Hi guys! The finalists for the latest Aurealis Awards have been announced! First, a little bit of history:
Established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the publishers of Aurealis magazine, these annual awards recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers for both novel-length works and short stories. The Aurealis Awards are distinguished from other awards, like the Annual Australian National Science Fiction Convention’s Ditmar Awards and the Australian Children’s Book Council Awards, in that they divide works into categories according to sub-genre and target age group.
The awards were originally split into four categories: ‘Science Fiction’, ‘Fantasy’, ‘Horror’, and ‘Young Adult’, with the ‘Children’s Fiction’ category (ages 8 – 12 years) being added in 2001, and in 2008 the ‘Best Anthology and Collection’, and ‘Best Illustrated Work or Graphic Novel’ categories were introduced. The first five categories two separate awards, one for novels and one for short fiction.
Without further ado: the 2012 Aurealis Awards Finalists (female authors have been highlighted)
Fantasy Novel
- Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth (Random House Australia)
- Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff (Tor UK)
- Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)
- Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan Australia)
- Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier (HarperVoyager)
Fantasy Short Story
- “Sanaa’s Army” by Joanne Anderton (Bloodstones, Ticonderoga Publications)
- “The Stone Witch” by Isobelle Carmody (Under My Hat, Random House)
- “First They Came” by Deborah Kalin (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 55)
- “Bajazzle” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press)
- “The Isles of the Sun” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press)
Science Fiction Novel
- Suited by Jo Anderton (Angry Robot)
- The Last City by Nina D’Aleo (Momentum)
- And All The Stars by Andrea K Host (self-published)
- The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina (Walker Books)
- Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix (Allen & Unwin)
- The Rook by Daniel O’Malley (Harper Collins)
Science Fiction Short Story
- “Visitors” by James Bradley (Review of Australian Fiction)
- “Significant Dust” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape, Twelfth Planet Press)
- “Beyond Winter’s Shadow” by Greg Mellor (Wind Chrome, Ticonderoga Publications)
- “The Trouble with Memes” by Greg Mellor (Wind Chrome, Ticonderoga Publications)
- “The Lighthouse Keepers’ Club” by Kaaron Warren (Exotic Gothic 4, PS Publishing)
Horror Novel
- Bloody Waters by Jason Franks (Possible Press)
- Perfections by Kirstyn McDermott (Xoum)
- Blood and Dust by Jason Nahrung (Xoum)
- Salvage by Jason Nahrung (Twelfth Planet)
Horror Short Story
- “Sanaa’s Army” by Joanne Anderton (Bloodstones)
- “Elyora” by Jodi Cleghorn (Review of Australian Fiction)
- “To Wish Upon a Clockwork Heart” by Felicity Dowker (Bread and Circuses)
- “Escena de un Asesinato” by Robert Hood (Exotic Gothic 4)
- “Sky” by Kaaron Warren (Through Splintered Walls)
Young Adult Novel
- Dead, Actually by Kaz Delaney (Allen & Unwin)
- And All The Stars by Andrea K. Host (self-published)
- The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Amberlin Kwaymullina (Walker)
- Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)
- Into That Forest by Louis Nowra (Allen & Unwin)
Young Adult Short Story
- “Stilled Lifes x 11″ by Justin D’Ath (Trust Me Too)
- “The Wisdom of Ants” by Thoraiya Dyer (Clarkesworld 12/12)
- “Rats” by Jack Heath (Trust Me Too)
- “The Statues of Melbourne” by Jack Nicholls (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 56)
- “The Worry Man” by Adrienne Tam (self-published)
Children’s Fiction (told primarily through words)
- Brotherband: The Hunters by John Flanagan (Random House Australia)
- Princess Betony and the Unicorn by Pamela Freeman (Walker)
- The Silver Door by Emily Rodda (Scholastic)
- Irina the Wolf Queen by Leah Swann (Xoum)
Children’s Fiction (told primarily through pictures)
- Little Elephants by Graeme Base (author and illustrator) (Viking Penguin)
- The Boy Who Grew Into a Tree by Gary Crew (author) and Ross Watkins (illustrator) (Penguin Group Australia)
- In the Beech Forest by Gary Crew (author) and Den Scheer (illustrator) (Ford Street)
- Inside the World of Tom Roberts by Mark Wilson (author and illustrator) (Lothian Children’s Books)
Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel
- Blue by Pat Grant (author and illustrator) (Top Shelf Comix)
- It Shines and Shakes and Laughs by Tim Molloy (author and illustrator) (Milk Shadow)
- Changing Ways #2 by Justin Randall (author and illustrator) (Gestalt)
Anthology
- The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2011, edited by Liz Grzyb and Talie Helene (Ticonderoga Publications)
- Bloodstones edited by Amanda Pillar (Ticonderoga Publications)
- The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year: Volume 6 edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade)
- Under My Hat edited by Jonathan Strahan (Random House)
- Edge of Infinity edited by Jonathan Strahan (Solaris)
Collection
- The Book Your Mad Ancestor Wrote by K.J. Bishop (self-published)
- Metro Winds by Isobelle Carmody (Allen & Unwin)
- Midnight and Moonshine by Lisa L. Hanett and Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga)
- Living With the Dead by Martin Livings (Dark Prints)
- Through Splintered Walls by Kaaron Warren (Twelfth Planet)
Winners will be announced on May 18, 2013 at the annual Aurealis Awards ceremony at the Independent Theatre in North Sydney, Australia. Details at the Aurealis Awards website.
Happy Reading,
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