. Our starting point is to make sure that the suggestions list is as complete and representative of the best work as possible.

Please consider using your nominations.  You’ll see that this year we’ve asked people to put forward four nominations per category for the Awards and then click on this link to add to the recommendations section as well.

This is designed to promote as many authors and artists as possible.

If our Awards are going to reflect the best in SF published in Britain in 2014, then we need members to actively help to promote that quality. We hope you will support our aims.

It could well be that many of our members are biding their time, but we’d really like to hear from you. Everyone is just as qualified as everyone else to make their nominations.

Lastly, for your information, the rules are:

Nominations are restricted to four per category.

  • Nominations shall open in October each year and run to January 31st.
  • A minimum of three nominations will be required for a work to be
    included on the ballot; if there are fewer than three works achieving
    this level of support, the category will not be awarded.
  • You may not make multiple nominations for a single work.
  • Please do not nominate your own work.

Find out more about how to nominate here:

The deadline for nominations is 31st January 2015.

Happy New Year and best wishes

Donna Scott

Chair

 

Suggest Items for BSFA Awards

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Members may already be aware that nominations are now open for the BSFA Awards until January 31st.

We have made some changes to the nominations process, limiting the number of nominations members can make in each category to just 4, and so we thought it would be useful to also have a suggestions form where anyone can make suggestions for things that are eligible for nomination.

The form to make your suggestions is located here.

Items, as they come in, will be listed here.

We will add a link for this suggestions list and form to the Awards page.

Who can make suggestions?

Absolutely anyone, and it doesn’t even matter if you have an interest in the category. You can be the writer, illustrator or publisher. You can be the suggested person’s mum. Or, you can just be someone who has read and loved a book, story or article, or seen a cover you liked the look of. You don’t have to be a BSFA member to suggest anything either. This list is there to give BSFA members an idea of what may be eligible. It will not influence the results in any other way than making sure that BSFA members can see your suggested item in a list, making it less likely for them to forget about it.

Items will appear in the list almost immediately after you have clicked submit, and we will need to check and tidy them up when we can. Do let us know if you see anything amiss that we don’t seem to have tidied up in a timely manner – there’s a corrections section to the form.

Our immense gratitude goes to member Stephen Theaker who helped us put this form together.

 

Happy suggesting!