Kitschies Explained

Kitschies
Awarded For:Literary award
Country:United Kingdom

The Kitschies are British literary prizes presented annually for "the year's most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic" published in the United Kingdom.

Awards and criteria

The Kitschies are administered by a non-profit association with the stated mission of "encouraging and elevating the tone of the discussion of genre literature in its many forms".[1] The founders, Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin, said that they sought to bring attention to works with a fantastic or speculative element that are progressive in terms of content and composition.[2]

The award is a juried prize that selects those books which "best elevate the tone of genre literature". Qualifying books must contain "an element of the fantastic or speculative" and have been published in the UK.[3] Winners receive a sum of prize money and a textile tentacle trophy.

The Kitschies are governed by an advisory board of members. They were initially established in 2009 by the website pornokitsch.com. The Kraken Rum was the sponsor between 2010 and 2013. For 2014 and 2015, Fallen London (a creation of UK game developer Failbetter Games) was the sponsor. The award did not run in 2016.[4] From 2017 the sponsor is Blackwell's Bookshop.[5]

, the Kitschies are awarded in five categories:

Organisation

The judging panels changes annually[6] and the unpaid directors have changed due to workload or illness.[7] The number of submissions has increased from 70 in 2009[8] to a record of 234 in 2013.

For each year, the judges, directors, and the number of submissions for each year are as follows:

YearLiteraryArtNatively digital fictionAward DirectorsSubmissions
2009 and Jared ShurinN/AN/A and Anne C. Perry70[9]
2010 and Jared ShurinN/AN/A and Anne C. Perry50[10]
2011, Jared Shurin, Lauren Beukes, and Rebecca Levene, Craig Kennedy, Catherine Hemelryk, and Darren BanksN/A150[11]
2012, Rebecca Levene, and Patrick Ness, Gary Northfield, and Ed WarrenN/A211[12]
2013, Catherine Webb, Will Hill, Anab Jain, and Annabelle Wright, Sarah Anne Langton, Emma Vieceli, and Craig KennedyN/A234[13]
2014, Adam Roberts, Kim Curran, Frances Hardinge, and Glen Mehn, Dapo Adeola, Jim Kay, and Siân Prime, James Wallis, Phil van Kemenade, and Clare Reddington198[14]
2015[15] , James Smythe, Nazia Khatun, Nikesh Shukla and Glen Mehn, Regan Warner, Dapo Adeola, and Lauren O'Farrell, Emily Short, and Rebecca Levene176[16]
2016No award
2017[17] , Leila Abu El Hawa, Joshua Idehen, Alasdair Stuart, and Ewa Scibor-Rylska, Sharan Dhaliwal, Jet Purdie, and Stuart TaylorN/A and Leila Abu El Hawa142[18]
2018[19] , Sharan Dhaliwal, Daniel Carpenter, Lucy Smee, and Matt Webb, Lily Ash Sakula, and Maeve RuttenN/A and Leila Abu El Hawa178[20]
2019[21] , Kirsty Logan, Tasha Suri, Michaela Grey, and Alasdair Stuart, James Spackman, Kaiya Shang, and Sharan MatharuN/A and Anne Perry196[22]
2020[23] , Clare Rees, Mahvesh Murad, Kaiya Shang, and Daphne Lao Tong, Fleur Clarke, Claire Richardson, and Jeffrey Alan LoveN/A and Anne Perry177[24]

Recipients

All award information, unless otherwise referenced, is from the Kitschies Award's blog and tumblr, or from the sponsor Blackwell's website.

Red Tentacle (best novel)

Red Tentacle winners and finalists!Year!Author!Nominated Work!Result!Ref
2009Won[25]
Best Served ColdNominated
(posth.) and Seth Grahame-SmithPride and Prejudice and Zombies
2010Zoo CityWon[26]
Children's CrusadeNominated
Kraken
Aurorarama
2011 and Patrick NessWon[27]
Nominated
Embassytown
Osama
2012AngelmakerWon[28]
Nominated
Jack Glass
2013Won[29]
Red DocNominated
More Than This
Bleeding Edge
2014Grasshopper JungleWon[30]
LagoonNominated
2015Won[31]
Europe at MidnightNominated3" />
2016No awards held[32]
2017Won[33]
, translated by L. SeegersFeverNominated4" />
City of Circles
We See Everything
Black Wave
2018CirceWon[34]
Record of a Spaceborn FewNominated
Rosewater
Unholy Land
2019Won[35]
and Max GladstoneThis Is How You Lose the Time WarNominated3" />
Always North
From the Wreck
2020PiranesiWon[36]
Nominated
2021No awards held
2022Won
Black Water SisterNominated
, trans. by Sean Lin Halbert
Bear Head

Golden Tentacle (best debut novel)

YearAuthorNominated WorkResultRef
2009Not awarded
2010King MakerWon
2011God's WarWon
Among ThievesNominated
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
2012Redemption in IndigoWon
vNNominated
Panopticon
Seraphina
2013Ancillary JusticeWon
Nominated
Stray
Nexus
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
2014Viper WineWon
Nominated
Memory of Water
2015Making WolfWon
BlackassNominated3" />
2016No awards held
2017Hunger Makes the WolfWon
Age of AssassinsNominated4" />
How Saints Die
Mandelbrot the Magnificent
2018Frankenstein in BaghdadWon
Children Of Blood and BoneNominated
Semiosis
Sweet Fruit, Sour Land
2019JellyWon
My Name Is MonsterNominated3" />
She Would Be King
Wilder Girls
2020Won
Sharks in the Time of SavioursNominated
Djinn Patrol on the Purple Line
Raybearer
2021No awards held
2022TemporaryWon
Composite CreaturesNominated
Several People Are Typing
Winter's Orbit
Iron Widow

Inky Tentacle (best cover art)

YearWorkAuthorArtist(s)ResultRef
2009Not awarded
2010Not awarded
2011 (designer)Won
Rivers of London (illus.) and Patrick Knowles (deisgn)Nominated
(design) and John Spencer (illus.)
Equations of Life (design)
and Siobhan Dowd (illus.)
2012 (illus.)Won
La Boca (design)Nominated
(illus.)
Costume Not Included (illus.)
Flame Alphabet (design)
2013 (art)Won
Dreams and Shadows (design and illus.)Nominated
Homeland and Pirate CinemaAmazing15 (design)
Stray (art)
Apocalypse Now Now (art)
2014Tigerman (cover)Won
(design)Nominated
(cover)
Through the Woods and Sonja Chaghatzbanian (cover)
and Yehring Tong (cover)
2015 (art direction and design)Won
(design)Nominated3" />
Monsters (art design) and Patrick Leger (illus.)
(design and illus.)
Get in Trouble
2016No awards held
2017 and the Simon & Schuster Art Department (cover)Won
(illus.)Nominated4" />
Black Wave (illus.) and Hannah Naughton (design)
Black Sheep (illus. and jacket design)
Our Memory like Dust (design)
2018Killing Commendatore (cover)Won
(design)Nominated
(design)
Square Eyes and Luke Jones and Luke Jones (design)
Slender Man Anonymous (design)
2019 (cover)Won
Across The Void (cover)Nominated3" />
(cover)
ZedFaber & Faber (cover)
This Is How You Lose the Time War and Max Gladstone (cover)
2020 (cover) and Dexter Maurer (illus.)Won
Little Eyes (cover)Nominated
Monstrous Heart (cover)
(cover) and Amy Judd (illus.)
(cover)
2021No awards held
2022 (art and design)Won[37]
Nightbitch Nominated
Velvet Was the Night
Iron Widow

Invisible Tentacle (best natively digital fiction)

YearAuthor / DeveloperNominated WorkForm of MediaResultRef
2014Cardboard Computer written by Jake ElliottKentucky Route Zero Act IIIvideo gameWon
and others@echovirus12Twitter fictionNominated
Inkle Studios written by Meg Jayanth and Jon Ingold, directed by Joseph Humfrey and Jon Ingold80 Daysvideo game
SimogoSailor’s Dreamvideo game
2015Dontnod EntertainmentLife Is Strangevideo gameWon
Arcadiainteractive novelNominated3" />
@FrogCroakleyDaniel Barker’s BirthdayTwitter fiction
BBC Writers RoomThe Last Hours of Laura K
/ FromSoftwareBloodbornevideo game

Glentacle (Discretionary award previously called the Black Tentacle)

This award was called "Black Tentacle" until 2020, when it was renamed in memory of Kitschies co-founder Glen Mehn.[38] [7]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: The Kitschies. 17 February 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150222020350/http://thekitschies.com/index.html. 22 February 2015.
  2. News: Barnett. David. The Kitschie awards have their Tentacles in the best genre fiction. 13 January 2012. The Guardian Books Blog. 13 January 2012. 3 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140303162359/http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2012/jan/13/kitschie-awards-tentacles-best-genre-fiction. live.
  3. Web site: The Kitschies: 2011 Finalists. Pornokitsch.com. 13 January 2012. 13 January 2012. 25 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210625060834/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2012/01/the-kitschies-2011-finalists.html. live.
  4. Web site: The future’s so bright we gotta wear tentacles – The Kitschies. www.thekitschies.com. en-GB. 2017-06-30. 24 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170524042503/http://www.thekitschies.com/the-futures-so-bright-we-gotta-wear-tentacles/. live.
  5. Web site: Blackwell's to sponsor The Kitschies The Bookseller. www.thebookseller.com. en. 2017-06-30. 14 July 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170714012634/http://www.thebookseller.com/news/blackwells-named-kitschies-headline-sponsor-492461. live.
  6. Web site: Judges – The Kitschies. 2021-08-21. en-GB. 9 June 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170609010445/http://www.thekitschies.com/judges/. live.
  7. Web site: 2020-04-14. The Glentacle. 2021-08-21. Hachette UK. en-US. 21 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101102/https://www.clairenorth.com/claire-north-posts/2020/04/14/the-glentacle/. live.
  8. Web site: The Kitschies: 2012 Submissions by the Numbers. 2021-08-21. Pornokitsch. 21 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/01/the-kitschies-2012-submissions-1.html. live.
  9. Web site: The Kitschies: 2012 Submissions by the Numbers. 2021-08-21. Pornokitsch. 21 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/01/the-kitschies-2012-submissions-1.html. live.
  10. Web site: The Kitschies: 2012 Submissions by the Numbers . 2021-08-21 . Pornokitsch . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/01/the-kitschies-2012-submissions-1.html . live .
  11. Web site: The Kitschies: 2012 Submissions by the Numbers . 2021-08-21 . Pornokitsch . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/01/the-kitschies-2012-submissions-1.html . live .
  12. Web site: The Kitschies: 2012 Submissions by the Numbers . 2021-08-21 . Pornokitsch . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2013/01/the-kitschies-2012-submissions-1.html . live .
  13. Web site: January 2014 . Dave Bradley 23 . 2014-01-23 . The Kitschies novel awards shortlist announced . 2021-08-21 . gamesradar . en . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/https://www.gamesradar.com/au/the-kitschies-novel-awards-shortlist-announced/ . live .
  14. Web site: The Kitschies 2014 shortlist! . 2021-08-21 . The Kitschies . en . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101106/https://thekitschies.tumblr.com/post/110891109359/the-kitschies-2014-shortlist . live .
  15. Web site: The Kitschies’ 2015 Shortlists Revealed – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 26 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726174748/http://www.thekitschies.com/the-kitschies-2015-shortlists-revealed/ . live .
  16. Web site: The Kitschies’ 2015 Shortlists Revealed – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 26 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210726174748/http://www.thekitschies.com/the-kitschies-2015-shortlists-revealed/ . live .
  17. Web site: 2017 awards – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101104/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2017-awards/ . live .
  18. Web site: Winners 2017 – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/http://www.thekitschies.com/346-2/ . live .
  19. Web site: Submissions for 2018 are now OPEN! – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101103/http://www.thekitschies.com/submissions-for-2018-are-now-open/ . live .
  20. Web site: locusmag . 2019-03-05 . 2018 Kitschies Shortlists . 2021-08-21 . Locus Online . en-US . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101116/https://locusmag.com/2019/03/2018-kitschies-shortlists/ . live .
  21. Web site: The Kitschies’ 2019 Winners Revealed . 2021-08-21 . The Kitschies . en . 30 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210730143549/https://thekitschies.tumblr.com/post/629318895020474368/the-kitschies-2019-winners-revealed . live .
  22. Web site: locusmag . 2020-03-09 . 2019 Kitschies Shortlists . 2021-08-21 . Locus Online . en-US . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101111/https://locusmag.com/2020/03/2019-kitschies-shortlists/ . live .
  23. Web site: Clarke and Anappara make Kitschies shortlists The Bookseller . 2021-08-21 . www.thebookseller.com . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821102619/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/kitschies-awards-shortlists-unveiled-1265832#:~:text=Both%20the%20novel%20and%20debut,Shang%20and%20Daphne%20Lao%20Tong. . live .
  24. Web site: The Kitschies 2020 Shortlists Revealed. – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 21 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821101101/http://www.thekitschies.com/the-kitschies-2020-shortlists-revealed/ . live .
  25. Web site: sfadb: The Kitschies 2010 . 2022-07-28 . www.sfadb.com . 28 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220728170902/http://www.sfadb.com/The_Kitschies_2010 . live .
  26. Web site: sfadb: The Kitschies 2011 . 2022-07-28 . www.sfadb.com . 28 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220728170902/http://www.sfadb.com/The_Kitschies_2011 . live .
  27. News: 4 February 2012 . The 2011 Kitschies, presented by The Kraken Rum . 4 February 2012 . 8 February 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120208021948/http://www.pornokitsch.com/2012/02/the-2011-kitschies-presented-by-the-kraken-rum.html . live .
  28. Web site: Alison Flood . 27 February 2013 . Nick Harkaway takes Kitschies Red Tentacle award . February 27, 2013 . . 22 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170222075415/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/feb/27/nick-harkaway-kitschies-red-tentacle-award . live .
  29. News: 13 February 2014 . THE KITSCHIES: CONGRATULATIONS & THANK YOU . Pornokitsch . 14 February 2014 . 22 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222142944/http://www.pornokitsch.com/2014/02/the-kitschies-congratulations-thank-you.html . live .
  30. News: 10 March 2015 . Kitschie awards judge overpowered by six-foot praying mantises! . . 10 March 2015 . 2 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402101038/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/05/kitschie-awards-judges-overpowered-by-six-foot-praying-mantises . live .
  31. News: 7 March 2016 . "Announcing The Kitschies’ 2015 Winners!" . . 7 March 2016 . 8 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160308110020/http://www.tor.com/2016/03/07/announcing-the-kitschies-2015-winners/ . live .
  32. Web site: The future’s so bright we gotta wear tentacles – The Kitschies . 2021-08-21 . en-GB . 24 May 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170524042503/http://www.thekitschies.com/the-futures-so-bright-we-gotta-wear-tentacles/ . live .
  33. News: 9 April 2018 . "Announcing The Kitschies’ 2017 Winners!" . . 12 April 2018 . 12 April 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180412212204/https://www.tor.com/2018/04/09/announcing-the-kitschies-2017-winners/ . live .
  34. Web site: Miller's Circe picks up Red Tentacle at Kitschies The Bookseller . 2021-08-21 . www.thebookseller.com . 7 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210607142114/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/miller-picks-red-tentacle-circe-kitschies-990436 . live .
  35. News: 6 April 2020 . "Announcing the Winners of the 2019 Kitschies!" . . 20 December 2020 . 17 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210117095143/https://www.tor.com/2020/04/06/announcing-the-winners-of-the-2019-kitschies/ . live .
  36. Web site: sfadb: The Kitschies 2021 . 2022-07-28 . www.sfadb.com . 1 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220701234157/http://www.sfadb.com/The_Kitschies_2021 . live .
  37. Web site: sfadb: The Kitschies 2022 . 2023-04-23 . www.sfadb.com . 31 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230331160821/http://www.sfadb.com/The_Kitschies_2022 . live .
  38. Web site: Glen Mehn. 2021-08-21. nesta. 3 August 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803151253/https://www.nesta.org.uk/team/glen-mehn/. live.
  39. Web site: The Kitschies: 2010 Black Tentacle Winner . 2022-07-11 . Pornokitsch . 11 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220711074716/https://www.pornokitsch.com/2011/01/the-kitschies-2010-black-tentacle-winner.html . live .
  40. Web site: 2011 Awards – The Kitschies . 2022-07-11 . en-GB . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702163149/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2011-awards/ . live .
  41. Web site: 2012 Awards – The Kitschies . 2022-07-11 . en-GB . 11 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220711074717/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2012-awards/ . live .
  42. Web site: 2013 Awards – The Kitschies . 2022-07-11 . en-GB . 20 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181020152202/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2013-awards/ . live .
  43. News: Flood . Alison . 13 February 2014 . Ruth Ozeki beats Thomas Pynchon to top Kitschie award . . 14 February 2014 . 20 January 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230120043913/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/13/ruth-ozeki-thomas-pynchon-kitschie-award . live .
  44. Web site: Tor.com . 2015-03-04 . Announcing The Kitschies’ 2014 Winners! . 2022-07-11 . Tor.com . en-US . 11 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220711074423/https://www.tor.com/2015/03/04/the-kitschies-winners-2014/ . live .
  45. Web site: 2015 Awards – The Kitschies . 2022-07-11 . en-GB . 27 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220527051442/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2015-awards/ . live .
  46. Web site: The Guardian . 2021-09-21 . theguardian.com/ . 4 April 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170404232600/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/05/kitschie-awards-judges-overpowered-by-six-foot-praying-mantises . live .
  47. Web site: 2019 Awards – The Kitschies . 2022-07-11 . en-GB . 11 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220711074423/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2019-awards/ . live .
  48. Web site: 2020 Awards – The Kitschies . 2022-07-11 . en-GB . 2 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220702170505/http://www.thekitschies.com/previous-awards/2020-awards/ . live .
  49. Web site: The Kitschies Blackwell's . 2021-08-21 . blackwells.co.uk . 13 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210813114519/https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/editorial/Kitschies . live .