The Sir Julius Vogel Awards

Published on by twadmin

The Sir Julius Vogel awards are fan-voted awards which recognise excellence in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror by writers and creatives in New Zealand. The winners are decided by a vote of the members of the SFFANZ, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand Inc.

Professional nominations can be for: novels, short stories, art and others. Fan nominations can be for: fanzine, writing, art and Services to Fandom.

This year, the Sir Julius Vogel Awards were a part of the national convention, CoNZealand, which was held online from July 29 to August 2, 2020.

The following lists highlight all the winners and shortlisted finalists for this year’s awards, including links to where you can purchase their material, or to the author’s personal websites. (All links open in new tabs.)

PROFESSIONAL AWARD NOMINEES

Best Novel

Best Youth Novel

Best Novella / Novelette

Best Short Story

Best Collected Work

Best Professional Artwork

Best Professional Production/Publication

Best Dramatic Presentation

FAN AWARD NOMINEES

Best Fan Artwork

Best Fan Production/ Publication

Best Fan Writing

SPECIAL AWARD NOMINEES

Best New Talent

Services to Fandom

WINNER: Grace Bridges

Grace Bridges chaired GeyserCon and does a great deal to support writers and artists both nationally and internationally. She represents NZ well on an international stage and encourages young creators to practice and pursue their own dreams. She plays well with others and is a good example of positive fandom.

Grace Bridges has been an integral member of New Zealand’s fan community for over a decade. A writer, graphic artist, cosplayer, publisher, editor, gamer, speaker, panellist, mentor, and strong community activist. Grace fully embraces her role as both a creator and a fan of science fiction and fantasy. Her formal roles include serving as chair of the GeyserCon National science fiction and fantasy convention in Rotorua in June 2019, as a member of the Core of SpecFicNZ for close to a decade (and President of the group for much of that), and as an active member of Young New Zealand Writers (promoting and developing young creatives in science fiction and fantasy) from 2017 onwards. She promotes New Zealand genre work and fandom both locally and internationally and advocates for a science fiction and fantasy community which encourages inclusiveness for all. Most of Grace’s spare time over the past ten years has been devoted to growing and supporting our fan community—usually while dressed as Capt. Kathryn Janeway or as your favourite TimeLord—making her a highly worthy recipient of this award.

Services to Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror

WINNER: Melanie Harding-Shaw

Mel has been instrumental in bridging the gap between Kiwi SFF and Worldcon. She has organized a local group of Wellington writers across the SFF spectrum,including those who are familiar with Kiwi fandom and those who have historically worked in the literary scene. She is also coordinating Kiwi SFF participants at CoNZealand, both ensuring a wide variety of voices and encouraging those who might not otherwise attend to consider doing so. She is involved both with SpecFicNZ and the New Zealand Society of Authors to bring all authors of speculative work together to share knowledge and resources and celebrate Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror writing in Aotearoa.

READ MORE:

The full SJV longlist can be found on the SFFANZ webpage here and provides an excellent starting point for exploring more New Zealand speculative fiction.

Twitter has been a-buzz with people making some excellent recommendation lists this week. Here’s some useful threads: