Gaylactic Spectrum Awards

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Gaylactic Spectrum Awards
Spectrumawardlogo.jpg
Logo of the Gaylactic Spectrum Award Foundation
Awarded forExcellence in LGBT speculative fiction
CountryUnited States
Presented by
    • Gaylactic Network (1999–2001)
    • Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation (2002–present)
First awarded1999
Website Spectrumawards.org/

The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of science fiction, fantasy and horror that explore LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) topics in a positive way. [1] Established in 1998, the awards were initially presented by the Gaylactic Network, with awards first awarded in 1999. In 2002 the awards were given their own organization, the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation. [2]

Contents

The major award categories are for best novel, short fiction, and other works. The winners and short list of recommended nominees are decided by a jury. One of the most recognized authors, Melissa Scott has received the most awards overall, with five wins. She also holds the record for most nominations. Works of any format produced before the awards were first given were eligible to be inducted into the "Hall of Fame", although no work has been inducted since 2003. The list of award winners and Hall of Fame inductees has been called a "who's who of science fiction" by the GLBTQ Encyclopedia Project. [1] This article lists the winners in each of the categories, and the inductees to the Hall of Fame.

Award process

Since their inception, the awards were given in categories for novels and best other work. Other categories were also added and removed in intervening years, including categories for short fiction (since the second year) and comic books for one year. A short lived "People's Choice" award voted by convention attendees was also awarded to one work from any of the category nominee short lists. The award for best novel was the only one to have been handed out every year since the awards began. As of 2014 there were three regular categories: novels, short fiction and other works. The "other works" category included comic books, graphic novels, movies, television episodes, multimedia, anthologies, story collections, gaming products, artwork, and music. [3]

Samuel R. Delany won a special Lifetime Achievement award. Loz-delany2016.png
Samuel R. Delany won a special Lifetime Achievement award.

The categories are open to submission of English-language works released during the prior calendar year in North America that include "significant positive GLBT content". The time-frame of eligibility is based on copyright date for first printing for written works, cover date for magazines and comic books, release date for films, first air date for television. Works had to have been "professionally" published or distributed to be eligible for consideration and be wholly original and legal. The judges can choose to extend eligibility for a work due to oversight, confusion regarding release dates, or problems with availability. An open nomination/recommendation process is used to identify works to be considered by the judges. Works of any format produced before the inception of the awards are eligible to be inducted into the "Hall of Fame"; these inductees were selected solely by the judges. [3]

The results are decided by a panel of judges from the list of submitted nominees; nominations can be made by anyone. The judges are volunteers from science fiction fandom and GLBT community, with one volunteer as the "Award Administrator". The judges review each recommended work and the long list of nominees is reduced via review and discussion to a short list of finalists, and then one or more winners is chosen by consensus or vote. The results are generally announced and presented at Gaylaxicon, a convention dedicated to LGBT science fiction, although on occasion they are presented at Worldcon. [4] [5]

Each award consists of an etched image on lucite on a stand, using a spiral galaxy in a triangle logo, based on the logo of the Gaylactic Network. The award winner's name, work title, award year and category are etched on a small plaque on the base or on the plexiglass itself. A small cash stipend is also awarded to winners in the Best Novel category. The cost of the awards is paid through individual donations and fundraising events. [3]

Winners

Melissa Scott has won the most awards. Melissa Scott at Bucconeer 1998.jpg
Melissa Scott has won the most awards.

Melissa Scott holds the record for the most award wins (five) and nominations (thirteen). [6] Other authors and editors who have won the award multiple times are Nicola Griffith, David Gerrold, Keith Hartman, Laurie J. Marks, and Stephen Pagel. [6] [7] Samuel R. Delany is notable for winning a special "Lifetime Achievement" award. [8] Steve Berman and Tanya Huff were finalists seven times without winning. [6]

Per Locus 's database, the most recent award was given in 2019 for novels, in 2010 for short fiction and in 2003 for the hall of fame. [8]

List of winners

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the award ceremony. The notes column details the type of media for entries in the other works category, or the name of the publication in which the entries were first published in the short fiction category. The years are linked to the appropriate year in literature, comics, television or film articles.

List of winners
YearAuthor(s) / Editor(s) / Director(s)TitlePublisher / ProducerNoteCategoryRef.
1999 Ann Harris Accidental Creatures Tor NovelNovel [9]
1999 Stephen Leigh Dark Water's Embrace Avon Eos NovelNovel [9]
1999 Nicola Griffith & Stephen Pagel Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction Overlook AnthologyOther work [10]
2000 Keith Hartman The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse  Meisha Merlin NovelNovel [A] [10]
2000 Peg Kerr The Wild Swans Warner Aspect NovelNovel [10]
2000 Eleanor Arnason "Dapple" Bantam Dell in Asimov's SF 09/99Short fiction [10]
2000 Spike Jonze & Charlie Kaufman Being John Malkovich USA Films FilmOther work [10]
2001 David Gerrold Jumping Off the Planet Tor NovelNovel [11]
2001 Joss Whedon et al. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fox/Mutant Enemy Prod. Television seriesOther work [A] [11]
2002 Hugh Nissenson The Song of the Earth Algonquin NovelNovel [12]
2002 Alexis Glynn Latner"Kindred" Overlook in Bending the Landscape: HorrorShort fiction [12]
2002 Nicola Griffith & Stephen Pagel Bending the Landscape: Horror  Overlook AnthologyOther work [12]
2003 Laurie J. Marks Fire Logic Tor NovelNovel [13]
2003 Sarah Monette "Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland" Small Beer Press Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #11Short fiction [13]
2003 Mark Millar et al. The Authority issues #28-29 DC Comics Comic book issuesComic/graphic novel [13]
2003 Judd Winick et al. Green Lantern issues #153-155, "Hate Crime" DC Comics Comic book issuesComic/graphic novel [13]
2003 Michael Rowe (ed.)Queer Fear II Arsenal Pulp Press AnthologyOther work [13]
2004 Nalo Hopkinson The Salt Roads Warner NovelNovel [14] [15]
2004 Barth Anderson"Lark Till Dawn, Princess" Warner Aspect in Mojo: Conjure StoriesShort fiction [14] [15]
2004 Tony Kushner Angels in America HBO Television seriesOther work [14] [15]
2004 Greg Rucka & Michael Lark Gotham Central issues #6–10, "Half a Life" DC Comics Comic book issuesOther work [14] [15]
2005 Laurie J. Marks Earth Logic Tor NovelNovel [16]
2005 Richard Hall "Country People"Southern Tierin Shadows of the NightShort fiction [16]
2006 Karin Lowachee Cagebird Warner Aspect NovelNovel [17]
2007 Hal Duncan Vellum Del Rey Novel Novel [18]
2007 David Gerrold "In the Quake Zone" SFBC in Down These Dark SpacewaysShort fiction [18] [19]
2007 Joy Parks"Instinct"Arsenal Pulpin The Future Is QueerShort fiction [18] [19]
2007 Christopher Barzak "The Language of Moths"Sovereign Mediain Realms of Fantasy Short fiction [18] [19]
2007 Richard Labonté & Lawrence Schimel (eds.)The Future Is QueerArsenal PulpAnthologyOther work [18] [19]
2007 Russell T Davies et al. Torchwood Season 1 BBC Television seriesOther work [18] [19]
2007 James McTeigue James McTeigue et al. V for Vendetta Warner Bros. FilmOther work [18] [19]
2008 Ginn Hale Wicked GentlemenBlind Eye BooksNovelNovel [20] [21]
2008 Joshua LewisEver So Much More Than Twenty Lethe Press in So FeyShort fiction [20] [21]
2009 Elizabeth Bear The Stratford Man (Hell and Earth/Ink and Steel) Roc DuologyNovel [22]
2010 Richard Morgan The Steel Remains Del Rey NovelNovel [23]
2010 Hal Duncan The Behold of the Eye Lethe Press in Lone Star Stories/Wilde Stories 2009Short fiction [23]
2010 Melissa Scott The Rocky Side of the Sky Lethe Press in PeripheryShort fiction [23]
2011 Kathe Koja Under the Poppy Small Beer Press NovelNovel [24]
2012 J. A. PittsHoneyed Words Tor NovelNovel [25]
2013 Madeline Miller The Song of Achilles Ecco Press NovelNovel [26]
2014 Melissa Scott & Amy GriswoldDeath By Silver Lethe Press NovelNovel [27]
2015 Melissa Scott Fairs' Point Lethe Press NovelNovel [27]
2016 Ian McDonald Luna: New Moon Tor NovelNovel [28]
2017 Heather Rose Jones Mother of Souls Bella Books NovelNovel [29]
2018 Ellen Klages Passing Strange Tor.com NovelNovel [30]
2019 Elizabeth Bear Stone Mad Tor.com NovelNovel [31]

A People's Choice award winner.

Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame
YearAuthor(s) / Editor(s)Book TitlePublisher / ProducerMediaRef.
1999 Maureen F. McHugh China Mountain Zhang Tor Novel [9]
1999 Eric Garber  & Lyn Paleo (eds.)Uranian Worlds: A Guide to Alternative Sexuality in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and HorrorG. K. HallNon-fiction [9]
2000 Nicola Griffith Slow River Del Rey Novel [32]
2000 Ellen Kushner Swordspoint Tor Novel [32]
2000 Theodore Sturgeon The World Well Lost Universe (June 1953)Short fiction [10]
2000 Donald P. Bellisario Quantum Leap episode "Running for Honor" Belisarius Prod. Media (TV) [10]
2000 Richard O'Brien  &  Jim Sharman The Rocky Horror Picture Show 20th Century Fox Media (Film) [10]
2001 Arthur C. Clarke Imperial Earth Orion Novel [33]
2001 Mary Doria Russell The Sparrow & Children of God Fawcett Novels [33]
2001 Francesca Lia Block Dangerous Angels aka The Weetzie Bat books Harpercollins Novel series [33]
2002 Samuel R. Delany Dhalgren Bantam Novel [34]
2002 Joanna Russ The Female Man Bantam Novel [34]
2002 Scott Lobdell et al. Alpha Flight issue #106 Marvel Comics Comic book [34]
2002 Geoff Ryman Was Harpercollins Novel [34]
2003 Suzy McKee Charnas The Holdfast Chronicles Ballantine, Tor Novel [13]
2003 Ursula Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness Ace Novel [13]
2003 Melissa Scott Shadow Man Tor Novel [A] [13]
2003 Diane Duane Tale of the Five series aka The Middle Kingdoms Tor Novel [13]

A People's Choice Award winner.

See also

Related Research Articles

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