Nalo Hopkinson's book The Salt Roads (Warner) was nominated for the €100,000 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award is the largest and most international prize of its kind. It involves libraries from all corners of the globe, and is open to books written in any language. An initiative of Dublin City Council, the award is a partnership between Dublin City Council, the Municipal Government of Dublin City, and IMPAC, a productivity improvement company which operates in more than 50 countries. The award is administered by Dublin City Public Libraries.

The Longlist for the 2005 Award was announced in Dublin's City Hall by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Michael Conaghan. In all, 147 titles have been nominated by 185 library systems from 129 cities in 51 countries.

Nalo is one of nine Canadians on the Longlist. The Salt Roads was nominated by the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, and by Hartford Public Library in the U.S. The shortlist will be announced March 8, 2005, and the winner will be announce June 15.

Several SF Canada members among Aurora winners

Several SF Canada members won Aurora Awards at CanVention, held in conjunction with Boréal in Montreal over the weekend. Douglas Smith won the Aurora for Best Short-Form Work in English for "Scream Angel." Best Short-Form Work in French went to Élisabeth Vonarburg for "La Course de Kathryn." Joël Champetier received the Aurora for Best Work in French (Other) for editing Solaris, and the Aurora for Fan Achievement (Publication) went to Don Bassie as editor of the Made in Canada Newsletter.

Here's the complete list of winners and nominees.  Winners are in bold and at the top of each list of nominees:

Best Long-Form Work in English
Meilleur livre en anglais

* Blind Lake, Robert Charles Wilson
* Hidden in Sight, Julie E. Czerneda
* Burndive, Karin Lowachee
* Humans, Robert J. Sawyer
* A Telling of Stars, Caitlin Sweet
* Scream Queen, Edo van Belkom

Meilleur livre en français
Best Long-Form Work in French

* Phaos, Alain Bergeron
* La Cage de Londres, Jean-Pierre Guillet
* Le Stratège de Léda, Michèle Laframboise
* La Chevauchée des hippocampes, Robert Tessier

Best Short-Form Work in English
Meilleure nouvelle en anglais

* "Scream Angel," Douglas Smith
* "Stars," Carolyn Clink
* "The Siren Stone," Derwin Mak
* "Come All Ye Faithful," Robert J. Sawyer
* "Porter's Progress," Isaac Szpindel

Meilleure nouvelle en français
Best Short-Form Work in French

* "La Course de Kathryn," Élisabeth Vonarburg
* "La Nuit," Sylvie Bérard
* "Volvox," Marie-Josée L'Hérault
* "Du clonage considéré comme un des beaux-arts," Mario Tessier

Best Work in English (Other)
Meilleur ouvrage en anglais (Autre)

* Julie E. Czerneda for editing Space, Inc.
* From the Files of Matthews Gentech, Bruce Ballon
* May Queen, Heather Dale (Amphisbaena Music, 2003)
* Neo-Opsis Science Fiction Magazine
* Robert J. Sawyer, Writer-in-Residence (Merril Collection)
* The Stars As Seen from this Particular Angle of Night, Sandra Kasturi, ed.

Meilleur ouvrage en français (Autre)
Best Work in French (Other)

* Solaris, Joël Champetier, réd.
* Sur le Seuil, Réalisation: Éric Tessier; Scénario: Patrick Senécal et Éric Tessier (Go Films)

Artistic Achievement
Accomplissement artistique

* Jean-Pierre Normand
* James Beveridge
* Lar deSouza
* Stephanie Ann Johanson
* Michèle Laframboise
* Martin Springett
* Ronn Sutton
* Mel Vavaroustos

Fan Achievement (Publication)
Accomplissement fanique (Publication)

* Made in Canada Newsletter, Don Bassie, ed.
* Zine-Zag, Direction: Salvador Dallaire

Fan Achievement (Organizational)
Accomplissement fanique (Organisation)

* Martin Miller
* Roy Miles
* Marah Searle-Kovacevic
* Joan Sherman
* Brian Upward

Fan Achievement (Other)
Accomplissement fanique (autre)

* Eric Layman
* Peter de Jager
* Gord Rose
* Larry Stewart
* Urban Tapestry

Maggie L. Wood novel
short-listed for Red Maple Award

Maggie L. Wood's fantasy The Princess Pawn was short-listed for the 2005 Red Maple Award.

The Red Maple Award offers Grade 7 and 8 Ontario students who have read a minimum number of nominated titles the opportunity to vote for the nominated title they feel should win. Students are encouraged to view the information about authors and the books on a special web site created for registrants. The site includes e-mail access to most of the authors and a bulletin board through which students may share their thoughts on the books. Voting for most registrants is also electronic.

Edward Willett biography of Tolkien
up for Saskatchewan Book Award

Edward Willett's book J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of Imaginary Worlds (Enslow Publishers) was shortlisted for a Saskatchewan Book Award in the category of children's literature. The award was won by Beth Goobie for Flux (Orca Books).

Others shortlisted in the same category were Mary Harelkin Bishop for Tunnels of Treachery (Coteau Books), Rebecca Grambo and Dianna Bonder for Digging Canadian Dinosaurs (Whitecap Books), Judith Silverthorne for Dinosaur Breakout (Coteau Books) and Arthur Slade for Ghost Hotel (Coteau Books).

In all, 52 Saskatchewan authors and eight provincial publishers were shortlisted for Saskatchewan Book Awards in 13 categories; a total of 92 titles were submitted, a record number. The awards, which included a cheque for $2,000, were handed out at a gala dinner on November 27.

Simon Rose novel up for two awards

Simon Rose's second novel, The Sorcerer's Letterbox, was short-listed for the 2005 Silver Birch Award, presented by the Ontario Library Association.

The Sorcerer's Letterbox has also been short-listed for the 2005 Golden Eagle Award, nominated by school students in Southern Alberta.

Nalo Hopkinson wins Gaylactic Spectrum Award

Nalo Hopkinson's novel The Salt Roads (Warner) won the 2003 Gaylactic Spectrum Award for the best science fiction, fantasy or horror novel originally released in North America during 2003 with significant positive gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender content.

The Salt Roads beat out a long list of finalists: Elf Child by David M Pierce (Southern Tier), Faked to Death by Dean James (Kensington), From the Ashes by Meghan Brunner (1stbooks), Hidden Warrior by Lynn Flewelling (Bantam), Humans and Hybrids by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor), Icehole by Kiera Dellacroix (Fortitude Press), Lords of Rainbow by Vera Nazarian (Wildside), Lust by Geoff Ryman (St. Martin's), The Magister by Sally Miller Gearhart (Spinsters Ink), Manners and Means by Julia Talbot (Torquere Press), Moonsword by Diana Hignutt (AmErica House), The Other Side Of Love by Carole Lenzy Daniel (1stbooks), Perfect Hope by S Hardy Brondos (Wayward), Perfect Trust by S Hardy Brondos (Wayward), The Red Line of Yarmald by Diana Rivers (Bella), The Sorcerer's Web by T P Macer (Wayward), Spin State by Chris Moriarty (Bantam Dell), Storyteller by Amy Thomson (Ace), The Substance of God by Perry Brass (Belhue), Trickster by Steven Harper (Roc), Tritcheon Hash by Sue Lange (Metropolis Ink), Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo (Grove), Turning The Storm by Naomi Kritzer (Bantam), Vampire Thrall by Michael Schiefelbein (Alyson) and The Wrong Trail Knife by Jane Fletcher (Fortitude Press).

Cory Doctorow wins 2004 Sunburst Award

Cory Doctorow won the 2004 Sunburst Award for his short-story collection A Place So Foreign and 8 More (Four Walls Eight Windows Press).

The Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is a prized and juried award that is presented annually. It is based on excellence of writing, and awarded to a Canadian writer who has published a speculative fiction novel or book-length collection any time during the previous calendar year. Named after the novel by Phyllis Gotlieb, one of the first published authors of contemporary Canadian speculative fiction, the award consists of a cash award of $1,000 and a hand-crafted medallion, which incorporates a "Sunburst" logo, designed by Marcel Gagné.

The Sunburst jury said, "A Place So Foreign and 8 More opens with Cory Doctorow's signature piece, "Craphound," which perfectly showcases the qualities that so impressed us: an energetic narrative drive; an infectious love of storytelling; intriguingly imagined outcast characters; unusual ideas explored with verve and intelligence; a charming wit; a desire to take chances rather than to retread safe ground; and a generous amount of chutzpah. This collection of nine stories is an excellent example of science fiction pushing forward and evolving, while casting a critically pertinent eye towards the past, the present, and the future."

Cory currently lives in London, England, where he works for the civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation. He is the author of two novels, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and Eastern Standard Tribe.

The other short-listed works for the 2004 Sunburst Award were The Bone House by Luanne Armstrong (New Star Books), Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (McClelland & Stewart), Initiation by Virginia Frances Schwartz (Fitzhenry & Whiteside), and Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson (Tor Books).

There was an award ceremony on September 23, 2004, at 7 p.m. in the Merrill Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation and Fantasy, at the Lillian H Smith Branch of the Toronto Public Library, 239 College Street.

 Jurors for the 2004 Sunburst Award were Caterina Edwards, Claude Lalumière, Yves Meynard, Lyle Weis, and Michelle Sagara West. They selected five short-listed works as representing the finest of Canadian fantastic literature published during the 2003 calendar year. However, the jury requested that the following additional books be listed because they felt very strongly that they merit special attention:

Struck by Geoffrey Bromhead (Anvil), The Mermaid of Paris by Cary Fagan (Key Porter), The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (Warner), A Telling of Stars by Caitlin Sweet (Viking), and The Assassins of Tamurin by S. D. Tower (HarperCollins).

The 2005 Award jurors will be Deirdre Baker, Nancy Baker, Aritha van Herk, Nicholas Ruddick, and Rodger Turner. For additional information about the Sunburst Award, the nominees and jurors, as well as previous awards, eligibility and the selection process, please visit the Web site.

SF Canada Web site a Wooden Rocket runner-up

The SF Canada Web site, designed by Karl Schroeder and maintained by Edward Willett, was a runner-up for one of the Wooden Rocket Awards for best SF Web sites, in the category of Best Convention/Society Site, for "Sites that support an annual SFF event or a regional SFF society."

The winner was Dragon*Con; The British Science Fiction Association was also a runner-up.

These annual awards for the best online sites operating in the science fiction and fantasy genre are sponsored by SFcrowsnest.com.. At the final count on July 1, 2004, 12,381 verified voters had made 68,725 valid nominations for various web sites.

Cory Doctorow wins Locus Award for Best First Novel

Cory Doctorow's novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom won the Locus Award for Best First Novel of 2003. The Locus Award is based on a popular poll of readers of the science fiction trade magazine Locus. As Cory says on his blog, this is "a larger group than even the Hugo voters, making it the largest beauty contest in the field. I couldn't be any happier: thanks everyone! Hope to see you at the World Science Fiction Convention in Boston, where the award will be presented."

Donna Farley wins The World Guild Canadian Christian Writing Award

Donna Farley won The Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Award 2004 in the Short Story category for her science-fiction story "TreeDance" in Dreams & Visions #31. In a tie for first place was Sonya Vander Veen Feddema for her story "First Guitar" in Christian Home and School. The third finalist was Steve Stanton for his fantasy story "In Defense of Angels" in Dragons, Knights and Angels. More than 300 writers attended the award ceremonies on June 18 at the annual Write! Canada convention in Guelph, Ontario. Donna's award-winning story is available on the Skysong Press website during the Aurora Award nomination season and will be reprinted in the Sky Songs II SF&F anthology (targeted for 2006).

Spider Robinson a finalist for Ursa Major Award for Best Anthropomorphic Novel

Callahan's Con by Spider Robinson (Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Books) was a finalist for Best Anthropomorphic Novel in this year's Ursa Major Awards, which recognize excellence in anthropomorphic SF and fantasy. The award was won by Between Darkness and Light by Lisanne Norman (DAW Books). The Ursa Major Awards  were presented at the Canadian Anthro & Cartooning Expo (C-ACE) in Ottawa June 4-6. Other nominees in the novel category were Cerulean Sins: An Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Novel by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkeley Publishing Group), The Iron Star by Brock Hoagland (Shanda Fantasy Arts) and Long Hot Summoning by Tanya Huff (DAW Books, May 2003).

Throne Price a finalist for Benjamin Franklin Award

Throne Price by Lynda Williams and Alison Sinclair, published by EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy, was one of three finalists for a 2004 Benjamin Franklin Award in the popular fiction category. The winner, announced June 2 during a ceremony in Chicago, was San Remo Drive by Leslie Epstein (Other Press). The other finalist in the popular fiction category was Me and Orson Welles by Robert Kaplow (MacAdam/Cage Publishing).

The  Benjamin Franklin Award, presented by the Publishers Marketing Association, recognizes excellence in independent publishing. Publications, grouped by genre, are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field.

Bruce Ballon's game supplement on final Stoker ballot

Bruce Ballon's role-playing game book From the Files of Matthews GenTech (Silver Age Sentinels) was an official finalist for a Bram Stoker Award in the Alternative Forms category. This is only the second RPG book to ever be named a Stoker finalist.

The winner in the Alternative Forms category was The Gorelets (an email newsletter) by Michael Arnzen. Other finalists were Ghosts of Albion (webcast script) by Christopher Golden and Amber Benson (BBC Online)  and Horror World (webzine) edited by Nanci Kalanta and Ron Dickie (Nanci Kalanta and Ron Dickie).

Cory Doctorow makes Nebula Award final ballot

Cory Doctorow's novellete "0wnz0red" (Salon.com, August 2002) was one of the finalists for best novelette for the 2003 Nebula Awards, voted on, and presented by, active members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. The winner was "The Empire of Ice Cream" by Jeffrey Ford (SciFiction, February 26, 2003); other nominees in the novelette category were "The Mask of Rex" by Richard Bowes (F&SF, May 2002),  and "The Wages of Syntax" by Ray Vukcevich (SciFiction, October 16, 2002).

Nicole Luiken novel wins Golden Eagle Book Award

Nicole Luiken's YA SF novel Violet Eyes won the 2004 Golden Eagle Book Award. The Golden Eagle Book Award is a literary award given annually to an Alberta writer whose book is selected by children in Grades 4 through 7 from schools in the southern Alberta communities of Claresholm, Nanton, Stavely, Granum, Fort Macleod, Pincher Creek and Lundbreck. The other nominees were also either YA fantasy or SF: Shadows of Disaster by Cathy Beveridge and Turning Time by Linda Smith.

Nina Munteanu story nominated for Fountain Award

Nina Munteanu's short story "Angel's Promises," which is currently online at GateWay SF, was nominated for the Speculative Literature Foundation  Fountain Award for 2004.  The award, announced July 1, went to "The Specialist" by Alison Smith, published in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern.

The Speculative Literature Foundation Fountain Award is a new fiction award with a prize of $1000, given to a short story of exceptional literary quality. The award is judged by a select jury (this year's members were Heinz Insu Fenkl, John Kessel, Larissa Lai, Kelly Link, and Maureen McHugh), and chosen from work nominated by magazine and anthology editors.

Rick Sutcliffe wins EPPIE Award for best SF novel

Rick Sutcliffe's novel The Friends, Volume II of The Interregnum, his alternate history series, won the 2004 EPPIE Award for best electronically published science fiction novel of 2003 at the annual EPICon, held March 12 to 14 in Oklahoma City. Volume III of The Interregnum, The Exile, was a finalist for the same award.

The books are available in eBook form from publisher Writers Exchange or retailer Fictionwise, and in paper from Bowker's Booksurge.

Three SF Canada members finalists for
ForeWord Magazine's SF Book of the Year Award

Élisabeth Vonarburg's novel Dreams of the Sea (Tesseract Books) and Lynda Williams and Alison Sinclair's novel Throne Price (Edge) were finalists for ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award in the science fiction category.

The ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards were established six years ago to bring increased attention to the literary achievements of independent presses and their authors. There are Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each category, plus Editor's Choice Prizes for fiction and nonfiction. The awards were presented at BookExpo America in Chicago on June 4; the Gold award went to Ring by Koji Suzuki (Vertical Inc.), the Silver award to The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock (Bethany House), and the Bronze award to Younger by Judith Sulzberger (Apple Trees Productions). Other finalists were Arcalian Apocalypse by Michael Anthony Cariola and The Hand in the Mirror by M. Bradley Davis, both from 1stBooks.

Edward Willett's Ebola Virus named an
Outstanding K-12 Science Trade Book

Edward Willett's children's non-fiction book Ebola Virus (Enslow, 2003) was chosen as one of the 2004 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children's Book Council.

The complete list of 2004 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 was officially announced on Friday, April 2, during the National Science Teachers Association annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia.