The Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 to “recognize the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror writers.” According to the awards’ descrpition, “it is the intention of the Aurealis Awards to complement the Ditmars and the Australian Children’s Book Council Awards. Neither of these awards distinguishes between the different categories of speculative fiction. It is our hope that the Aurealis Awards finalists and winners will increase the profile of Australian science fiction, fantasy, and horror, and will provide an essential reading list for anyone with an interest in these genres.”
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane on Saturday 26 January 2008. Tickets are available from this page.
This year’s nominees, chosen by several panels of judges, are listed here. The winners will be chosen by those same judges (listed below). The nominees are:
Best Science Fiction Novel:
Dark Space by Marianne De Pierres (published by Orbit)
Remote Control by Jack Heath (Pan Macmillan)
The Company of the Dead by David Kowalski (Pan Macmillan)
Saturn Returns by Sean Williams (Orbit)
Best Fantasy Novel:
The Gods of Amyrantha, The Tide Lords Book Two by Jennifer Fallon (Harper Collins/Voyager)
Heaven’s Net is Wide, Tales of the Otori The First Book by Lian Hearn (Hachette Livre)
The Moving Water, Book 2 of the Rihannar Chronicles by Sylvia Kelso (Thomson Gale)Song of the Shiver Barrens, The Mirage Makers Book Three by Glenda Larke (Harper Collins/Voyager)
Heart of Gold, Second Volume of The Laws of Magic by Michael Pryor (Random House)
Best Horror Novel:
The panel of judges for this division declined to select a short list from the nominated works. However, the winning novel will be announced at the ceremony.
Best Young Adult Novel:
Taste of Lightning by Kate Constable (Allen & Unwin)
Skyfall by Anthony Eaton (UQP)
Cybele’s Secret by Juliet Marillier (Pan Macmillan)
Heart of Gold, Second Volume of The Laws of Magic by Michael Pryor (Random House)
Extras by Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse)
Best Children’s (8-12 years) Long Fiction:
A Mystery of Wolves by Isobelle Carmody (Penguin Books)
The Silver Horse, The Chain of Charms 2 by Kate Forsyth (Pan Macmillan)
The Herb of Grace, The Chain of Charms 3 by Kate Forsyth (Pan Macmillan)
The Cat’s Eye Shell, The Chain of Charms 4 by Kate Forsyth (Pan Macmillan)
The Lightning Bolt, The Chain of Charms 5 by Kate Forsyth (Pan Macmillan)
The Butterfly in Amber, The Chain of Charms 6 by Kate Forsyth (Pan Macmillan)
The Key to Rondo by Emily Rodda (Omnibus Books)
Dragon Moon by Carole Wilkinson (Black Dog Books)
Best Science Fiction Short Story:
“Lonely as Life” by Simon Brown (Fantastic Wonder Stories)
“Whitey” by Penelope Love (Shadow Plays)
“The Eyes of Erebus” by Chris McMahon (Daikaiju! 2—Revenge of the Giant Monsters
“Arctica” by Cat Sparks (Fantastic Wonder Stories)
“Hollywood Roadkill” by Cat Sparks (On Spec #69)
Best Fantasy Short Story:
“The Perfume Eater” by RJ Astruc (Strange Horizons #16)
“An Account of an Experiment by Adam Browne” by Adam Browne (Orb Speculative Fiction #7)
“Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz go to War Again” by Garth Nix (Jim Baen’s Universe, April 2007)
“The Angel Wood” by Angela Slatter (Shimmer, November 2006)
“A Lady of Adestan” by Cat Sparks (Orb Speculative Fiction #7)
Best Horror Short Story:
“Toother” by Terry Dowling (Eclipse #1)
“Special Perceptions” by Richard Harland (At Ease with the Dead)
“The Dark and What it Said” by Rick Kennett (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #28)
“Black Betty” by Ben Peek (Lone Star Stories #23)
“The Jeweller of Second-Hand Roe” by Anna Tambour (Subterranean #7)
Best Young Adult Short Story:
“A Scar for Leida” by Deborah Biancotti (Fantastic Wonder Stories)
“Yamabushi Kaidan and the Smoke Dragon” by Shane Jiraiya Cummings (Fantastic Wonder Stories)
“Bad Luck, Trouble, Death and Vampire Sex” by Garth Nix (Eclipse #1)
“Holly and Iron” by Garth Nix (Dark Alchemy)
“Cast Off” by Tracey Rolfe (Fantastic Wonder Stories)
Best Children’s (8-12 years) Short Fiction:
“Ock Von Fiend” by Luke Edwards (Omnibus Books)
“Tasi and the Mixed Up Monster” by Anna Fienberg & Barbara Fienberg (Allen & Unwin)
“World of Monsters” by Marc McBride (Scholastic Australia)
“Kumiko and the Dragon” by Briony Stewart (UQP)
The judging committees were:
Science Fiction Novel: Stephen Burgess, Ian Nichols, Daniella Tidman, and Carol Wical.
Science Fiction Short Story: Jervina Dorney, Jon Doyle, Helen Merrick, and Robet Stoner.
Fantasy Novel: Sharron Campbell, Lynne Green, Kira Sampson, and Tehani Wessely.
Fantasy Short Story: Bill Congreve, Deonie Fiford, Joseph B. Hewitt IV, and Michelle Marquardt.
Horror: Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Anna Hepworth, Dr. Toni Johnson-Woods, Paul Landymore, and Siall Waterbright.
Young Adult: Alex Adsett, Dianne de Bellis, Karen Miller, Gillian Polack, and Angela Slatter.
Children’s: Mim Crase, Katherine Phelps, Emily Phillip, and Cynthia Rohner.
For more information on the Aurealis Awards, including methods of entering works, judges’ bios, and much more, see www.aurealisawards.com.
[Edited 28 January 2008 to note that the winners are listed in this article.]