A press release from the Aurealis Awards:

SpecFaction NSW, organisers of the 2012 Aurealis Awards, are delighted to announce the finalists for the 2012 Aurealis Awards.

Judging Co-ordinator Tehani Wessely said that with almost 750 entries across the thirteen categories, the judges had a difficult job. “Once again, the judges agreed that entries were of a very high standard and the final decisions were subject to much debate among the panelists. We had record entries in almost all categories.

“The trend towards quality e-published fiction continued in 2012, with a high percentage of entries published this way. The short story categories continue to flourish, and while some entry categories were relatively small, others maintained or surpassed previous figures.

“I’d like to thank all the judges for their time and effort judging of these awards.”

Winners of the 2012 Aurealis Awards and the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence will be announced at the Aurealis Awards ceremony, on the evening of Saturday 18 May at the Independent Theatre, North Sydney. The event is proudly supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Details of the evening and a link to the online booking website are available at www.aurealisawards.com.

An after party will be held at Rydges, North Sydney, following the awards presentations. Accommodation is available at Rydges — to receive event discount rates please use the code ‘Aurealis’ when making your booking.

2012 Aurealis Awards Finalists:

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 (Bloodstone)
“The Stone Witch” by Isobelle Carmody (Under My Hat)
“First They Came” by Deborah Kalin (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #55)
“Bajazzle” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape)
“The Isles of the Sun” by Margo Lanagan (Cracklescape)

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 Mago Lanagan (Cracklescape)
“Beyond Winter’s Shadow” by Greg Mellor (Wild Chrome)
“The Trouble with Memes” by Greg Mellor (Wild Chrome)
“The Lighthouse Keepers’ Club” by Kaaron Warren (Exotic Gothic 4)

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 Press)

Horror Short Story:
“Sanaa’s Army” by Joanne Anderton (Bloodstones)
“Elyora” by Jodi Cleghorn (Rabbit Hole Special Issue)
“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 Ambelin Kwaymullina (Walker Books)
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 the Ants” by Thoraiya Dyer (Clarkesworld)
“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 Books)
The Silver Door by Emily Rodda (Scholastic)
Irinia the Wolf Queen by Leah Swann (Xoum)

Children’s Fiction (told primarily through pictures):
Little Elephants by Graeme Base (Viking Peguin)
The Boy Who Grew into a Tree written by Gary Crew, illustrated by Ross Watkins (Penguin Group Australia)
In the Beech Forest written by Gary Crew, illustrated by Den Scheer (Ford Street Publishing)
Inside the World of Tom Roberts by Mark Wilson (Lothian Children’s Books)

Illustrated Book / Graphic Novel:
Blue by Pat Grant (Top Shelf Comix)
It Shines and Shakes and Laughs by Tim Molloy (Milk Shadow Books)
Changing Ways #2 by Justin Randall (Gestalt Publishing)

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 amp; Fantasy of the Year, Volume 6 edited by Jonathan Strahan (Night Shade Books)
Under My Hat edited by Jonathan Strahan (Random House)
Edge of Infinity edited by Jonathan Strahan (Solaris Books)

Collection:
That Book Your Mad Ancestor Wrote by K.J. Bishop (self-published)
Metro Winds by Isobelle Carmody (Allen & Unwin)
Midnight and Moonshine by Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter (Ticonderoga Publications)
Living With the Dead by Martin Livings (Dark Prints Press)
Through Splintered Walls by Kaaron Warren (Twelfth Planet Press)