Announcing the 2017 Aurealis Awards Judging Panels

Posted on May 10, 2017 by

Every year, we are fortunate that people from all over Australia volunteer their time and expertise to judge for the Aurealis Awards. They are amazing, they work extremely hard, and each year bring you the best of the best Australian spec fic has to offer. Please welcome this year’s wonderful teams!

We will be posting their bios on the Judges page of the website very soon, so you can get to know them a little better.

CHILDREN’S PANEL

Kerry Armstrong

Miffy Farquharson (panel convenor)

Caitlin Chisholm

Sharon Smith

YOUNG ADULT PANEL (two categories)

Laura Birch

Nicole Gosling

Jessica Harvie

Belle McQuattie (panel convenor)

Kirsten Reim

FANTASY NOVEL PANEL

Yvonne L Barrett

Astrid Edwards

Deb Gates

Russell Kirkpatrick (panel convenor)

Ali MacGregor

SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL PANEL

Nola Cavallaro

Stephanie Gunn (panel convenor)

Chris Lampard

Bethwyn Marshall

Carol Ryles

HORROR NOVEL & NOVELLA PANEL (two categories)

Paige Belfield

Matthew R. Davis (panel convenor)

Tom Woodward

Christine Yunn-Yu Sun

FANTASY NOVELLA & SHORT STORY PANEL (two categories)

Paula Boer

Maureen Flynn

Rob Porteous (panel convenor)

Andrei Seleznev

Shel Sweeney

SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA & SHORT STORY PANEL (two categories)

Imogen Cassidy

Mark Fazackerley

Anna Hepworth

Fergus McCartan

Gene Melzack (panel convenor)

HORROR SHORT STORY PANEL

Holly Harper

Talitha Kalago

Emma Kate (panel convenor)

Durand Welsh

ANTHOLOGIES & COLLECTIONS PANEL (two categories)

Lorraine Cormack

Abigail Nathan

Jenna O’Connell

Cathie Tasker (panel convenor)

ILLUSTRATED WORK PANEL

Lyn Battersby (panel convenor)

Kimberley Gaal

Emilly McLeay

Jacqueline Wheadon

Cassandra White

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Aurealis Awards call for 2017 judges

Posted on April 20, 2017 by

Applications are now open for the 2017 Aurealis Awards judging panels. 

Please read the following information carefully before submitting your application as we cannot make exceptions to the requirements.

We are seeking expressions of interest from Australian residents who would like to judge for the 2017 Aurealis Awards. Judges are volunteers and are drawn from the Australian speculative fiction community, from diverse professions and backgrounds, including academics, booksellers, librarians, published authors, publishing industry professionals, reviewers and enthusiasts. The only qualification necessary is a demonstrated knowledge of and interest in their chosen category (good time management skills are also essential).

All judges must be willing and able to read electronic entries in either mobi or epub format, which we accept in all categories. Graphic Novel entries may also be submitted in PDF. Print is still sometimes sent by entrants but we no longer require it.

Panel sizes may vary among categories – and from year to year – depending on the perceived workload required and the availability of judges for a particular category. However, each panel will consist of at least three judges, one of which will be the panel convenor.

Being an Aurealis Awards judge involves reading entries for one panel (which may comprise more than one category). This may consist of several dozen novels and/or more than a hundred short stories / novellas in the process of evaluating the year’s entries. The reading load can become quite heavy at the end of the judging period although we endeavour to obtain works as soon as they are published. Judges may keep their reading copies of entries. Convenors of each panel are also required to participate in the judging of the Convenors’ Award for Excellence, which involves additional consumption of material.

The Awards are currently under the auspices of the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation. We aim to offer judges complimentary or discounted entry to the annual Awards ceremony for current judges, but this cannot be confirmed at this stage.

Categories are: 

  • Science Fiction Novel
  • Science Fiction Short Story / Novella (two categories judged by one panel)
  • Fantasy Novel
  • Fantasy Short Story / Novella (two categories judged by one panel)
  • Horror Novel / Novella / Horror Short Story (three categories judged by one or two panel, depending on availability of judges)
  • Young Adult Novel / Young Adult Short Story (two categories judged by one panel)
  • Children’s Fiction
  • Collection / Anthology (two categories judged by one panel)
  • Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel

The Aurealis Awards accepts electronic entries in all categories. Judges must be willing to accept and read entries in this format. Willingness and ability to read electronically is an essential aspect of the judging role.

It is vital that judges be able to work as part of a team and meet stringent deadlines. Most of the judges’ discussions are conducted via a private online forum or email.

Entries to the awards close in early December, with all work published between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 eligible for entry. Shortlists from each panel will be required by February 2018 (firm dates will be advised), and prospective judges should be aware that this may be an intensive process.

Dates for Judging (to be confirmed):

  • May/June 2017 – entries open
  • Early December 2017 – entries close
  • December 21 2017 – final entries must be received by judges
  • February 2018 – shortlists and finalists must be decided
  • March/April 2018 – Awards ceremony (details to be advised)

All discussions are confidential between the judges in each panel and the judging coordinator and/or the Aurealis Awards management team, as required. The Aurealis Awards judging coordinator will have no input into these decisions except to mediate panel issues.

Judges from previous Aurealis Awards processes are welcome – indeed encouraged – to re-apply. But, in the interests of transparency and impartiality, no one may judge the same category for more than two consecutive years, and a break of two consecutive years is required before a judge can reapply to be a judge in that particular category again.

Please provide the following information to Judging Coordinators Tehani Croft and Katharine Stubbs at aajudges@gmail.com, by 7 May, 2017. 

  1. Name
  2. Postal Address
  3. Email Address 
  4. Telephone number
  5. Preferred judging categories (please provide at least three options, in order of preference).
  6. Willing to act as a panel convenor (Y/N).
  7. A paragraph or two detailing relevant experience and reasons you would like to be a judge for the Awards.
  8. Preferred e-file format – all judges must nominate either mobi (for Kindle) or ePub (with the understanding that files may also be occasionally received in print, PDF or rtf).

The judging positions are open to Australian residents only.

we want you

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Announcing the winners of the 2016 Aurealis Awards!

Posted on April 14, 2017 by

Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 Aurealis Awards!

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION

When the Lyrebird Calls, Kim Kane (Allen & Unwin)

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL / ILLUSTRATED WORK

Negative Space, Ryan K Lindsay (Dark Horse Comics)

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY

“Pretty Jennie Greenteeth”, Leife Shallcross (Strange Little Girls, Belladonna Publishing)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY

“Flame Trees”, TR Napper (Asimov’s Science Fiction, April/May 2016)

BEST HORROR NOVELLA

“Burnt Sugar”, Kirstyn McDermott (Dreaming in the Dark, PS Australia)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“Where the Pelican Builds Her Nest”, Thoraiya Dyer (In Your Face, FableCroft Publishing)

BEST FANTASY NOVELLA

“Forfeit”, Andrea K Höst (The Towers, the Moon, self-published)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

“Of Sight, of Mind, of Heart”, Samantha Murray (Clarkesworld #122)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA

“Salto Mortal”, Nick T Chan (Lightspeed #73)

BEST COLLECTION

A Feast of Sorrows, Angela Slatter (Prime Books)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction 2015, Julia Rios and Alisa Krasnostein (eds.) (Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact, Alison Goodman (HarperCollins Publishers)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

The Grief Hole, Kaaron Warren (IFWG Publishing Australia)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

Nevernight, Jay Kristoff (Harper Voyager)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Gemina: Illuminae Files 2, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

THE CONVENORS’ AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

The Rebirth of Rapunzel: A Mythic Biography of the Maiden in the Tower, Kate Forsyth (FableCroft Publishing)

The Aurealis Awards program book, containing the judging panels’ reports, can be downloaded here.

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Welcoming the hosts of the Aurealis Awards ceremony!

Posted on April 11, 2017 by

We’re very pleased to announce that the 2016 Aurealis Awards ceremony taking place in Perth this Friday night will be hosted by the wonderful team of much feted WA local author Glenda Larke and debut novelist (yes, really!) and East Coast ring-in Cat Sparks!

Glenda Larke was the winner of the inaugural Sara Douglass Book Series Award last year for her Watergivers series, and is a multi-awards nominated author for her books, the most recent of these being the final book of the Forsaken Lands trilogy. Cat Sparks has earned awards over the years for her artwork, editing, publishing and short story writing, and her debut novel, Lotus Blue, has just been released to the world.

Join us at the Aurealis Awards ceremony this Friday night to see this dynamic duo in action!

WHEN: 7.45pm for 8pm start, Friday 14 April, 2017

WHERE: Metro Hotel Perth, 61 Canning Highway, South Perth, WA, 6151

The Aurealis Awards ceremony is a non-ticketed, free event – all welcome.

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: change to Aurealis Awards ceremony

Posted on April 9, 2017 by
Regretfully, due to a series of unforseen circumstances, we have had to cancel the pre-ceremony cocktail party for the Aurealis Awards. Paid tickets will be refunded over the next 24 hours.
The Aurealis Awards ceremony itself will still take place, and will be a non-ticketed, free event.

WHEN: 7.45pm for 8pm start, Friday 14 April, 2017

WHERE: Metro Hotel Perth, 61 Canning Highway, South Perth, WA, 6151

Our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience this change will cause. We hope to see you at the ceremony.

AA logo

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2016 Aurealis Awards shortlist announcement

Posted on February 20, 2017 by

Aurealis Awards - Finalist - high resThe Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF), organisers of the 2016 Aurealis Awards, are delighted to announce the finalists for the Awards.

Winners of the 2016 Aurealis Awards and the Convenors’ Award for Excellence will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony, on the evening of Friday 14 April, 2017 as part of the Swancon convention at the Metro Hotel, Perth. Details of the evening and a link to the online booking website will be available soon.

2016 Aurealis Awards – Finalists

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION

Blueberry Pancakes Forever, Angelica Banks (Allen & Unwin)

Magrit, Lee Battersby (Walker Books Australia)

Somebody Stop Ivy Pocket, Caleb Crisp (Bloomsbury)

The Turners, Mick Elliott (Hachette Australia)

When the Lyrebird Calls, Kim Kane (Allen & Unwin)

The Hungry Isle, Emily Rodda (Omnibus Books)

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL / ILLUSTRATED WORK

Mechanica, Lance Balchin (Five Mile)

BROBOT, James Foley (Fremantle Press)

Negative Space, Ryan K Lindsay (Dark Horse Comics)

The Spider King, Josh Vann (self-published)

BEST YOUNG ADULT SHORT STORY

“A Right Pretty Mate”, Lisa L Hannett (Dreaming in the Dark, PS Australia)

“Dune Time”, Jack Nicholls (Tor.com)

“No One Here is Going to Save You”, Shauna O’Meara (In Your Face, FableCroft Publishing)

“Did We Break the End of the World?”, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Defying Doomsday, Twelfth Planet Press)

“Pretty Jennie Greenteeth”, Leife Shallcross (Strange Little Girls, Belladonna Publishing)

BEST HORROR SHORT STORY

“Non Zero Sum”, RPL Johnson (SNAFU: Hunters, Cohesion Press)

“Flame Trees”, TR Napper (Asimov’s Science Fiction, April/May 2016)

“Penny for a Match, Mister?”, Garth Nix (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Saga Press)

“The Red Forest”, Angela Slatter (Winter Children and Other Chilling Tales, PS Publishing)

“68 Days”, Kaaron Warren (Tomorrow’s Cthulhu, Broken Eye Books)

“Life, or Whatever Passes For It”, Durand Welsh (Peel Back the Skin, Grey Matter Press)

BEST HORROR NOVELLA

“Box of Bones”, Jeremy Bates (Ghillinnein Books)

“Served Cold”, Alan Baxter (Dreaming in the Dark, PS Australia)

“Waking in Winter”, Deborah Biancotti (PS Publishing)

“Burnt Sugar”, Kirstyn McDermott (Dreaming in the Dark, PS Australia)

“Pan”, Christopher Ruz (Andromeda Spaceways Magazine #62)

BEST FANTASY SHORT STORY

“Watercress Soup”, Tamlyn Dreaver (Andromeda Spaceways Magazine #65)

“Where the Pelican Builds Her Nest”, Thoraiya Dyer (In Your Face, FableCroft Publishing)

“Dune Time”, Jack Nicholls (Tor.com)

“Penny for a Match, Mister?”, Garth Nix (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Saga Press)

“The Lighthouse at Cape Defeat”, David Versace (Aurealis #89)

“The Cartographer’s Price”, Suzanne Willis (Mythic Delirium Issue 3.1)

BEST FANTASY NOVELLA

“Raven’s First Flight”, Alan Baxter (SNAFU: Black Ops, Cohesion Press)

“By the Laws of Crab and Woman”, Jason Fischer (Review of Australian Fiction)

“Forfeit”, Andrea K Höst (The Towers, the Moon, self-published)

The Bonobo’s Dream, Rose Mulready (Seizure Press)

“Burnt Sugar”, Kirstyn McDermott (Dreaming in the Dark, PS Australia)

“Finnegan’s Field”, Angela Slatter (Tor.com)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION SHORT STORY

“Trainspotting in Winesburg”, Jack Dann (Concentration, PS Publishing)

“The Baby Eaters”, Ian McHugh (Asimov’s Science Fiction 40/1)

“The Autumn Dog Cannot Live to Spring”, Claire McKenna (In Your Face, Fablecroft)

“Of Sight, of Mind, of Heart”, Samantha Murray (Clarkesworld #122)

“68 Days”, Kaaron Warren (Tomorrow’s Cthulhu, Broken Eye Books)

“The Least of Things”, Jen White (Aurealis #94)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVELLA

Waking in Winter, Deborah Biancotti (PS Publishing)

“Salto Mortal”, Nick T Chan (Lightspeed #73)

“Going Viral”, Thoraiya Dyer (Dimension6 #8, coeur de lion)

The Bonobo’s Dream, Rose Mulready (Seizure Press)

“All the Colours of the Tomato”, Simon Petrie (Dimension6 #9, coeur de lion)

“Did We Break the End of the World?”, Tansy Rayner Roberts (Defying Doomsday, Twelfth Planet Press)

BEST COLLECTION

Crow Shine, Alan Baxter (Ticonderoga Publications)

Concentration, Jack Dann (PS Publishing)

A Feast of Sorrows, Angela Slatter (Prime)

Winter Children, Angela Slatter (PS Publishing)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

Dreaming in the Dark, Jack Dann (ed.) (PS Australia)

Defying Doomsday, Tsana Dolichva and Holly Kench (eds.) (Twelfth Planet Press)

Year’s Best YA Speculative Fiction 2015, Julia Rios and Alisa Krasnostein (eds.) (Twelfth Planet Press)

Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 10, Jonathan Strahan (ed.) (Solaris)

In Your Face, Tehani Wessely (ed.) (Fablecroft Publishing)

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Elegy, Jane Abbott (Penguin Random House Australia)

The Bone Queen, Alison Croggon (Penguin Books Australia)

The Other Side of Summer, Emily Gale (Penguin Random House Australia)

Lady Helen and the Dark Days Pact, Alison Goodman (HarperCollins Publishers)

Gemina: Illuminae Files 2, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

Goldenhand, Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)

BEST HORROR NOVEL

Fear is the Rider,  Kenneth Cook (Text Publishing)

My Sister Rosa, Justine Larbalestier (Allen & Unwin)

The Grief Hole, Kaaron Warren (IFWG Publishing Australia)

BEST FANTASY NOVEL

Nevernight, Jay Kristoff (Harper Voyager)

Fall of the Dagger, Glenda Larke (Hachette Australia)

Den of Wolves, Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan Australia)

Vigil, Angela Slatter (Jo Fletcher Books)

Road to Winter, Mark Smith (Text Publishing)

Sisters of the Fire, Kim Wilkins (Harlequin Australia)

BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL

Watershed, Jane Abbott (Penguin Random House)

Confluence, SK Dunstall (Ace Books)

Gemina: Illuminae Files 2, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (Allen & Unwin)

Squid’s Grief, DK Mok (self-published)

Stiletto, Daniel O’Malley (Harper Collins Publishers)

Threader, Rebekah Turner (Harlequin Australia)

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2016 Convenors’ Award for Excellence entries

Posted on January 3, 2017 by

AA logoAlthough it hasn’t always been the case, we feel it is appropriate to make the entries for the annual Convenors’ Award for Excellence public. There are several reasons for this:

  • There is no shortlist announced, so it’s feels right to recognise the entries;
  • These are items you may not otherwise have come across, so we’d like to make sure you know about them;
  • It may help people figure out what might be eligible in future.

It is very important to note that this list is NOT a shortlist – it is simply a list of the eligible entries we received for the Award this year (please note also that these can be self-nominated). The convenors consider all eligible entries in deciding the winner, but there is no shortlist generated, and only the winner will be presented at the ceremony.

A reminder what this award is for:

The Convenors’ Award for Excellence is awarded at the discretion of the convenors for a particular achievement in speculative fiction or related areas in that year that cannot otherwise by judged for the Aurealis Awards.
This award can be given to a work of non-fiction, artwork, film, television, electronic or multimedia work, or one that brings credit or attention to the speculative fiction genres.

This year’s entries are:

Claire Fitzpatrick – “Why Do People Like Horror Movies?”[Aurealis]

Writing non-fiction is a passion of mine, which I am hoping to turn into a serious academic career. It is my joy and pleasure to research horror and explore its various avenues. I am hoping you will see the dedication I put into my article, and the seriousness of my intent to educate people on horror.

Claire Fitzpatrick – “Dark Fantasy Versus Horror: Why Are Their Differences Important? And Which Genre Should You Introduce to Your Children First?”[Aurealis] 

Horror can also be for children! Childhood is scary. Kids live in a world of insane giants, they are generally powerless, and Horror teaches children the ability to recognise fear with themselves, which can be helpful in times of stress. I wrote this piece for my daughter – she’s 4 and loves scary stories. Horror is good for the soul.

Claire Fitzpatrick – “Body Horror And The Horror Aesthetic” [Aurealis] 

Body horror is a genre that transcends pure fear and manifests in a physical form. It delves into or most primal instincts as human beings. Body horror—which describes creations deemed ‘outside of nature’—is seen as some hideous deformity, but it’s extremely beautiful. I love to write about body horror – indeed, body horror is my passion. This article explains body horror, and why it’s such an interesting branch of horror.

Elizabeth Fitzgerald – Earl Grey Editing [http://earlgreyediting.com.au/] 

As well as working as an editor, Elizabeth is a prolific reviewer who has produced many reviews of Australian works. She also writes a regular collection of “loose leaf links”, which collect links relevant to writers, readers and publishers, focusing on topics such as conventions, equity, awards and competitions. All of this work combines to create a valuable contribution to the Australian speculative fiction field.

Felicity Banks – Scarlet Sails

A rollicking pirate adventure where you choose what kind of pirate you are.

Kate Forsyth – The Rebirth of Rapunzel: A Mythic Biography of the Maiden in the Tower [FableCroft Publishing]

Showcasing an astonishing level of research in a highly readable and engaging form, The Rebirth of Rapunzel delves into the mythology of the Rapunzel fairy tale and examines the historical and storytelling background to the piece. Packaged with several related articles and other pieces, the book is both a factual exploration of a fictional creation and a beautiful reading experience in and of itself. Non-fiction collection

Nalini Haynes – Dark Matter Zine [http://www.darkmatterzine.com/]

For the past 6 years Dark Matter Zine has published interviews and panel discussions featuring science fiction and fantasy authors and publishers as well as reviews of science fiction and fantasy stories and articles about conventions, events and science fiction and fantasy culture. To date Dark Matter Zine has over 109 podcasts, 94 videos, 90 guest blogs and over 1300 reviews. As blogger-in-residence for the ACT Writers Centre I have also featured SFF authors in interviews for the mainstream community. Webzine

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