Following the creation of the David Gemmell Legend Award (see this article from September 2008), and the announcement of the first winner (see this article from earlier this year), Chairman Stan Nicholls tells us that the Award Committee has created two new award categories.
The David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Newcomer will “give recognition to emerging talent in the field of fantasy fiction. As David Gemmell always took a keen interest in new writers, and helped many onto the path to publication, we regard this as an appropriate category to add, and one we feel sure David would have approved.”
The David Gemmell Ravenheart Award for Best Fantasy Cover Art will “honor the best fantasy book cover art. The importance of fantasy cover art deserves admiration, as do the artists who produce it, yet there is no major UK award acknowledging this. The Ravenheart Award will fulfill that role.”
Like the Legend Award, the winners of these new awards will be decided by popular vote. The first Legend Award was decided by a remarkable 11,000 voters from around the world, and Nicholls is “confident that the Morningstar and Ravenheart awards, which are being created with the full approval of the Gemmell family, will be greeted with no less enthusiasm.
“Our aim is to establish, over time, a set of awards covering all aspects of the fantasy genre. Launching this pair of new awards takes us a step nearer to that objective.”
The 2010 David Gemmell Awards ceremony will again be held at The Magic Circle headquarters in London, on Friday 18 June 2010.