The Pegasus Award is the premier award for filk music [1] [2] [3] and is annually hosted at the Ohio Valley Filk Fest (OVFF).
The Pegasus Award is the premier award for filk music [1] [2] [3] and is annually hosted at the Ohio Valley Filk Fest (OVFF).
The Pegasus Awards were founded to recognize and honor excellence in filking. As science fiction (sci-fi) became better known and widespread within society in the 20th century as a distinct literary genre, [4] many fans expressed themselves through works of music and art, including filking. The Pegasus Awards formally recognise filking or fan music as a fine lens that the sci-fi community shares with particular fiction-based cultural ideas. [5]
Anyone with an interest in filk can nominate songs or individuals for the awards, and anyone can vote. It is not necessary to be a member of the convention to be involved in the nomination and voting process.
Currently awards are given in six categories: Best Song, Best Performer, Best Writer/Composer, Best Classic Song and two topical categories that vary from year to year. Some examples of past categories include: Best Love Song, Best Literature Song, Best Techie Song, Best Sing Along, etc.
The OVFF convention committee solicits nominations for finalists for the Pegasus Awards (the Nominating Ballot) during the late spring and summer. There is an opinion poll that runs during the year as well to help interested folk brainstorm ideas for the nominating ballot. The finalist ballot is distributed in the early fall, and must be returned by the opening night of OVFF. Voting can be done online—either to nominate finalists, or to vote for the finalists themselves. The final round of voting happens at OVFF itself, where handwritten ballots are collected after the annual Pegasus concert. The entire process is administered by the OVFF convention committee. [6]
| Ohio Valley Filk Fest | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Filk music |
| Location(s) | Worthington, Ohio |
| Country | United States |
| Inaugurated | 1984 |
| Website | http://www.ovff.org/ |
The Ohio Valley Filk Fest, (OVFF) is one of the largest filk music conventions. [7] It is held annually in October in the Columbus, Ohio area, and the culmination of the event is the presentation of the Pegasus Award. [8]
The first OVFF was held in 1984 in Cincinnati and was attended by about 80 people; it included the presentation of the first Pegasus Awards. After skipping 1985, it moved to the Columbus area but retained "Ohio Valley" in its name. The convention has been held every year since then, in various locations in Columbus. Recent conventions had been held in Dublin, Ohio, but as of 2010 the convention has moved to Worthington.
* Ties and joint winners
| Year | Performer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Summer Russell [9] | |
| 2022 | Jen Midkiff [9] | |
| 2021 | The Faithful Sidekicks | Band |
| 2021 | Rhiannon's Lark | |
| 2020 | Margaret Davis and Kristoph Klover [9] | Duo |
| 2019 | Playing Rapunzel [9] | Duo |
| 2018 | Random Fractions [9] | Band |
| 2018 | Twotonic [9] | Duo |
| 2017 | Judi Miller [10] | |
| 2016 | Play It With Moxie [11] | Band |
| 2015 | Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff [12] | |
| 2014 | Cheshire Moon [13] | Band |
| 2013 | Alexander James Adams | |
| 2012 | Betsy Tinney | |
| 2012 | Wild Mercy | Band |
| 2011 | Amy McNally | |
| 2010 | S. J. Tucker | |
| 2009 | Heather Dale & Ben Deschamps | |
| 2008 | Vixy & Tony | Band |
| 2007 | Dr. Mary Crowell | |
| 2007 | Seanan McGuire | |
| 2006 | Judi Miller | |
| 2005 | Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff | |
| 2004 | Urban Tapestry | Band |
| 2003 | Dandelion Wine | Band |
| 2002 | Three Weird Sisters | Band |
| 2001 | Talis Kimberley | |
| 2000 | Ookla the Mok | Band |
| 1999 | Decadent Dave Clement | |
| 1998 | Steve Macdonald | |
| 1997 | Urban Tapestry | Band |
| 1996 | Heather Alexander | |
| 1995 | Michael Longcor (Moonwulf) | |
| 1994 | The Black Book Band | Band |
| 1993 | Tom Smith | |
| 1992 | Michael Longcor (Moonwulf) | |
| 1991 | Tom Smith | |
| 1990 | Mitchell Clapp | |
| 1989 | Technical Difficulties | Band |
| 1988 | Barry & Sally Childs-Helton | |
| 1987 | Julia Ecklar | |
| 1986 | Leslie Fish | As "Best Female Filker" |
| 1986 | Bill Sutton | As "Best Male Filker" |
| 1984 | Julia Ecklar | As "Best Female Filker" |
| 1984 | Bill Maraschiello | As "Best Male Filker" |
| Year | Writer/Composer |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Lauren Oxford [9] |
| 2022 | Cecilia Eng [9] |
| 2021 | Lawrence Dean [9] |
| 2020 | Andrew Ross [9] |
| 2019 | Eva Van Daele-Hunt [9] |
| 2018 | Leslie Hudson [9] |
| 2017 | Ju Honisch [10] |
| 2017 | Jordin Kare [10] |
| 2016 | Barry Childs-Helton [11] |
| 2015 | Cat Faber [12] |
| 2014 | Tim Griffin [13] |
| 2013 | Talis Kimberley |
| 2012 | Juanita Coulson |
| 2012 | Dr. Mary Crowell |
| 2011 | S. J. Tucker |
| 2010 | Heather Dale |
| 2009 | Vixy & Tony |
| 2008 | Seanan McGuire |
| 2007 | Talis Kimberley |
| 2006 | Cynthia McQuillin |
| 2005 | Tom Smith |
| 2004 | Kathy Mar |
| 2003 | Cat Faber |
| 2002 | Zander Nyrond |
| 2001 | Talis Kimberley |
| 2000 | Bob Kanefsky |
| 1999 | Cynthia McQuillin |
| 1998 | Cat Faber |
| 1997 | Rand Bellavia & Adam English |
| 1996 | Heather Alexander |
| 1995 | Steve Macdonald |
| 1994 | Tom Smith |
| 1993 | Leslie Fish |
| 1992 | Dr. Jane Robinson |
| 1991 | Tom Smith |
| 1990 | Julia Ecklar |
| 1989 | Mercedes Lackey |
| 1988 | Mercedes Lackey |
| 1987 | Leslie Fish |
| Year | Song | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Following Our Dreams [9] | Lawrence Dean |
| 2022 | The Entwife [9] | Summer Russell |
| 2021 | Second-Hand Heaven [9] | Lawrence Dean |
| 2020 | Child of the Library [9] | Piers & Gill Cawley |
| 2020 | Mordred's Lullaby [9] | Heather Dale |
| 2019 | Lucy on the Line [9] | Tim Griffin |
| 2018 | Pageant Legend [9] | Katy Dröge-Macdonald & Ju Honisch |
| 2017 | We Are Who We Are [10] | Michelle Dockrey & Tony Fabris |
| 2016 | Creatures of Dream [11] | Batya Wittenberg |
| 2015 | My Story Is Not Done [12] | Seanan McGuire |
| 2014 | Paper Worlds | Talis Kimberley [13] |
| 2014 | Snow White, Red Road [13] | Cheshire Moon |
| 2013 | Joan | Heather Dale & Ben Deschamps |
| 2012 | Cheshire Kitten | S. J. Tucker |
| 2011 | Wicked Girls | Seanan McGuire |
| 2010 | A Thousand Ships | Ju Honisch & Katy Dröge-Macdonald |
| 2009 | The Wreck of the Crash of the Easthill Mining Disaster | Brooke Lunderville |
| 2008 | Uplift | Andrew Eigel |
| 2007 | Rich Fantasy Lives | Rob Balder & Tom Smith |
| 2006 | The Girl That's Never Been | Michelle Dockrey |
| 2005 | Rocket Ride | Tom Smith |
| 2004 | The Lady | Jodi Krangle |
| 2003 | Shooting Star | Michael Longcor (Moonwulf) |
| 2002 | Velvet | Talis Kimberley |
| 2001 | Strangers No More | Brenda Sutton |
| 2000 | Sam's Song | Zander Nyrond & Soren Nyrond |
| 1999 | The Word of God | Cat Faber |
| 1998 | When I Was A Boy | Frank Hayes |
| 1997 | Road to Roswell | Karen Linsley & Lloyd Landa |
| 1996 | When Giants Walked | Kathy Mar |
| 1995 | Journey's Done | Steve Macdonald |
| 1994 | Drink Up The River | Kathy Mar |
| 1994 | PQR (You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet) | Tom Smith |
| 1993 | The Green Hills of Earth | Robert Heinlein & Mark Bernstein |
| 1992 | God Lives on Terra | Julia Ecklar |
| 1991 | A Boy and His Frog | Tom Smith |
| 1990 | Lullabye For a Weary World | T. J. Burnside Clapp |
| 1989 | Dawson's Christian | Duane Elms |
| 1989 | Arafel's Song | Kathy Mar (music) & Mercedes Lackey (lyrics) |
| 1988 | Wind From Rainbow's End | Bill Roper |
| 1987 | Harbors | Anne Passovoy |
| 1986 | Witnesses' Waltz | Leslie Fish |
| 1984 | Hope Eyrie | Leslie Fish |
| Year | Song | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Die Puppen (The Dolls) [9] | Eva Van Daele-Hunt |
| 2022 | Helva's Song [9] | Cecilia Eng |
| 2021 | Nessie, Come Up [9] | Dr. Jane Robinson |
| 2020 | Somebody Will [9] | Ada Palmer |
| 2019 | Ship of Stone [9] | Don Simpson |
| 2018 | Creature of the Wood [9] | Heather Alexander & Philip Obermarck |
| 2017 | Alligator in the House [10] | Betsy Tinney , Cade Tinney & S. J. Tucker |
| 2016 | Take It Back [11] | Kathleen Sloan |
| 2015 | Captain Jack & the Mermaid [12] | Meg Davis |
| 2014 | Grandfather [13] | Gary Hanak |
| 2013 | Second-Hand Songs | Jonathan Turner |
| 2012 | Tiberius Rising | Rand Bellavia & Adam English |
| 2011 | The Phoenix | Julia Ecklar |
| 2010 | Fire In The Sky | Jordin Kare |
| 2009 | Still Catch the Tide | Talis Kimberley |
| 2008 | Archetype Cafe | Talis Kimberley |
| 2007 | Falling Down on New Jersey | Mitchell Burnside Clapp |
| 2006 | I Want To Be Peter Lorre | Tom Smith |
| 2005 | Never Set the Cat On Fire | Frank Hayes |
| 2004 | Ladyhawke! | Julia Ecklar |
| 2003 | Banned From Argo | Leslie Fish |
| Year | Category | Song | Creator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Best Adapted Song | Come to Mordor [9] | Jeff Bonhoff |
| 2023 | Best Adapted Song | Meat [9] | Kathleen Sloan |
| 2023 | Best Science Song | Poisoned Apples [9] | Don Neill |
| 2023 | Best Science Song | Shoulders of Giants [9] | Tim Griffin |
| 2022 | Best Furry Friend Song | Underfoot [9] | Jen Midkiff |
| 2022 | Best Song that Tells a Story | Nine hundred and ninety-nine [9] | Mich Sampson & Marilisa Valtazanou |
| 2021 | Best Mad Science Song | I Built a Time Machine [9] | Eric Distad |
| 2021 | Best Cheery-Ose Song | Tiny Kraken [9] | Rhiannon's Lark |
| 2020 | Best Media Song | Goodnight, Sarah Jane [9] | Talis Kimberley |
| 2020 | Best Space Song | Following in Valentina's Footsteps [9] | Valerie Housden |
| 2019 | Best Family Song | Golden Rule [9] | Sabine Kinder |
| 2019 | Best Sing-Along Song | Gone Filkin' [9] | Tom Jeffers |
| 2018 | Best Song About Community | Many Hearts, One Voice [9] | Steve Macdonald |
| 2018 | Best Roadtrip Song | Oregon Trail [9] | Tim Griffin |
| 2018 | Best Roadtrip Song | Road to Santiago [9] | Heather Dale |
| 2017 | Best Horror Song | Dear Gina [10] | Seanan McGuire |
| 2017 | Best Perky Song | Chocolate Is A Vegetable [10] | Graham Leathers |
| 2016 | Best Adapted Song [11] | Six Transit Genitalia Centauri | Bob Kanefsky |
| 2016 | Best Exploration Song [11] | Starsoul | Roger Burton West & Jodi Krangle |
| 2015 | Best Adapted Song | Grabthar's Silver Hammer [12] | Steve Macdonald |
| 2015 | Best Time-Related Song [12] | Precious Moments | Phil Allcock |
| 2014 | Best Adapted Song [13] | Midichlorian Rhapsody | Jeff Bohnhoff |
| 2014 | Best Song of Passage [13] | Outward Bound | Cat Faber |
| 2013 | Best Alien Song | Little Fuzzy Animals | Frank Hayes |
| 2013 | Best Fairytale Song | Dryad's Promise | Betsy Tinney |
| 2012 | Best Gaming Song | I Put My Low Stat | Dr. Mary Crowell |
| 2012 | Best Travel Song | No Hurry | Michelle Dockrey |
| 2011 | Best Badass Song | Evil Laugh | Seanan McGuire |
| 2011 | Best Romantic Song | As I Am | Heather Dale |
| 2010 | Best Mad Science Song | What A Woman's For | Seanan McGuire |
| 2010 | Best Magic Song | Where The Magic Is Real | Paul Kwinn |
| 2009 | A Little Bit Country | Stray Dog Man | Bill Sutton |
| 2009 | A Little Bit Rock and Roll | Six-String Love | Vixy & Tony |
| 2008 | Best Comedy Song | Close Your Eyes | Daniel Glasser |
| 2008 | Best Tragedy Song | Black Davie's Ride | Cynthia McQuillin |
| 2007 | Best Dorsai Song | Shai! | Steve Simmons & Steve Macdonald |
| 2007 | Best Song of Home | Emerald Green | Michelle Dockrey & Tony Fabris |
| 2006 | Best Battle Song | March of Cambreadth | Heather Alexander |
| 2006 | Best Torch Song | X-Libris | Talis Kimberley |
| 2005 | Best Space Opera Song | Signy Mallory | Mercedes Lackey & Leslie Fish |
| 2005 | Best Sword & Sorcery Song | Threes | Mercedes Lackey & Leslie Fish |
| 2004 | Best Comic Book Song | Arthur Curry | Rand Bellavia & Adam English |
| 2004 | Best Tribute | A Simple Country Doctor | Matt Leger |
| 2003 | Best Original Humorous Song | My Husband the Filker | Bill Roper & Gretchen Roper |
| 2003 | Best Parody | Knight's In White Satin | Jeff & Maya Bohnhoff |
| 2002 | Best Chilling/Spine-Tingling Song | In A Gown Too Blue | Brenda Sutton |
| 2002 | Best Song That Tells A Story | Horsetamers Daughter | Leslie Fish |
| 2001 | Best Computer Song | Tech Support | Jeff Hitchin |
| 2001 | Best Creature Song | Least of My Kind | Cat Faber |
| 2000 | Best End of the World Song | Out Of A Clear Blue Sky | Dr. Jane Robinson |
| 2000 | Best Food/Drink Song | 307 Ale | Tom Smith |
| 2000 | Best Food/Drink Song | My Jalapeño Man | Debbie Ridpath Ohi |
| 1999 | Best Fool Song | Operation Desert Storm | Tom Smith |
| 1999 | Best Hero Song | A Toast for Unknown Heroes | Leslie Fish |
| 1998 | Best Adaptation | Mary O'Meara | Poul Anderson & Anne Passovoy |
| 1998 | Best Myth Song | Cold Butcher | Steve Macdonald |
| 1997 | Best Science Song | World Inside the Crystal | Steve Savitzky |
| 1997 | Best Sorcery Song | The Dark Is Rising | Susan Cooper & Julia Ecklar |
| 1996 | Best Eerie Song | Bloodchild | Joey Shoji |
| 1996 | Best EerieSong | Monster In My Head | Michael Longcor (Moonwulf) |
| 1996 | Best Spiritual Song | Circles | Gwen Zack |
| 1995 | Best MilitarySong | When Tenskwatawa Sings | Michael Longcor (Moonwulf) |
| 1995 | Best Sing-A-Long/Choral Song | Acts of Creation | Cat Faber |
| 1994 | Best Children's Song | Monsters in the Night | Diana Gallagher |
| 1994 | Best Risque Song | Like A Lamb to the Slaughter | Frank Hayes |
| 1993 | Best Humorous Song | Rhinotillexomania | Michael Longcor (Moonwulf) |
| 1993 | Best Space Song | Lightsailor | Barry Childs-Helton |
| 1992 | Best Genre Crossover | Return of the King | Tom Smith |
| 1992 | Best Tribute | Madame Curie's Hands | Duane Elms |
| 1991 | Best Love Song | Velveteen | Kathy Mar |
| 1991 | Best War/Vengeance Song | Temper of Revenge | Julia Ecklar |
| 1990 | Best Fannish Song | Weekend Only World | T. J. Burnside Clapp |
| 1990 | Best Literature Song | Daddy's Little Girl | Julia Ecklar |
| 1989 | Best Fantasy Song | Wind's Four Quarters | Mercedes Lackey & Leslie Fish |
| 1989 | Best Techie Song | Do It Yourself | Bill Sutton |
| 1988 | Best Historical Song | Song of the Shieldwall | Debra Doyle (as Malkin Grey) & Melissa Williamson (as Peregryn Wyndryder) |
| 1988 | Best Media Song | Superman's Sex Life Boogie | Tom Smith |
| 1987 | Best 'Ose | Ian the Grim | Clif Flynt |
| 1987 | Best Schtick | Unreality Warp/Kinda Mediocre, Actually | Clif Flynt & Bill Roper |
| 1986 | Best Original HumorousSong | A Reconsideration of Anatomical Docking Maneuvers in a Zero-G Environment | Diana Gallagher |
| 1986 | Best Parody | Daddy's Little Boy | Murray Porath |
| 1984 | Best Original Humorous Filk Song | Unreality Warp | Clif Flynt |
| 1984 | Best Parody | Twelve Years at Worldcon | Frank Hayes |
Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s. The genre has a niche but faithful popularity in the underground.
Tom Smith is an American singer-songwriter from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who got his start in the filk music community. He is a fourteen-time winner of the Pegasus Award for excellence in filking, including awards for his "A Boy and His Frog", "307 Ale", and "The Return of the King (Uh-huh)", and was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 2005.
Mike Glyer is both the editor and publisher of the long-running science fiction fan newszine File 770. He has won the Hugo Award 12 times in two categories: File 770 won the Best Fanzine Hugo in 1984, 1985, 1989, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2016 and 2018. Glyer won the Best Fan Writer Hugo in 1984, 1986, 1988, and 2016. The 1982 World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) committee presented Glyer a special award in 1982 for "Keeping the Fan in Fanzine Publishing."
File 770 is a long-running science fiction fanzine, newszine, and blog site published and administered by Mike Glyer. It has been published every year since 1978, and has won a record eight Hugo Awards for Best Fanzine, with the first win in 1984 and the latest in 2018.
Frank Hayes is an American musician prominent within the science fiction/fantasy genre and culture known as filk. He is also an authority on information technology and, as senior news columnist for Computerworld magazine, has contributed numerous writings on the subject for more than two decades.
Ookla the Mok is a filk band fronted by Rand Bellavia and Adam English (b.1970). The two met as undergraduates while attending Houghton College in 1988, and the majority of their performances have been at science-fiction conventions or in their hometown of Buffalo, New York. The band is named after a character from the Ruby-Spears Productions cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian, created by Steve Gerber.
Steve Macdonald is an American filk singer/songwriter, who also appears at Renaissance Faires as "Gallamor the Bard". He served for several years as the Pegasus Award Evangelista, and was responsible for many changes in the award process that led to much greater participation among the voting base. He was inducted into the Filk Hall of Fame in 2006.
Lee Gold is a member of California science fiction fandom and a writer and editor in the role-playing game and filk music communities.
"Cold Iron" is a poem written by Rudyard Kipling published as the introduction to Rewards and Fairies in 1910. Not to be confused with Cold Iron.
Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff is an American sci-fi and fantasy author and filk musician. As an author, she collaborated on several novels in the Batman and Star Wars franchise with Michael Reaves, and as a filk musician, she is a three-time Pegasus Award winner.
Juanita Ruth Coulson is an American science fiction and fantasy writer most well known for her Children of the Stars books, published from 1981 to 1989. She was a longtime editor of the science fiction fanzine Yandro.
The 70th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Chicon 7, was held on 30 August–3 September 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, United States.
"The Female of the Species" is a poem by Rudyard Kipling originally published in 1911. Its title and refrain have inspired the titles of numerous subsequent works.
Dr. James Robinson is an American filk music songwriter and performer whose songs focus on scientific themes, particularly paleontology.
FilKONtario is a fan-run convention in the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario area dedicated to filk, the music of science fiction and fantasy fandom. Established in 1991, it is the only filk convention in Canada. In its fifth year (1995), the convention initiated the Filk Hall of Fame, which continues to recognize those who have made significant contributions to filk music and the filk community, worldwide. This international awards program is administered through FilKONtario, with an international jury.
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by the World Science Fiction Society. The Hugo is widely considered the premier award in the science fiction genre, and winners are often noted on book covers. It is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. Hugos were first given in 1953, at the 11th World Science Fiction Convention, and have been awarded every year since 1955.
Talis Kimberley is an English folk singer-songwriter, activist, and political figure based in Wiltshire, England. Her songs are narrative in nature and feature a mixture of mythology, green issues and everyday life approached from unexpected angles, among other things. She performs as a solo artist or with her floating band, and is managed by Marchwood Media. She has been an active contributor to the Occupy movement, and in 2015 was the parliamentary candidate for the Green Party for the South Swindon constituency, winning 1,757 votes.
The 73rd World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), also known as Sasquan, was held on August 19–23, 2015 at the Spokane Convention Center in Spokane, Washington, United States.
Detcon1 was the 11th occasional North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC). It was held in Detroit, Michigan, from July 17–20, 2014, in the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. This NASFiC was scheduled because London, England, was selected as the location for the 2014 World Science Fiction Convention.
Sad Puppies was an unsuccessful right-wing anti-diversity voting campaign run from 2013 to 2017 and intended to influence the outcome of the annual Hugo Awards, the longest-running prize for science fiction or fantasy works. It was started in 2013 by author Larry Correia as a voting bloc to get his novel Monster Hunter Legion nominated for a Hugo Award, and then grew into suggested slates, or sets of works to nominate, in subsequent years. According to the Los Angeles Times, Sad Puppies activists accused the Hugo Awards "of giving awards on the basis of political correctness and favoring authors and artists who aren't straight, white and male".
First, we included songs nominated for a Pegasus Award, the major filk award, which has been in existence for twenty years.
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