annual awards eligibility post, 2022

Annual Awards Eligibility Post, 2022

Hi hi, all. I’ve been woefully negligent about updating this blog this year, but there’s been a lot going on. I’ve had to fight with my homeowner’s insurance, weather a layoff, and come to terms with the progression of our senior cat’s terminal illness. Nevertheless, I need to write up a quick awards eligibility post, because it’s ✨nomination season✨. Links to my 2022 fiction—and a cat photo!—below.

What Is an Awards Eligibility Post, Anyway?

Quickly explaining this for the non-writer, non-SFF/H friends. Every year, writerly organizations hand out awards for novels, novellas, short stories, and more. You’ve probably heard of some of them, like the Pulitzer and the Booker Prize, which are given to honor great achievements in literary fiction. There’s a different slate of awards for sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers, however. These include:

(That is in no way a comprehensive list, so please don’t come for me, folks.)

Each group of awards has a different slate, but you can usually expect to see novels, novellas, short stories, and screenplays honored. Judges choose nominees from preliminary reading lists, which are open to recommendations from other writers in the first and/or last quarters of each year.

Now, SFF/H magazines publish thousands of stories each year, meaning that even the most dedicated readers struggle to keep up with releases. Enter the Awards Eligibility Post: an end-of-year recap to gently remind others of a writer’s accomplishments.

So What Did I Publish This Year?

I only had one new story come out this year, and I neglected to announce it here when it became available to read online for free. So here’s what you need to know:

“Those Who Forget and Those Who Perish” appeared in Seize the Press no. 4 in August. This was my first horror sale. “Those Who Forget” was nominated for the inaugural BNW Award from Tenebrous Press, along with three other Seize the Press stories. I am exceedingly proud of it, and I would love it if you gave it a read.

What Awards Is “Those Who Forget and Those Who Perish” Eligible to Win?

Unfortunately, I missed the nomination window for the Stoker Award, and I don’t believe my story was recommended to the reading list. It’s still eligible for other awards, however, so I’m taking the opportunity to promote myself now.

“Those Who Forget and Those Who Perish” is eligible for the British Fantasy, Hugo, and Nebula Awards. Nominations for the British Fantasy and Hugo Awards are open between January and March 2023. Nominations for the Nebula Award will open no later than 15 Dec. 2022 and remain open for at least six weeks.

Additionally, this is my second year of eligibility for the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. I’ve included links to my relevant works below.

Where’s My Cat Photo?

I would have made my awards eligibility post sooner, but we received terrible news in early November and experienced a tremendous loss in early December. As many of you know, Lucette, the oldest and sweetest member of our clowder, was diagnosed with mammary cancer back in the first half of 2021. On 11 Nov., my husband and I learned that she had only weeks to live. We did what we could to make her as comfortable as possible, but it soon became clear that her medicines were no longer working as they should. Sadly, on 5 Dec., Lucette joined her sister, Morgana, on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. She was fourteen years old.

Lucette Colyard, 2008-2022

I’m truly not trying to end this post on a downer note. I promised a cat picture in the first draft, and, instead of editing that line out, I’m taking the opportunity to eulogize a beloved companion. Given the timing, it only seems fitting to include one of the last pictures I took of her. She is sorely missed.

Image credit: Erwan Hesry on Unsplash