UPDATE: The finalists were announced on 1 May 2020. You can find the announcement here. Congratulations all! And thanks to everyone who nominated! You can read my post about it here.
In keeping with the theme of writing about things of which I am not an expert. Here is a post about the 2020 Sir Julius Vogel Awards, or the SJVs as we like to call them. The SJVs are New Zealand’s annual fan-voted awards for various endeavours in the science fiction, fantasy or horror fields. For official information go here: http://www.sffanz.org.nz/sjv/sjvAwards.shtml or jump straight to the nomination form.
The key messages
Please add all eligible works from 2019 to my spreadsheet, and read as many of them as you can!
Nominations are open until 31 March 2020, everyone can nominate! You don’t have to be a kiwi or a CoNZealand member, and you don’t even have to pick a favourite. You can nominate multiple works in multiple categories.
All CoNZealand members will be able to vote on the finalists with the most nominations to decide who wins. The awards will be presented at the World Science Fiction Convention, just like the Hugos! [but not at the Hugos, of course :)]
Why is 2020 special?
2020 is pretty special for the SJVs because the awards will take place as part of CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention to be held in Wellington. This means that all the fancy international fans, writers and publishers descending on New Zealand can vote on who wins right alongside the wonderful local members who’ve been voting for years. What a fantastic opportunity to showcase Kiwi speculative fiction!
The cool thing about the SJVs is that anyone can nominate as many works as they like, even the local and international folks who are not coming to CoNZealand. The nominations determine the short-list of up to five in each category that the CoNZealand members will then vote on. I understand voting will take place before the convention in 2020, rather than the common practise of allowing paper votes up to the day the awards are given out.
Potential nominees
There have been lots of awesome kiwi speculative fiction publications in 2019. My writing friends and I have started pulling together a list of eligible works to make it easier for people to find. Please add to the list, and read all the things!
Rules and eligibility
Who is eligible to be nominated? Any New Zealand citizen or resident. (Services category nominees can be from anywhere)
What works are eligible? Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror (SF/F/H) works first published in 2019.
Professional Categories
Best Novel—any single work of SF/F/H over 40,000 words
Best Youth Novel—any single work of SF/F/H of any length/word count published as a self-contained work and specifically written for young adults or children
Best Novella or Novelette—any single work of SF/F/H between 7,500 and 40,000 words
Best Short Story—any single work of SF/F/H under 7,500 words.
Best Collected Work—a SF/F/H collection or anthology, magazine, journal etc that pays contributors in other than contributor copies or whose editors declare themselves professional (there’s more fine print, that’s the gist)
Best Artwork—single work or related works of art in any medium other than text.
Dramatic Presentation—general release of a film, episode or series including film, stage play, radio show, TV show, internet transmission.
Best Production/Publication—work in any medium other than those eligible for other categories e.g. comic strips, media presentations, e-zine etc.
Best New Talent—excellence in new talent in any professional field within SF/F/H. Nomination is for the nominee’s total body of work to the end of the eligible year. Nominees are eligible in any of the first four years as a professional in any genre. If a nominee fails to win the award, they may be nominated one further time (not more than twice total in their first four years)
Fan Categories:
Best Fan Writing—individual work or body of work, fiction or non-fiction.
Best Fan Artwork—individual work or body of work.
Best Fan Production/Publication—work in any medium other than those eligible for other categories. E.g. film, theatrical, webzine etc.
Special Awards:
[Best to check the website for these ones. They have specific requirements for nomination]
Services to Fandom—recognises significant achievement by an individual or group that has benefited New Zealand fandom, or significant achievement by New Zealanders that has benefited fandom overseas.
Services to Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror—recognises significant achievement by an individual or group that has encouraged science fiction, fantasy or horror as genres within New Zealand, or significant achievement by New Zealanders that has encouraged one of these genres overseas.