Each year we make the eligible nominations received for the annual Convenors’ Award for Excellence public. There are several reasons for this:

• There is no shortlist announced, so it feels right to recognise the nominations;
• 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 nominations are:

Eugen Bacon (Ed.), Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative Fiction (Bloomsbury Academic)

In this vibrant and approachable book, award-winning writers of black speculative fiction bring together excerpts from their work and creative reflections on futurisms with original essays.

Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative Fiction edited by Eugen Bacon showcases creative-critical essays that negotiate genre bending and black speculative fiction with writerly practice. As Afrodecendant peoples with lived experience from the continent, award-winning authors use their intrinsic voices in critical conversations on Afrofuturism and Afro-centered futurisms. By engaging with difference, they present a new kind of African study that is an evaluative gaze at African history, African spirituality, Afrosurrealism, “becoming,” black radical imagination, cultural identity, decolonizing queerness, myths, linguistic cosmologies, and more.

Contributing authors – Aline-Mwezi Niyonsenga, Cheryl S. Ntumy, Dilman Dila, Eugen Bacon, Nerine Dorman, Nuzo Onoh, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Stephen Embleton, Suyi Okungbowa, Tobi Ogundiran and Xan van Rooyen – offer boldly hybrid chapters (both creative and scholarly) that interface Afrocentric artefacts and exegesis. Through ethnographic reflections and intense scrutinies of African fiction, these writers contribute open and diverse reflections of Afro-centered futurisms.

The authors in Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative Fiction feature in major genre and literary awards, including the Bram Stoker, World Fantasy, British Fantasy, Locus, Ignyte, Nommo, Philip K. Dick, Shirley Jackson and Otherwise Awards, among others. They are also intrinsic partners in a vital conversation on the rise of black speculative fiction that explores diversity and social (in)justice, charting poignant stories with black hero/ines who remake their worlds in colour zones of their own image.

Eugen Bacon, “The Writer as an Agent of Change” (Journal of the Association for the Study of Australian Literature)

This is a version of a public address that Dr Eugen Bacon delivered as the 2024 University of Tasmania Hedberg Writer in Residence in October 2024. In it, Bacon shares her vision of the power of storytelling and the role of the activist speculative fiction writer in a time of social, political, and environmental crisis.

Livia J. Elliot, Reflections (Prowess Games)

I am nominating Reflections, a low-fantasy literary interactive novelette for its innovative and groundbreaking approach to interactive fiction. Unlike many works in this genre, which follow conventional branching-path narratives, this piece challenges and expands what interactive fiction can be.

In particular, once finished (and even if “reset”) Reflections “remember” that the reader/player completed it, and changes, adding new revelations and choices that contribute to the overall theme of the story. This unconventional use of interactivity contributes to the deeply allegorical nature of the story, which delves into the themes of emotional language surrounding trauma and depression—and why expression is fundamental to a survivor’s quality of life. The delicate portrayal of these issues offers readers an insightful exploration of the ways in which individuals navigate and process their emotional landscapes.

The combination of a thoughtful, allegorical narrative with its innovative use of interactive fiction mechanics makes this work a standout piece, deserving recognition for how it pushes the boundaries of both genre and storytelling.

Reflections is free-to-read through the mobile game Unearthed Stories, available on Android (GooglePlay store) and iOS/iPad (through AppStore) for free.

Livia J. Elliot, Static Signal Living Legacy (Prowess Games)

Static Signal Living Legacy is a work of text-based interactive fiction. It is a hard sci-fi novel set in Western Australia (in the near future, year 2088); its setting is inspired by the real-life SKAO project (renamed in-book to ARA). This is a highly innovative piece of fiction, since — contrary to what is often done in interactive fiction — the reader/player plays through multiple points-of-view, directing a large cast of characters as their actions relate in unexpected ways. Thematically, this work discusses how limited someone’s agency can be when looking at a large society, and how even the smallest of our actions can affect others. As a result, the choices within the story are purposefully small — like adopting an attitude, or thinking about something — with little-to-no guidance on what would the consequence of those actions be.

Static Signal Living Legacy is free to read through the free-to-install app Unearthed Stories, developed by Aussie indie game dev Prowess Games.

Claire Fitzpatrick, “The Afterlife in Speculative Fiction: A Memoir (Sort of)” (Aurealis #169)

I wrote this memoir following the suicide of my husband. I wanted to explore grief and the way it, as well as the afterlife, is depicted in speculative fiction. I hope others find some comfort from my work.

Claire Fitzpatrick, Horror Films That Meaningfully Address Grief and Loss (The Ginger Nuts of Horror)

This personal article is a reflection of my personal journey of grief following the suicide of my husband, and some of the films I watched to help me understand and navigate my loss. I hope it resonates with others and assists them in their own time of need.

GuffNasm, Terra Utopia (Virtual Worlds)

This is a concept album based on the speculative novel by Phil Moore. GuffNasm is ALSO Phil Moore in his guise as a composer and musician.

Alexandra Pierce, Speculative Insight: Year 1 (Speculative Insight)

This book collects all of the essays published in the first year of Speculative Insight‘s publication (2024). The journal is edited and published by an Australian, Alexandra Pierce, and has included work by several Australian authors, as well as many international creators. It seeks to “explore the breadth and depth of the themes, ideas, and issues of science fiction and fantasy,” by paying smart people to write thoughtful essays on intriguing topics.

The essays range from those looking at a particular character (eg Murderbot) to those examining an entire genre (eg historical fiction); some are quite academic (Rjurik Davidson’s time travel essay, “Critical Choices”); other are more light-hearted (Tansy Rayner Roberts’ series on Pratchett’s Men). All of the essays are intended to be accessible to a non-academic audience. Speculative Insight publishes one free essay a month, and one that is subscriber-only. There are few venues in Australia — indeed, internationally — that focus on non-fiction about speculative fiction, and pay its contributors, and are accessible to a general audience in both content and cost. These 26 essays (25 original to the journal, and one reprint) powerfully argue that such non-fiction is a worthwhile endeavour and can add significantly to discussions within the speculative fiction field.

Pauline Yates Author, Spotlight Series

During 2024, I have interviewed and showcased at least 50 authors in the speculative fiction writing community. Each interview comprised of tailored questions to learn more about the person behind the writer, and peek into their writing world, with room for author links and published works. The individual interviews were published weekly on my WordPress blog and each interview was then shared across multiple social media platforms including Instagram reels and YouTube shorts to maximize networking. The purpose of the Author Spotlight series was to promote authors and their published works, educate readers about the reality of being a writer, and inspire emerging/established writers with information about publication pathways, writing craft, and writing and publishing expectations. Multiple genres were covered under the speculative fiction umbrella including science fiction, horror, thrillers, and mystery writers, and authors were located in multiple countries including Australia, America, Canada and England.

My author Spotlight series has been well-received within the speculative fiction community, and the support shown through sharing the interviews has highlighted the need for this type of author/publication exposure in the ever-fracturing social media landscapes.