My Awards Post

Ballots for both the Ditmar and Chronos awards have now been released. And I’m on both! I’m pleasantly surprised and extremely happy.  🙂

The Ditmars are the Australian Science Fiction Achievement awards, decided by popular vote and presented each year at the National Science Fiction Convention (this year it’s Continuum X in Melbourne). They include the “William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review” (not technically a Ditmar, but presented as part of those awards). That’s the award I’ve been shortlisted for.

“That was then, this is now: How my perceptions have changed” was published in an academic anthology called Doctor Who and Race (Intellect), edited by Lindy Orthia, a lecturer from the Australian National University. Given that a fair chunk of Ditmar voters are unlikely to have read this book, Lindy has been kind enough to put the text of my essay up on the book’s official site. You can read it here.

A full list of Ditmar nominees and voting information is available from the official Ditmar site. Voting has already opened and will close on 28 May 2014. Voting is open to members of last year’s and this year’s National Science Fiction Convention.

The Chronos Awards are the Victorian state equivalent of the national Ditmars, and are presented at the annual Continuum convention in Melboure. Initially I found myself shortlisted for three awards. But this has now been amended.

I am over the moon that Gamers’ Rebellion (Ford Street Publishing), the final book in my Gamers trilogy, has made it into the “Best Long Fiction” category. I feel particularly honoured that I’m there in such amazing company.

I’m also chuffed that my story “Fairy Pie”, published in the children’s anthology Stories for Girls (Random House Australia), is up for “Best Short Fiction”. I’m very proud of this story, which has received a great response from readers and from audiences (grown-ups as well as kids) when I’ve read it aloud.

I am, however, rather disconcerted to see that it’s the only story shortlisted in this category… which means that I’m up against that dreaded “No Award”. While I have no problems about losing to another author, I’ll admit to being rather less enamored of the idea of losing to “No Award”. Given that most of the Chronos voters are unlikely to have read Stories for Girls, my publisher has given me permission to put a PDF of the story up on my website until voting closes. So if you’d like to read it… [link removed]

I was also on the ballot for the award of “Best Fan Writer”, again up against that dreaded “No Award”. While flattered by the nomination, after much deliberation and soul-searching, I decided to withdraw. I felt uncomfortable about being in this category, doubly so because I was there alone. The only fan writing I do these days is for my DVD/Blu-ray blog Viewing Clutter, and while I would have been happy for that blog to be nominated for a fan publication award, as a person who makes a living out of writing, I felt uncomfortable about the fan writer nomination — especially given how many great fan writers are way more active than me. The last thing I want to do is appear ungracious, as I am genuinely flattered, but in the end I decided I should bow out. I hope voters will understand.

Aside from the awards I’ve been nominated for, I am most excited about the fact that Henry Gibbens has been shortlisted for a “Best Achievement” Chronos for the computer animated book trailer he made for Gamers’ Rebellion. In case you’ve missed seeing it (a rather difficult thing to do, given the number of times I’ve posted it), here it is again…

A full list of Chronos nominees and voting details is available from the Continuum website. Voting has already opened and will close on Sunday 25 May 2014. Voting is only open to members of Continuum.

HUGE congrats to all the nominees in both sets of awards. I am proud to be among you.