| Mythopoeic Awards | |
| Awarded For: | Outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas |
| Presenter: | Mythopoeic Society |
| Year: | 1971 |
| Holder Label: | Most recent winners |
The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas.Established by the Mythopoeic Society in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award is given for "fiction in the spirit of the Inklings", and the Scholarship Award for non-fiction work. The award is a statuette of a seated lion, with a plaque on the base. It has drawn resemblance to, and is often called, the "Aslan".
The Mythopoeic Award is one of the "principal annual awards" for fantasy according to critic Brian Stableford.[1] From 1971 to 1991, there was one award per category, annual but not always awarded before 1981. Dual awards in each category were established in 1992: Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards for Adult Literature and Children's Literature; Scholarship Awards in Inklings Studies, and Myth and Fantasy Studies. In 2010, a Student Paper Award was introduced for the best paper presented at Mythcon by an undergraduate or graduate student;[2] it was renamed the Alexei Kondratiev Award several months after its creation.[3]
The 2023 winners were announced virtually at the Mythopoeic Society's Online Midsummer Seminar 2023.[4]
In the following tables, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the novel was first published. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature". Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; those with a white background are the other nominees on the shortlist.[5]
* Winners| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher or publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Tim Powers | Ace Books | |
| Orson Scott Card | Prentice Alvin | Tor Books | |
| Patricia A. McKillip | Atheneum Books | ||
| Pat Murphy | Doubleday | ||
| Matt Ruff | Fool on the Hill | The Atlantic Monthly Press | |
| 1991 | Ellen Kushner | Thomas the Rhymer | William Morrow & Co |
| Guy Gavriel Kay | Tigana | Penguin Canada | |
| Ursula K. Le Guin | Tehanu | Atheneum Books | |
| James Morrow | Only Begotten Daughter | William Morrow & Co | |
| Jane Yolen | Tor Books |
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher or publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Theodora Goss | Snow White Learns Witchcraft | Mythic Delirium Books |
| P. Djèlí Clark | The Haunting of Tram Car 015 | Tor.com | |
| Alix E. Harrow | The Ten Thousand Doors of January | Redhook | |
| Jo Walton | Lent | Tor Books | |
| G. Willow Wilson | The Bird King | Grove Press | |
| 2021 | TJ Klune | The House in the Cerulean Sea | Tor |
| Alice Hoffman | Magic Lessons | Simon Schuster | |
| Jordan Ifueko | Raybearer | Amulet | |
| Silvia Moreno-Garcia | Mexican Gothic | Del Rey | |
| Garth Nix | The Left-Handed Booksellers of London | Katherine Tegen Books | |
| 2022 | Jo Walton | Or What You Will | Tor |
| Katherine Addison | The Witness for the Dead | Tor | |
| Ryka Aoki | Light From Uncommon Stars | Tor | |
| P. Djèlí Clark | A Master of Djinn | Tordotcom | |
| Susanna Clarke | Piranesi | Bloomsbury | |
| Garth Nix | Terciel and Elinor | Katherine Tegen Books | |
| 2023 | Sacha Lamb | When the Angels Left the Old Country | Levine Querido |
| Kelly Barnhill | When Women Were Dragons | Doubleday | |
| Alex Jennings | The Ballad of Perilous Graves | Redhook | |
| GennaRose Nethercott | Thistlefoot | Anchor Books | |
| Peng Shepherd | The Cartographers | William Morrow |
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher or publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Salman Rushdie | Haroun and the Sea of Stories | Granta |
| Bruce Coville | Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich | |
| Diana Wynne Jones | Castle in the Air | Methuen | |
| Will Shetterly | Elsewhere | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich | |
| Zilpha Keatley Snyder | Song of the Gargoyle | Delacorte Press | |
| 1993 | James D. Macdonald | Knight's Wyrd | HMH Books for Young Readers |
| T. A. Barron | The Ancient One | Philomel Books | |
| Bruce Coville | Jennifer Murdley's Toad | Jane Yolen Books | |
| Peni R. Griffin | Hobkin | Margaret K. McElderry | |
| Ursula K. Le Guin | Fish Soup | Atheneum | |
| 1994 | Suzy McKee Charnas | The Kingdom of Kevin Malone | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Lynne Reid Banks | The Mystery of the Cupboard | HarperCollins Children's Books | |
| Lois Lowry | The Giver | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | |
| Will Shetterly | Nevernever | HMH Books for Young Readers | |
| Patricia C. Wrede | Calling on Dragons | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich | |
| 1995 | Patrice Kindl | Owl in Love | HMH Books for Young Readers |
| Emma Bull | The Princess and the Lord of Night | Harcourt Children's Books | |
| Peni R. Griffin | Switching Well | Margaret K. McElderry | |
| Robin McKinley | A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories | Greenwillow Books | |
| Jane Yolen | Good Griselle | Harcourt Children's Books | |
| 1996 | Diana Wynne Jones | The Crown of Dalemark | Mandarin |
| Susan Cooper | The Boggart | Macmillan | |
| Luli Gray | Falcon's Egg | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | |
| Sherwood Smith | Wren's War | Jane Yolen Books | |
| Sylvia Waugh | The Mennyms | Julia McRae | |
| 1997 (Adult and Children's awards combined) | Terri Windling | The Wood Wife | Tor Books |
| John Barnes | One for the Morning Glory | Tor Books | |
| Patricia A. McKillip | Winter Rose | Ace Books | |
| Nancy Springer | Fair Peril | Avon Books | |
| Gene Wolfe | The Book of the Long Sun | Tor Books | |
| 1998 | Jane Yolen | Young Merlin trilogy | Harcourt Children's Books |
| Susan Cooper | The Boggart and the Monster | Margaret K. McElderry | |
| Dahlov Ipcar | A Dark Horn Blowing | Viking Press | |
| Robin McKinley | Rose Daughter | Greenwillow Books | |
| 1999 | Diana Wynne Jones | Dark Lord of Derkholm | Gollancz |
| Kara Dalkey | Heavenward Path | Harcourt Children's Books | |
| Gail Carson Levine | Ella Enchanted | HarperTrophy | |
| Gerald Morris | The Squire's Tale | HMH Books for Young Readers | |
| J. K. Rowling | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Bloomsbury |
| Author | Novel | Publisher or publication | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Grace Lin | Where the Mountain Meets the Moon | Little, Brown |
| Kage Baker | The Hotel Under the Sand | Tachyon | |
| Shannon Hale | Books of Bayern | Bloomsbury | |
| Malinda Lo | Ash | Little, Brown | |
| Lisa Mantchev | Eyes Like Stars | Feiwel & Friends | |
| 2011 | Megan Whalen Turner | The Queen's Thief series | Greenwillow Books |
| Catherine Fisher | Incarceron and Sapphique | Dial | |
| Terry Pratchett | I Shall Wear Midnight | Doubleday | |
| Polly Shulman | The Grimm Legacy | Putnam Juvenile | |
| Heather Tomlinson | Toads and Diamonds | Henry Holt and Co. | |
| 2012 | Delia Sherman | The Freedom Maze | Big Mouth House |
| Lisa Mantchev | Théâtre Illuminata series | Feiwel & Friends | |
| Tamora Pierce | Beka Cooper series | Random House | |
| Maggie Stiefvater | The Scorpio Races | Scholastic | |
| Catherynne M. Valente | The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making | Feiwel & Friends | |
| 2013 | Sarah Beth Durst | Vessel | Margaret K. McElderry |
| Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado | Giants Beware! | First Second | |
| Merrie Haskell | The Princess Curse | HarperCollins | |
| Christopher Healy | The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom | Walden Pond Press | |
| Sherwood Smith | The Spy Princess | Viking Juvenile | |
| 2014 | Holly Black | Doll Bones | Margaret K. McElderry |
| William Alexander | Ghoulish Song | Margaret K. McElderry | |
| Joseph Bruchac | Killer of Enemies | Tu Books | |
| Sara Beth Durst | Conjured | Walker Books | |
| Robin McKinley | Shadows | Nancy Paulsen Books | |
| 2015 | Natalie Lloyd* | A Snicker of Magic | Scholastic |
| Jonathan Auxier | The Night Gardener | Harry N. Abrams | |
| Merrie Haskell | The Castle Behind Thorns | Katherine Tegan Books | |
| Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula Jones | The Islands of Chaldea | Greenwillow Books | |
| Robin LaFevers | His Fair Assassin series | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | |
| 2016 | Ursula Vernon | Castle Hangnail | Dial |
| Cassie Beasley | Circus Mirandus | Dial | |
| Robert Beatty | Serafina and The Black Cloak | Disney-Hyperion | |
| Sarah Beth Durst | The Girl Who Could Not Dream | Clarion Books | |
| Terry Pratchett | Tiffany Aching Series | Doubleday | |
| 2017 | Adam Gidwitz | The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog | Dutton |
| S. E. Grove | The Mapmakers Trilogy | Viking | |
| Bridget Hodder | The Rat Prince | Farrar, Straus, & Giroux | |
| Grace Lin | When the Sea Turned to Silver | Little, Brown | |
| Delia Sherman | The Evil Wizard Smallbone | Candlewick | |
| 2018 | Garth Nix | Frogkisser! | Scholastic |
| Cassie Beasley | Tumble and Blue | Dial | |
| Stephanie Burgis | The Dragon with the Chocolate Heart | Bloomsbury Children's Books | |
| Nidhi Chanani | Pashmina | First Second | |
| A. F. Harrold | The Song from Somewhere Else | Bloomsbury Children's Books | |
| 2019 | Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead* | Bob | Feiwel and Friends |
| Jorge Aguirre & Rafael Rosado | Giants Beware!; Dragons Beware |
| First Second |
| Jonathan Auxier | Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster | Abrams | |
| Sarah Beth Durst | The Stone Girl's Story | Clarion Books | |
| Emily Tetri | Tiger vs. Nightmare | First Second |
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher or publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Yoon Ha Lee | Dragon Pearl | Disney/Hyperion |
| Erin Entrada Kelly | Lalani of the Distant Sea | Greenwillow Books | |
| Hilary McKay | The Time of Green Magic | Macmillan | |
| Suzanne Nelson | A Tale Magnolius | Alfred A. Knopf | |
| Anne Ursu | The Lost Girl | Walden Pond Press | |
| 2021 | T. Kingfisher | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Argyll |
| Lev Grossman | The Silver Arrow | Little, Brown | |
| Kat Leyh | Snapdragon | First Second | |
| Tae Keller | When You Trap a Tiger | Random House | |
| Carlos Hernandez | The Sal and Gabi duology: Sal and Gabi Break the Universe and Sal and Gabi Fix the Universe | Rick Riordan Presents | |
| Jenn Reese | A Game of Fox and Squirrels | Henry Holt | |
| 2022 | Lori M. Lee | Pahua and the Soul Stealer | Rick Riordan Presents |
| Eden Royce | Root Magic | Walden Pond Press | |
| Sayantani DasGupta | Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond trilogy | Scholastic | |
| Regina M. Hansen | The Coming Storm | Atheneum Books | |
| Tae Keller | When You Trap a Tiger | Random House | |
| 2023 | Kelly Barnhill | The Ogress and the Orphans | Algonquin Young Readers |
| Tracy Badua | Freddie vs. the Family Curse | Clarion | |
| Kate DiCamillo | The Beatryce Prophecy | Candlewick Press | |
| Brian Farrey | The Counterclockwise Heart | Algonquin Young Readers | |
| L.D. Lapinski | Strangeworlds Travel Agency trilogy | ||
| Sofiya Pasternack | Black Bird, Blue Road | Versify | |
| Christina Soontornvat | The Last Mapmaker | Candlewick Press |
The following authors have received two or more Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards.
| Wins | Author | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Patricia A. McKillip | 1995, 2003, 2007, 2017 (Adult) |
| 3 | Ursula Vernon | 2013 (Adult), 2016, 2021 (Children's) |
| Jane Yolen | 1985, 1993 (Adult), 1998 (Children's) | |
| 2 | Peter S. Beagle | 1987, 2000 (Adult) |
| Joy Chant | 1972, 1984 | |
| John Crowley | 1982, 2018 (Adult) | |
| Neil Gaiman | 1999, 2006 (Adult) | |
| Diana Wynne Jones | 1996, 1999 (Children's) | |
| Naomi Novik | 2016, 2019 (Adult) | |
| Delia Sherman | 1994 (Adult), 2012 (Children's) | |
| Mary Stewart | 1971, 1974 | |
| Jo Walton | 2010, 2022 (Adult) |
The following authors have received four or more nominations.
| Nominations | Author |
|---|---|
| 15 | Patricia A. McKillip |
| 9 | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| 8 | Robin McKinley |
| 7 | Neil Gaiman |
| Diana Wynne Jones | |
| Jane Yolen | |
| 6 | Terry Pratchett |
| 5 | Peter S. Beagle |
| Holly Black | |
| Guy Gavriel Kay | |
| Tim Powers | |
| Jo Walton | |
| 4 | Charles de Lint |
| Delia Sherman | |
| Catherynne M. Valente | |
| Gene Wolfe |
There are two Mythopoeic Scholarship Awards since 1992 (and a Student Paper Award related to Mythcon, not covered here, since 2010). The Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies dates from 1971, in effect, its name was expanded in 1992.[6]
Scholarly works have three years to win the award once and may be on the final ballot three times.[7]
Winners are listed below.
Winners are listed below.[6]