Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award

Last updated
Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award
Awarded forExcellence in science fiction and fantasy writing, literary achievements
Country United States
Presented by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association
First awarded1974
Website sfwa.org

The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is a lifetime honor presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to a living writer of fantasy or science fiction. It was first awarded in 1975, to Robert Heinlein. In 2002, it was renamed after Damon Knight, the founder of SFWA, who had died that year. [1]

Contents

The presentation is made at the annual SFWA Nebula Awards banquet, commonly during May, but it is not one of the Nebulas, which recognize the preceding calendar year's works and are selected by vote of all Association members. SFWA officers and past presidents alone submit Grand Master nominations and the final selection must be approved by a majority of that group. [2] The recipient is announced in advance, commonly during the preceding calendar year.

From 1995 to 2010, SFWA also gave some writers the title of Author Emeritus. In 2023, SFWA announced the creation of the Infinity Award, which posthumously honors creators who died before they could be considered for the Grand Master Award. The first recipient of the Infinity Award was Octavia E. Butler. [3]

History

The first Grand Master, Robert Heinlein, was named in 1975. The Grand Master Award was originally limited to six recipients per decade; [4] six were presented in the ten years to 1984 and twelve in the twenty years to 1994. From 1995, the award has been conferred annually, with the exception of 2002 and 2011. [2] Andre Norton was the first woman to receive the award, in 1984. As of 2024, Nalo Hopkinson is the youngest person to have received the award; she was aged 59.

From 1995 to 2010, SFWA also awarded the title of Author Emeritus "as a way to recognize and appreciate senior writers in the genres of science fiction and fantasy who have made significant contributions to our field but who are no longer active or whose excellent work may no longer be as widely known as it once was." Recipients were invited to speak at the annual Nebula Awards banquet. [5] Fourteen honorees were named in the sixteen years the award was given. [5] As of 2024, there has been no overlap between Grand Masters and Authors Emeritus. The award's status as a consolation prize was a matter of controversy, [6] and by October 2013 the Author Emeritus webpage had been removed by SFWA. [7]

Grand Masters

As of 2024, 40 Grand Masters have been created. The list below shows the year of the award ceremonies for each respective recipient. Awards are announced in advance of the ceremony, sometimes in the preceding year. [1]

YearRecipientRef.
1975 Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988)
1976 Jack Williamson (1908–2006)
1977 Clifford D. Simak (1904–1988)
1978 —
1979 L. Sprague de Camp (1907–2000)
1980 —
1981 Fritz Leiber (1910–1992)
1982 —
1983 —
1984 Andre Norton (1912–2005)
1985 —
1986 Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008)
1987 Isaac Asimov (1920–1992)
1988 Alfred Bester (1913–1987)
1989 Ray Bradbury (1920–2012)
1990 —
1991 Lester del Rey (1915–1993)
1992 —
1993 Frederik Pohl (1919–2013)
1994 —
1995 Damon Knight (1922–2002)
1996 A. E. van Vogt (1912–2000)
1997 Jack Vance (1916–2013)
1998 Poul Anderson (1926–2001)
1999 Hal Clement (1922–2003)
2000 Brian W. Aldiss (1925–2017)
2001 Philip José Farmer (1918–2009)
2002 —
2003 Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018)
2004 Robert Silverberg (1935–)
2005 Anne McCaffrey (1926–2011)
2006 Harlan Ellison (1934–2018) [8]
2007 James Gunn (1923–2020)
2008 Michael Moorcock (1939–) [9] [10]
2009 Harry Harrison (1925–2012) [11] [12]
2010 Joe Haldeman (1943–) [13] [14] [15]
2011 —
2012 Connie Willis (1945–) [16] [17] [18]
2013 Gene Wolfe (1931–2019) [19] [20] [21] [22]
2014 Samuel R. Delany (1942–) [23] [24]
2015 Larry Niven (1938–) [25]
2016 C. J. Cherryh (1942–) [26] [27]
2017 Jane Yolen (1939–) [28]
2018 Peter S. Beagle (1939–) [29] [30] [31] [32]
2019 William Gibson (1948–) [33] [34] [35]
2020 Lois McMaster Bujold (1949–) [36]
2021 Nalo Hopkinson (1960–) [37] [38]
2022 Mercedes Lackey (1950–) [39] [40]
2023 Robin McKinley (1952–) [41]
2024 Susan Cooper (1935–) [42] [43]

Infinity Award

In 2023, SFWA announced the creation of the Infinity Award, which posthumously honors creators who died before they could be considered for the Grand Master Award. SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy said, "Over the years, so many creators have been passed over for the Grand Master nod, for one reason or another. Some died tragically early. Others were not recognized for their work during their lifetimes because of cultural prejudices and blind spots." [3]

YearRecipientRef.
2023 Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006) [3]
2024 Tanith Lee (1947–2015) [44]

Anthologies

In 1989, the anthology Grand Masters' Choice was published, edited by Andre Norton and Ingrid Zierhut. Three more anthologies honoring recipients of the Grand Master Award and collecting some of their short works have been published: The SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 1 (1999), The SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 2 (2000), and The SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 3 (2001), all edited by Frederik Pohl. Collectively, they honor the first fifteen recipients of the award.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poul Anderson</span> American science fiction writer (1926–2001)

Poul William Anderson was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until his death in 2001. Anderson also wrote historical novels. He was nominated seven times for the Hugo Award and five times for the Nebula Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association</span> Nonprofit organization

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, commonly known as SFWA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While SFWA is based in the United States, its membership is open to writers worldwide. The organization was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America. The president of SFWA as of July 1, 2021 is Jeffe Kennedy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gene Wolfe</span> American SF and fantasy writer (1931–2019)

Gene Rodman Wolfe was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He was noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith. He was a prolific short story writer and novelist, and won many literary awards. Wolfe has been called "the Melville of science fiction", and was honored as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Haldeman</span> American science fiction writer (born 1943)

Joe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.

The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; awards are also given out for pieces of shorter lengths, in the categories of short story, novelette, and novella. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration, a novel must have been published in English in the United States. Works published in English elsewhere in the world are also eligible, provided they are released on either a website or in an electronic edition. The Award has been given annually since 1966. Novels which were expanded forms of previously published stories are eligible, and novellas published individually can be considered as novels if the author requests it. The award has been described as one of "the most important of the American science fiction awards" and "the science-fiction and fantasy equivalent" of the Emmy Awards.

The Nebula Award for Best Novella is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novellas. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novella if it is between 17,500 and 40,000 words; awards are also given out for pieces of longer lengths in the novel category, and for shorter lengths in the short story and novelette categories. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration, a novella must be published in English in the United States. Works published in English elsewhere in the world are also eligible, provided they are released on either a website or in an electronic edition. The Nebula Award for Best Novella has been awarded annually since 1966. Novellas published by themselves are eligible for the novel award instead, if the author requests them to be considered as such. The award has been described as one of "the most important of the American science fiction awards" and "the science-fiction and fantasy equivalent" of the Emmy Awards.

The Nebula Award for Best Novelette is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to a science fiction or fantasy novelette. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a novelette if it is between 7,500 and 17,500 words; awards are also given out for pieces of longer lengths in the Novel and Novella categories, and for shorter lengths in the Short Story category. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration a novelette must be published in English in the United States. Works published in English elsewhere in the world are also eligible provided they are released on either a website or in an electronic edition. The Nebula Award for Best Novelette has been awarded annually since 1966. The Nebula Awards have been described as one of "the most important of the American science fiction awards" and "the science-fiction and fantasy equivalent" of the Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Wilhelm</span> American science fiction writer (1928–2018)

Kate Wilhelm was an American author. She wrote novels and stories in the science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres, including the Hugo Award–winning Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. Wilhelm established the Clarion Workshop along with her husband Damon Knight and writer Robin Scott Wilson.

Author Emeritus was an honorary title annually bestowed by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association upon a living writer "as a way to recognize and appreciate senior writers in the genres of science fiction and fantasy who have made significant contributions to our field but who are no longer active or whose excellent work may no longer be as widely known as it once was." The Author Emeritus was invited to speak at the annual Nebula Awards banquet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha Wells</span> American speculative fiction writer (born 1964)

Martha Wells is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has published a number of fantasy novels, young adult novels, media tie-ins, short stories, and nonfiction essays on fantasy and science fiction subjects. Her novels have been translated into twelve languages. Wells has won four Hugo Awards, two Nebula Awards and three Locus Awards for her science fiction series The Murderbot Diaries. She is also known for her fantasy series Ile-Rien and The Books of the Raksura. Wells is praised for the complex, realistically detailed societies she creates; this is often credited to her academic background in anthropology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andre Norton Award</span> Science fiction and fantasy literary award

The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction is an annual award presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) to the author of the best young adult or middle grade science fiction or fantasy book published in the United States in the preceding year. It is named to honor prolific science fiction and fantasy author Andre Norton (1912–2005), and it was established by then SFWA president Catherine Asaro and the SFWA Young Adult Fiction committee and announced on February 20, 2005. Any published young adult or middle grade science fiction or fantasy novel is eligible for the prize, including graphic novels. There is no limit on word count. The award was originally not a Nebula Award, despite being presented along with them and following the same rules for nominations and voting, but in 2019 SFWA announced that the award was considered a Nebula category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Robinette Kowal</span> American author and puppeteer (born 1969)

Mary Robinette Kowal is an American author and puppeteer. Originally a puppeteer by primary trade after receiving a bachelor's degree in art education, she became art director for science fiction magazines and by 2010 was also authoring her first full-length published novels. The majority of her work is characterized by science fiction themes, such as interplanetary travel; a common element present in many of her novels is historical or alternate history fantasy, such as in her Glamourist Histories and Lady Astronaut books.

The Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy dramatic works such as movies or television episodes. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration a work must be published in English in the United States. Works published in English elsewhere in the world are also eligible provided they are released either on a website or in an electronic edition. Only individual works are eligible, not serials such as television series, though miniseries of three or fewer parts are allowed. The award, named to honor prolific author and screenwriter Ray Bradbury, was begun in 1992 as the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation. It was not considered a Nebula Award, despite being awarded at the same ceremony, and was chosen by the President of SFWA instead of by a vote. This form of the award was given in 1992, 1999, 2001, and 2009. In 2010, the Nebula Award for Best Script, which was awarded for scripts from 1974 to 1978 and from 2000 to 2009, was discontinued. The Ray Bradbury Award, though still not considered an official Nebula category, was converted to follow the normal nomination and voting procedures of the Nebula Awards in its place. In 2019 SFWA announced that the award was considered a Nebula category, and the following year the award was retitled the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nebula Award</span> Literature prize for science fiction and fantasy works from the United States

The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), a nonprofit association of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. They were first given in 1966 at a ceremony created for the awards, and are given in four categories for different lengths of literary works. A fifth category for film and television episode scripts was given 1974–78 and 2000–09, and a sixth category for game writing was begun in 2018. In 2019 SFWA announced that two awards that were previously run under the same rules but not considered Nebula awards—the Andre Norton Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction and the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation—were to be considered official Nebula awards. The rules governing the Nebula Awards have changed several times during the awards' history, most recently in 2010. The SFWA Nebula Conference, at which the awards are announced and presented, is held each spring in the United States. Locations vary from year to year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aliette de Bodard</span> French-American speculative fiction writer

Aliette de Bodard is a French-American speculative fiction writer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Liu</span> Chinese-American writer

Ken Liu is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. Liu has won multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards for his novel translations and original short fiction, which has appeared in F&SF, Asimov's, Analog, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld, and multiple "Year's Best" anthologies.

Yoon Ha Lee is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, known for his Machineries of Empire space opera novels and his short fiction. His first novel, Ninefox Gambit, received the 2017 Locus Award for Best First Novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amal El-Mohtar</span> Canadian poet and writer (born 1984)

Amal El-Mohtar is a Canadian poet and writer of speculative fiction. She has published short fiction, poetry, essays and reviews, and has edited the fantastic poetry quarterly magazine Goblin Fruit since 2006.

Alyssa Wong is an American writer of speculative fiction, comics, poetry, and games. They are a recipient of the Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, and Locus Award.

Dexter Gabriel, better known by his pen name Phenderson Djèlí Clark, is an American speculative fiction writer and historian, who is an assistant professor in the department of history at the University of Connecticut. He uses a pen name to differentiate his literary work from his academic work, and has also published under the name A. Phenderson Clark. His pen name "Djèlí", makes reference to the griots – traditional Western African storytellers, historians and poets.

References

  1. 1 2 "SFWA Grand Master Award". sfadb.com. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  2. 1 2 "Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master" Archived 2013-03-08 at the Wayback Machine . Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Inaugural Infinity Award Honoree: Octavia E. Butler," Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), April 27, 2023.
  4. ↑ Harlan Ellison (1994), Harlan Ellison's Watching 36, archived from the original on 2021-12-22, retrieved 2017-08-24
  5. 1 2 "SFWA Author Emeritus". SFWA. Archived 2013-04-09. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  6. ↑ "Other SFWA Awards" Archived October 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine . The Locus Index to SF Awards: About the Awards. Locus Publications. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  7. ↑ "SFWA Author Emeritus" (unavailable). SFWA. Archived 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-12-06.
  8. ↑ "2005 Nebula Award winners". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Inc. May 6, 2006. Archived from the original on July 5, 2008.
  9. ↑ Nawotka, Edward (April 24, 2008). "Nebula Awards puts Austin and Texas writers at center of science fiction world". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on April 29, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Michael Moorcock named SFWA Grand Master". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Inc. February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 2, 2008.
  11. ↑ "Nebula Awards Announced". Locus Online . 2009-04-26. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  12. ↑ Defendini, Pablo (2009-04-26). "Nebula Award Winners!". Tor.com . Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  13. ↑ "Awards: Nebulas; Moby Book Trailer Finalists". Shelf Awareness . 2010-05-17. Archived from the original on 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  14. ↑ Gallo, Irene (2010-05-15). "2010 Nebula Award Winners!". Tor.com . Archived from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  15. ↑ "Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2010-05-16. Archived from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  16. ↑ "2011 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2012-05-20. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  17. ↑ "Announcing the 2011 Nebula Awards Winners". Tor.com . 2012-05-20. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  18. ↑ Tolbert, Jeremiah (2012-01-16). "SFWA Names Connie Willis Recipient of the 2011 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Archived from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  19. ↑ Tolbert, Jeremiah (2012-12-13). "2012 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Awarded to Gene Wolfe". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  20. ↑ Flood, Alison (2012-12-14). "Gene Wolfe wins grand master award for science fiction and fantasy". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  21. ↑ "2012 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2013-05-19. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  22. ↑ "Congratulations to the 2012 Nebula Award Winners". Tor.com . 2013-05-19. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  23. ↑ "2013 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2014-05-18. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  24. ↑ "Congratulations to the 2013 Nebula Award Winners". Tor.com . 2014-05-17. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  25. ↑ "2014 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2015-06-07. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  26. ↑ "C.J. Cherryh Named SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . February 17, 2016. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Announcing the 2015 Nebula Award Winners". Tor.com . 2016-05-14. Archived from the original on November 20, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  28. ↑ "SFWA Announces Newest Damon Knight Grand Master – Jane Yolen". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  29. ↑ "2017 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2018-05-20. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  30. ↑ "Announcing the 2017 Nebula Awards Winners!". Tor.com . 2018-05-20. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  31. ↑ "SFWA Announces Newest Grand Master – Peter S. Beagle". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . January 23, 2018. Archived from the original on January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Beagle Named SFWA Grand Master". Locus Magazine . 2018-01-23. Archived from the original on 2019-10-12. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Gibson Named SFWA Grand Master". Locus Magazine . 2019-01-18. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  34. ↑ "2018 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2019-05-19. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  35. ↑ "Announcing the 2018 Nebula Awards Winners". Tor.com . 2019-05-19. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  36. ↑ "Bujold Named SFWA Grand Master". Locus Magazine. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  37. ↑ "SFWA Names Nalo Hopkinson as the 37th Damon Knight Grand Master". Tor.com . 2020-12-01. Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  38. ↑ "2020 Nebula Awards Winners". Locus Online . 2021-06-06. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  39. ↑ "Mercedes Lackey Named the 38th SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . 2021-11-04. Archived from the original on 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  40. ↑ "Lackey Named SFWA Grand Master". Locus Online . 2021-11-05. Archived from the original on 2021-11-05. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  41. ↑ "SFWA Names Robin McKinley Its 39th Grand Master!". Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. 2022-11-28. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  42. ↑ "Cooper Named Grand Master". Locus Online. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  43. ↑ KathrynBaker (2024-02-07). "SFWA Names Susan Cooper as the 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master". SFWA. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  44. ↑ "Tanith Lee Announced as 2024 SFWA Infinity Award Recipient." SFWA. March 12, 2024. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.