Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel explained

Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel
Awarded For:Excellence in horror fiction novels
Presenter:Chimaera Publications
Continuum Foundation
Country:Australia
Year:1995
Holder:Ben Pienaar
Website:Official site

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers".[1] To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 November of the prior year and 31 October of the corresponding year;[2] the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.[3]

Since their creation in 1995, awards have been given in various categories of speculative fiction. Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction.[1] The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy. The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.[4]

The results are decided by a panel of judges from a list of submitted nominees; the long-list of nominees is reduced to a short-list of finalists.[1] Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner.[5] The judges may declare a "no award" if there is unanimous agreement that none of the nominees are worthy.[5] The judges are selected from a public application process by the Award's management team.[6]

This article lists all the short-list nominees and winners in the best horror novel category, as well as novels that have received honourable mentions or have been highly commended. Since 2005, honourable mentions and high commendations have been awarded intermittently. Kim Wilkins has won the award three times, while two people have won the award twice - Kirstyn McDermott and Kaaron Warren. Wilkins holds the record for most nominations, with five. Greig Beck, Stephen Dedman, and Jason Nahrung share the record for most nominations without winning, each having been nominated twice.

Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a yellow background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.

Winners and joint winners
Nominees on the shortlist

Year Author NovelPublisherRef
[7]
My Beautiful Friend
[8]
[9]
Dead Set
[10]
Foreign Devil [11]
Into the Dark
Deadly Sister Love
[12]
Blackwater Days
Angel of Ruin [13]
[14]
Daughter of the Dark
Shadows Bite
Born of the Sea [15]
[16]
Fire in the Shell
Giants of the Frost
[17]
[18]
Prismatic
Carnies
Blood of Dreams [19] [20]
Uncontested
[21]
PS Publishing
GhostlinesScribe Publications
Red Queen [22]
HornTwelfth Planet Press
Hachette
Night's Cold KissHarperCollins
SlightsAngry Robot Books
Madigan Mine [23]
Black House Comics[24]
Death Most DefiniteOrbit Books
[25] [26]
Hachette
Hachette
Perfections [27]
Bloody WatersPossible Press[28]
Blood and DustXoum
SalvageTwelfth Planet Press
Fairytales for Wilde Girls [29] [30]
Angry Robot Books
Momentum
Path Of NightFableCroft Publishing
Razorhurst [31]
ObsidianHarperVoyager
Book of the DeadMomentum
Day Boy
Uncontested
Fear is the RiderText Publishing
My Sister RosaAllen & Unwin
Soon
AletheiaCrystal Lake Publishing
Who's Afraid Too?Hachette Australia
Tide of Stone
Allen & Unwin
Years of the WolfIFWG Publishing Australia
[32]
Chuwa: The Rat-People of Lahore [33]
Remains
Body Farm Z
None Shall SleepAllen & Unwin[34]
Soul SurvivorScarlo Media[35]
Bowman Press
Monstrous HeartHarperVoyager
GutterbreedEclectic Trio Press
Holly and the NobodiesHellBound Books Publishing[36] [37] [38]
Picador Australia
Meerkat Press
Midnight in the Chapel of LoveJournalStone
Papa Lucy & The BonemanOutland Entertainment
The Stone RoadErewhon[39]
Sallow BendCemetery Dance[40]
ScavengersClan Destine Press
The StrangerAllen & Unwin
Path of ThornsTital
BunnyPan Macmillan Australia[41] [42]
BorderlandUWA Publishing
Cretaceous CanyonSevered
The Graveyard Shift Datura Books
Some Shall BreakAllen & Unwin
When Ghosts Call Us HomeMacmillan
I Publisher names in parentheses indicate the imprint under which the book was published.

Honourable mentions and high commendations

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a grey background have been noted as highly commended; those with a white background have received honourable mentions.

Highly commended
Honourable mentions

Year Author(s)NovelPublisherRef
Nine Letters Long
Dangerous Games

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Aurealis Awards – About Us . . 2010-01-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100814054206/http://www.aurealisawards.com/AboutUs.htm . 14 August 2010 . dead .
  2. Web site: Aurealis Awards – Rules and Conditions . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100316082030/http://www.aurealisawards.com/Rules.htm . 16 March 2010 . dead .
  3. Web site: Horror a hit . . . 2007-02-02 . Jason . Nahrung . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070404104456/http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21153270-5003424,00.html . 4 April 2007 . live .
  4. Koval, Ramona (presenter) . 2009-02-05 . Spotlight on speculative fiction writers . mp3 . 1:18–2:16 . Radio broadcast . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090214013326/http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2009/2483009.htm . 14 February 2009 . live .
  5. Web site: Guidelines for Judges . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927173942/http://www.aurealisawards.com/downloads/guidelines-for-judges.doc . 27 September 2011 . dead .
  6. Web site: Aurealis Awards – FAQ . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100316082702/http://www.aurealisawards.com/FAQ.htm . 16 March 2010 . dead .
  7. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1996 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424014358/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis1996.html . 24 April 2010 . dead .
  8. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1997 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424014404/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis1997.html . 24 April 2010 . live .
  9. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1998 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424014409/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis1998.html . 24 April 2010 . live .
  10. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 1999 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424013317/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis1999.html . 24 April 2010 . dead .
  11. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2000 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424092453/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2000.html . 24 April 2010 . dead .
  12. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2001 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424013332/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2001.html . 24 April 2010 . live .
  13. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2002 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424014414/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2002.html . 24 April 2010 . dead .
  14. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2003 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424100210/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2003.html . 24 April 2010 . dead .
  15. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2004 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424014419/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2004.html . 24 April 2010 . live .
  16. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2005 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100423084551/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2005.html . 23 April 2010 . live .
  17. Web site: Aurealis Awards, previous years' results . . 1995–2008 . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101224172144/http://www.aurealisawards.com/downloads/history1995_2008.pdf.pdf . 24 December 2010 . dead .
  18. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2007 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100423065700/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2007.html . 23 April 2010 . dead .
  19. Web site: sfadb: Aurealis Awards 2008 . 2022-06-30 . www.sfadb.com . 30 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630220548/http://www.sfadb.com/Aurealis_Awards_2008 . live .
  20. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2008 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100424014424/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2008.html . 24 April 2010 . dead .
  21. Web site: The Locus Index to SF Awards: 2009 Aurealis Awards . . 2009-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100103043752/http://locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Aurealis2009.html . 3 January 2010 . dead .
  22. Web site: Aurealis Awards 2009: Horror Judges' Report . . 2010-01-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707185406/http://aurealisawards.com/downloads/Horror.pdf . 7 July 2011 . dead .
  23. Web site: 2010 Aurealis Award winners . SpecFaction NSW . 21 May 2011 . 2011-05-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110821155648/http://www.aurealisawards.com/winners2010.pdf . 21 August 2011 . dead .
  24. Web site: Aurealis Awards Finalists 2010 . SpecFaction NSW . 2011-03-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110521042923/http://www.aurealisawards.com/finalists2010.pdf . 21 May 2011 . dead .
  25. Web site: sfadb: Aurealis Awards 2012 . 2022-06-30 . www.sfadb.com . 30 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220630220604/http://www.sfadb.com/Aurealis_Awards_2012 . live .
  26. Web site: Aurealis Awards Finalists 2011 . SpecFaction NSW . 2011-04-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120503231940/http://www.aurealisawards.com/finalists2011.pdf . 3 May 2012 . dead .
  27. Web site: 2012 Aurealis Award winners . SpecFaction NSW . 2013-05-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131030221659/http://www.aurealisawards.com/AA-winners_2012_media-release.pdf . 30 October 2013 .
  28. Web site: 2012 Aurealis Awards finalists announced . SpecFaction NSW . 2013-04-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150218061332/http://www.aurealisawards.com/media-release_finalists-March-2013.pdf . 18 February 2015 .
  29. Web site: 2013 Aurealis Awards finalists announced . Conflux . 2014-03-15 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140315100521/http://www.aurealisawards.com/Media%20Release%20-%20Finalists%20Feb%202014.pdf . 15 March 2014 .
  30. Web site: 2013 Aurealis Awards Winners . Conflux . 2014-04-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080206045120/http://www.aurealisawards.com/ . 6 February 2008 . dead .
  31. Web site: And the winners are... . Conflux . 2015-04-12 . 12 April 2015 . 25 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150525060344/http://aurealisawards.org/2015/04/12/and-the-winners-are/ . live .
  32. Web site: 2020-07-29. Aurealis Awards 2019 winners announced. 2020-08-03. Books+Publishing. en-AU. 16 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230216120222/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/07/29/154412/aurealis-awards-2019-winners-announced/. live.
  33. Web site: Aurealis Awards 2019 finalists announced. 2020-03-27. Books+Publishing. en-AU. 2020-03-29. 29 March 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200329062230/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2020/03/27/148459/aurealis-awards-2019-finalists-announced/. live.
  34. Web site: 2021-07-09. Aurealis Awards 2020 winners announced. live. 2021-07-09. Books+Publishing. en-AU. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709012007/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2021/07/09/189384/aurealis-awards-2020-winners-announced/ . 9 July 2021 .
  35. Web site: 2021-04-06. Aurealis Awards 2020 finalists announced. live. 2021-04-07. Books+Publishing. en-AU. https://web.archive.org/web/20210415102926/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2021/04/06/184772/aurealis-awards-2020-finalists-announced/ . 15 April 2021 .
  36. Web site: sfadb: Aurealis Awards 2022 . 2022-08-02 . www.sfadb.com . 23 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220623022251/https://www.sfadb.com/Aurealis_Awards_2022 . live .
  37. Web site: aaconvenor . 2022-05-28 . 2021 Aurealis Awards Winners . 2022-08-02 . Aurealis Awards . en . 28 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220628142938/https://aurealisawards.org/2022/05/28/1204/ . live .
  38. Web site: locusmag . 2022-05-31 . 2021 Aurealis Awards Winners . 2022-08-02 . Locus Online . en-US . 3 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230203163206/https://locusmag.com/2022/05/2021-aurealis-awards-winners/ . live .
  39. Web site: sfadb: Aurealis Awards 2023 . 2024-07-18 . www.sfadb.com . 14 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231214171531/https://www.sfadb.com/Aurealis_Awards_2023 . live .
  40. Web site: 2023-03-10 . Aurealis Awards shortlists announced . 2023-03-11 . Books+Publishing . 11 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230311222452/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2023/03/10/228046/aurealis-awards-shortlists-announced/ . live .
  41. Web site: sfadb: Aurealis Awards 2024 . 2024-07-18 . www.sfadb.com . 29 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240329035422/https://www.sfadb.com/Aurealis_Awards_2024 . live .
  42. Web site: 2023 Aurealis Awards Winners. 2024-07-18. aurealisawards.org . 29 May 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240529115208/https://aurealisawards.org/2024/05/18/2023-aurealis-awards-winners/ . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Aurealis Award for Best Horror Novel".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.