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Nebula Award News
SFWA Announces the 2019 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award Recipients
January 31st, 2019
For Immediate Release
Kate Wilhelm Solstice Awards To Be Presented to Nisi Shawl and Neil Clarke
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Awards will be presented to Nisi Shawl and Neil Clarke at the 54th Annual Nebula Conference.
The Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award is given by SFWA for distinguished contributions to the science fiction and fantasy community. Shawl and Clarke join the ranks of previous winners, including Octavia E. Butler, James Tiptree, Jr., Tom Doherty, Carl Sagan, and Sheila Williams. The award ceremony will be a part of the SFWA Nebula Conference taking place at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills, CA on May 16th-19th, 2019.
Nisi Shawl
In addition to her own writing, including the novel Everfair and the stories collected in Filter House and Something More and More, Nisi Shawl has been active in teaching science fiction and promoting a wide range of diverse voices through the Carl Brandon Society. Her editorial work included guest editing the issue People of Color Take Over Fantastic Stories of the Imagination and the anthologies Bloodchildren: Stories by the Octavia E. Butler Scholars and Stories for Chip: A Tribute to Samuel R. Delany, the latter a collaboration with Bill Campbell. Shawl was one of the founders of the Carl Brandon Society in 1999, which not only presents the Carl Brandon Parallax Award and the Kindred Award to promote authors of color and works which focus on issues of race and ethnicity, but also works to make attendance and conventions more affordable for people of color by provided scholarships.
SFWA President Cat Rambo noted, “Nisi Shawl’s work with the Carl Brandon Society has, as the society’s mission statement says, fostered dialogue about issues of race, ethnicity and culture, raised awareness both inside and outside the fantastical fiction communities, promoted inclusivity in publication/production, and celebrated the accomplishments of people of color in science fiction, fantasy and horror. She’s worked to provide writers with the tools they need, including Writing the Other, co-written with Cynthia Ward, as well as classes based on the book. And she’s pushed steampunk into new lands with her critically acclaimed novel Everfair. She exemplifies the spirit of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award.”
Neil Clarke
Invested in the community for decades through various publishing and book-selling ventures, Clarke launched the Hugo and World Fantasy Award winning online publication, Clarkesworld Magazine in 2006. Over the ten-plus years since its inception, he has published a wide range of new and established writers, including a large number of non-Anglophone authors in translation.
Instrumental in the transition from paper-only submissions to online systems, the software he first developed for Clarkesworld is still in use at several magazines. Clarke founded Wyrm Publishing in 2007,Forever Magazine in 2015, and the translation imprint, Clarkesworld Books, in 2019. He also currently serves as the editor of the SFWA Bulletin. In recent years, he’s taken on the task of finding The Best Science Fiction of Year–an anthology series currently in its fourth year of publication–and has edited multiple, successful anthologies with Night Shade Books.
SFWA President Cat Rambo has noted about Clarke, “Over the years, Neil has grown Clarkesworld Magazine into one of the powerhouses among online magazines, excelling in its treatment of writers, including one of the highest per words rate coupled with one of the fastest reply rates in the business. At the same time, he’s encouraged international voices through translation and outreach, while consistently publishing some of the finest fantasy and science fiction around. He well merits recognition in the form of the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award.”
The Nebula Awards® will be presented during the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, which will run from May 16th-19th and feature programming developed and geared toward working SFF Professionals. On May 18th, a mass autograph session will take place at Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills and is open to the public.
The Nebula Awards®, presented annually, recognize the best works of science fiction and fantasy published in the previous year. They are selected by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The first Nebula Awards® were presented in 1966.
The Nebula Awards® include four fiction awards, a game writing award, the Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book. SFWA also administers the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Awards, the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award, and the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.
SFWA Announces Newest Damon Knight Grand Master – William Gibson
January 8th, 2019
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that William Gibson has been named the 35th Damon Knight Grand Master for his contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award recognizes “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.” Gibson joins the Grand Master ranks alongside such legends as C. J. Cherryh, Peter S. Beagle, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and Joe Haldeman. The award will be presented at the 54th Annual Nebula Conference and Awards Ceremony in Woodland Hills, CA, May 16th-19th, 2019.
Gibson is known for his cyberpunk novels Neuromancer, Virtual Light, and Mona Lisa Overdrive,and co-wrote the steampunk novel The Difference Enginewith Bruce Sterling. Gibson’s writing, through novels such as Pattern Recognition and The Peripheral, continues to break new ground and stimulate conversation about the cyberworld. The influence of Gibson’s writing has not only been felt within the science fiction community, but has expanded to other forms of art, as seen in the music of Billy Idol and Warren Zevon and the Matrixfilms, as well as throughout computer culture.
SFWA PRESIDENT, CAT RAMBO
William Gibson coined the word cyberspace in his story “Burning Chrome,” expanding on that concept two years later in the novel Neuromancer. He forged a body of work that has played a major part in the coalescing of the cyberpunk movement, influencing dozens of writers of cinema, fiction, and games, among other creatives. Not content to be one of the definitive writers in only one subgenre, he then went on to help engender steampunk with Bruce Sterling in their collaborative work,The Difference Engine. Gibson continues to produce taut, evocative works that reflect the despair and hope of the 21st century. To be a SFWA Grand Master is to be a speculative fiction writer that has shaped the genre and made it what it is today. Gibson fills that role abundantly.
The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award will be presented along with the Nebula Awards® during the annual SFWA Nebula Conference, which will run from May 16th-19th and features seminars and panel discussions on the craft and business of writing, SFWA’s annual business meeting, and receptions. On May 18th, a mass autograph session will take place at the Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills and is open to the public.
The Nebula Awards®, presented annually, recognize the best works of science fiction and fantasy published in the United States as selected by members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The first Nebula Awards® were presented in 1966.
The Nebula Awards® include four fiction awards, a game writing award, the Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book. SFWA also administers the Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award, the Kevin O’Donnell Jr. Service to SFWA Award, and the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.
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Nebula nominations now open
SFWA Active & Associate members — start nominating now and revise your ballot through Feb 15. Beginning your nominations early helps the awards committee with their work confirming eligibility details (word count, pub date). Nominate here.
Nebula Awards® Rules Changes: Associate Members Granted Voting Privileges, Game Writing Award Added
The SFWA Board of Directors and the Nebula Awards® Committee are pleased to announce an extensive update to rules for the Nebula Awards®, including the Ray Bradbury and Andre Norton Awards, effective November 15, 2018.
The two most significant rule changes involve an expansion of voting privileges and a new Nebula Award category. Whereas previously, only Active Members of SFWA could vote in the Nebulas, Associate Members are now granted full voting privileges. Game Writing has been added a Nebula Award category. Eligible works are defined as “an interactive or playable story-driven work which conveys narrative, character, or story background.”
These two changes are the results of lengthy, considered discussion by the Board and SFWA Awards Rules Committee (SARC), and reflect SFWA’s commitment to inclusion, empowerment, and outreach.
For many years, becoming an Active Member of SFWA has been a landmark moment in a science fiction and/or fantasy writer’s career, marking their ascent to the ranks of professional writers. But SFWA has always benefited from including Associate Members in our activities, as experts, volunteers, and colleagues. Welcoming Associate Members as full voters in the Nebulas represents an acknowledgement of the importance of the full life-cycle of a writer’s career in our rich SFF publishing ecosystem.
In 2016, SFWA welcomed Game Writers as members. Game Writing is an increasingly important SFF storytelling medium that expands the realm of the possible in ever-changing ways. By establishing Game Writing as a separate Nebula category, SFWA is recognizing that as technology changes, the media for storytelling change, and excellence in writing is not confined to books, stories, and scripts.
The following is a summary of the Nebula Award rule changes:
Associate Members granted full voting privileges
- Both Active and Associate Members in good standing may vote in the Nebulas. (Section 12.7)
Game Writing Nebula
- This new category is defined as “An interactive or playable story-driven work which conveys narrative, character, or story background.” (Section 5.5)
- There is no word count requirement (Section 13.1)
- To be eligible, a game must include at least one credited writer. (Section 6.6)
- A new version of a game is eligible if substantive changes have been made. (Section 6.6)
Some minor changes
- Audiobooks and podcasts have always been eligible in the appropriate category based on word count, but now they are explicitly mentioned. (Section 6.1.1)
- The rule that allowed a novella to appear in the novel category has been removed. (Section 5.4.1)
- SFWA members may request a paper ballot no later than two weeks before applicable ballot closing. (Section 11; Section 12.6).
- Nomination numbers will not be released. (Section 11.2)
- For the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, serial works must be nominated by individual episode. However, if there are no more than three connected episodes, a serial work may be nominated as a whole work. (Section 14.4)
- Multi-author works will be awarded one trophy. Co-authors and translators will receive certificates. (Section 16.1)
The new rules are available at:
Registration now open for 2019 Nebula Conference
The 54th Annual Nebula Conference will be held in Los Angeles, CA in 2019.
When: Thursday, May 16th, 2019—Sunday, May 19th, 2019
Where: Marriott Warner Center in Woodland Hills, CA
REGISTRATION
Early Bird Conference Registration: $260.00 +$14.18 fee. (Rate scheduled to go up on 11/30/18.)
HOTEL
Warner Center Marriott Woodland Hills
21850 Oxnard St
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
Phone: (818) 887-4800
149.00 USD per night plus tax. In room internet included.
If you have questions or need help with the link, please do not hesitate to ask. You can reach the SFWA Events Team at events@sfwa.org.
2018 Nebula Awards® Showcase now available
The latest volume of the prestigious anthology series, published annually across six decades!
The Nebula Awards® Showcase volumes have been published annually since 1966, reprinting the winning and nominated stories of the Nebula Awards®, voted on by the members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). This year’s editor, selected by SFWA’s Anthology Committee, is SFWA Grand Master Jane Yolen, author of children’s books, fantasy, and science fiction. This year’s Nebula Award winning authors are Charlie Jane Anders, Seanan McGuire, William Ledbetter, Amal El-Mohtar, and Eric Heisserer, with David D. Levine winning the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy Book.