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.”
This year, they’ve added categories for Anthology, Collection, and Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane on Saturday 24 January 2009. 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:
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford (published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing)
Chaos Space (Book Two of the Sentients of Orion) by Marianne de Pierres (Orbit)
Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch by Simon Haynes (Fremantle Press)
The Daughters of Moab by Kim Westwood (HarperVoyager)
Earth Ascendant (Astropolis Book Two) by Sean Williams (Orbit)
Best Fantasy Novel:
The Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman (HarperCollins)
Amberlight by Sylvia Kelso (Juno Books)
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Allen & Unwin)
Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier (Macmillan Australia)
The Riven Kingdom (Godspeaker Book Two) by Karen Miller (HarperVoyager)
Best Horror Novel:
The Economy of Light by Jack Dann (PS Publishing)
Ghostlines by Nick Gadd (Scribe Publications)
The Séance by John Harwood (Jonathan Cape)
Best Anthology:
The Year’s Best Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fourth Annual Volume, edited by Bill Congreve & Michelle Marquardt (MirrorDanse Books)
Dreaming Again edited by Jack Dann (HarperVoyager)
The Starry Rift edited by Jonathan Strahan (Viking Children’s Books)
Best Collection:
Creeping in Reptile Flesh by Robert Hood (Altair Australia Books)
Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams by Sean Williams, edited by Russell B. Farr (Ticonderoga Publications)
Best Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel:
The Cloudchasers by Steve Hunt (illustrator/co-author) & David Richardson (co-author) (ABC Books)
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan (Allen & Unwin)
The Floods Family Files by Colin Thompson (Random House Australia)
The Art of Graeme Base by Julie Watts (author) & Graeme Base (illustrator) (Penguin/Viking)
Best Young Adult Novel:
The Stone Key (Obernewtyn Chronicles, Volume Five) by Isobelle Carmody (Penguin/Viking)
Lamplighter (Monster Blood Tattoo Book Two) by David Cornish (Omnibus Books)
The Two Pearls of Wisdom by Alison Goodman (HarperCollins)
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (Penguin/Viking)
The Changeling (The Changeling series book one) by Sean Williams (Angus & Robertson)
Best Children’s Novel:
Moonshadow, Eye of the Beast by Simon Higgins (Random House Australia)
Thomas Trew and the Island of Ghosts by Sophie Masson (Hodder Children’s)
The Wizard of Rondo by Emily Rodda (Omnibus Books)
Dragon Dawn by Carole Wilkinson (Black Dog Books)
The Changeling and The Dust Devils (The Changeling series books one and two) by Sean Williams (Angus & Robertson)
Best Children’s Illustrated Work/Picture Book:
Tashi and the Phoenix by Anna Fienberg, Barbara Fienberg, & Kim Gamble (Allen & Unwin)
The Wolf Kingdom series: Escape!, Under Siege, Race to the Ruins, and The Heavy Crown by Richard Harland, illustrated by Laura Peterson (Omnibus Books)
The Sorcerer’s Tower series: Thorn Castle, Giant’s Lair, Black Crypt, and Wizardry Crag by Ian Irvine, illustrated by David Cornish (Omnibus Books)
Curly and the Fent by Sally Morgan with Ezekiel, Ambelin, and Blaze Kwaymullina, illustrated by Adam Hill (Random House Australia)
Twisted Tales by Richard Tulloch, illustrated by Terry Denton (Random House Australia)
Best Science Fiction Short Story:
“The Empire” by Simon Brown (Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager)
“Black and Bitter, Thanks” by Nathan Burrage (The Workers’ Paradise, Ticonderoga Publications)
“Delivery” by Trent Jamieson (Cosmos #21)
“The Fifth Star in the Southern Cross” by Margo Lanagan (Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager)
“Fleshy” by Tansy Rayner Roberts (2012, Twelfth Planet Press)
Best Fantasy Short Story:
“Night Heron’s Curse” by Thoraiya Dyer (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #37)
“The Last Deflowerer” by Karen Maric (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #32)
“Dresses, Three” by Angela Slatter (Shimmer, Volume 2, Number 4)
“Sammarynda Deep” by Cat Sparks (Paper Cities, Senses 5 Press)
“Nightship” by Kim Westwood (Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager)
Best Horror Short Story:
“In From the Snow” by Lee Battersby (Dreaming Again, HarperVoyager)
“Pale Dark Soldier” by Deborah Biancotti (Midnight Echo #1)
“Day Boy” by Trent Jamieson (Murky Depths #4)
“Painlessness” by Kirstyn McDermott (Greatest Uncommon Denominator #2)
“Bitter Dreams” by Ian McHugh (L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Vol XXIV)
Best Young Adult Short Story:
“The Tailor of Time” by Deborah Biancotti (Clockwork Phoenix, Norilana Books)
“This is Not My Story” by Dirk Flinthart (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #37)
“Cracks” by Trent Jamieson (Shiny #2)
“Eye of the Beholder” by Kevin MacLean (Misspelled, DAW Books)
The judging committees were:
Science Fiction Novel: Lindy Cameron, Peter Eisler, Kathryn Linge, Simon Petrie, and Emily Philip.
Fantasy Novel: Helena Bond, Justin Deligiorgakis, Kira Sampson, Cathie Tasker, and Tehani Wessely.
Horror: Justin Ackroyd, Dianne De Bellis, Dr. Toni Johnson-Woods, Jason Nahrung, and Ian Nichols.
Anthology/Collection: Sarah Darmody, Marianne De Pierres, Anita Gibson, Van Ikin, and Keith Stevenson.
Illustrated Book/Graphic Novel: Andrew Buchanan, Sharron Campbell, Joseph B. Hewitt IV, Peter Stoakes, and Cynthia Tait.
Young Adult: Alex Adsett, Anna Hepworth, Karen Miller, Alexandra Mitchell, and Kim Westwood.
Children’s: John Blahusiak, John Catania, Mim Crase, Robyn Emerson, and Holly Harper.
Science Fiction Short Story: Dr. Glenn Davies, Maxine McArthur, Chris McDonough, Helen Merrick, and Beau Taylor.
Fantasy Short Story: Natalie Costa Bir, Jervina Dorney, Lynne Green, Adrian Stagg, and Amy Williamson.
For more information on the Aurealis Awards, including methods of entering works, judges’ bios, and much more, see www.aurealisawards.com.