BSFA Award

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The British Science Fiction Association Awards or BSFA Awards have been given since 1965 and annually since 1974 in one or more categories for works of science fiction or fantasy. They are usually presented at the UK Eastercon and are typically decided by popular vote of the members of the Association and/or the convention, occasionally augmented by special or committee awards. Eligibility is usually but not always defined by British publication. The physical form of the award varies from year to year.

As with any longstanding award, there have been many changes to its categories and mechanism, especially prior to 1980.

At its inception in 1965 it was styled the British Fantasy Award and its two iterations under that name are included here to avoid confusion with the British Fantasy Awards presented by the British Fantasy Society. In 1970 it was renamed the British Science Fiction Award and that form was still occasionally used after it became the British Science Fiction Association Award in 1977.

From 1970 until 1979 there was usually a single winner decided without a shortlist.

In 1979 there were three awards, for novel, collection and media. In 1980 shortlists were introduced, perhaps inspired by the Hugos at the previous year's Worldcon, and there were four categories: novel, short fiction, media or dramatic presentation, and artist.

In 1986 the artist category was replaced with one for a specific piece of artwork. In 1993 the media or dramatic presentation category was dropped. In 2002 a non-fiction category was added and in 2022 a 'Best Book for Younger Readers' was added.

2024 saw a major shakeup. Further new categories were added for 'collection' (including both collections and anthologies), 'Translated Short Fiction' and 'audio fiction'. The 'short fiction, category was limited to short stories with a new category of 'shorter fiction' added for novelettes and novellas. The 'non-fiction category was split into 'long non-fiction' and 'short non-fiction'.

British Fantasy Award (1966–1969)[edit]

1966

The nominating form said the award 'will be given each year to the person or organisation which, in the judgement of the Association, has nade the best contribution to speculative fiction in the past twelve months. The award could go to a novel, a short story, a magazine, a publishing house, or a television or film Company. The emphasis will be on the value of the contribution to British science fiction or fantasy. 'John Brunner won the first British Fantasy Award for unspecified activity (Like, they didn't say) – but congratulations to him too' BSFA Bulletin #5 (April 1966).

1967

The nominating form said 'In the current year the B.S.F.A. intend to make the Award on a published bock only. No other classes will be considered. To qualify, the book must be published in Great Britain for the first time between 1st January 1966 and 31st December 1966. Despite this, 'The British Fantasy Award somehow contrived this year to fission. Part of it went to Philip K. Dick for The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (Jonathan Cape) ... The remainder of the Award went to Michael Moorcock for services to magazine sf in this country' BSFA Bulletin #12 (May 1967).

1968 and 1969

  • no award given

'The Management. Committee of The B.S.F.A. Limited regrets that owing to various interlocking circumstances the British Fantasy Award is, for the second year in succession, being held in suspense' BSFA Bulletin #21 (January 1969).

British Science Fiction Award (1970–1976)[edit]

1970

The revived British Science Fiction Award for 1969 was presented to John Brunner for his "non novel" Stand on Zanzibar, (You should recall that it was your votes, as B.S.F.A. members, that singled this work and author out for the distinction' BSFA Bulletin #32 (April 1970).

1971

'The annual British S.F. Award, saved at the last minute from having all the ground cut from under its feet by the timely ending of the postal strike, was won once again by John Brunner – this time for Jagged Orbit. This makes the third occasion on which he has won this Award, in one form or another. (Incidentally, the missing shield which was the Award's original token has just turned up at long last. Somebody had been hoarding it, so the story goes, under the impression that the Association was defunct' BSFA Bulletin #41 (April 1971).

1972

'...to Brian Aldiss for Moment of Eclipse. A particular congratulation to Brian, who was not only the Association's first Chairman, but before that the (unincorporated) Association's first and only President: this Award has thus, in a sense, "come home"' BSFA Bulletin #47 (May 1972).

1973

  • No award

'There was no British SF Award, since insufficient votes were received. This is a sad state of affairs, but hopefully a proposal to reorganise the Award will be put to you all shortly. I'm not sure of the mechanics of this, but I believe it involves a final ballot listing maybe half a dozen novels, which will be distributed early enough to give people a chance to read them. You'll be getting details from another quarter, but just let me say, for God's sake support it — try to read the novels and vote next year!' Vector #65 (May 1973).

1974

1975

'The BSFA award (this year awarded in the absence of a BSFA by the convention committee) went to Chris Priest for Inverted World' Checkpoint #61 (April 1975).

1976

'Because we've been putting our house in order we've been picking the winner by committee for the past couple of years. This will change next year' Matrix #7 (August 1976).

British Science Fiction Association Award (1977 onwards)[edit]

1977

'The award was made this year by the BSFA Council but is now being made more democratic and at the AGM it was decided that Pete Nicholls would chair an Award committee' Matrix #12 (June 1977).

1978

'The Chairman said this had been organised by Mr. Wingrove and Council wished to thank him for the work he had put in. The Chairman handed over to Mr. Wingrove to announce the results. Mr. Wingrove said he had' received 62 voting slips this being a better response than previous years.... The Chairman said that all outstanding BSFA Awards had now been presented and Mr. Watson's would be delivered as soon as possible' 'Matrix #17 (April 1978).

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

  • Novel: Air by Geoff Ryman
  • Short Fiction: 'Magic for Beginners' by Kelly Link
  • Artwork: Interzone 200 cover by Pawel Lewandowski
  • Non-fiction Award: Soundings: Reviews 1992-1996 by Gary K. Wolfe

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

  • Novel: Jack Glass by Adam Roberts
  • Short Fiction: 'Adrift on the Sea of Rains' by Ian Sales
  • Artwork: Jack Glass cover by Blacksheep
  • Non-Fiction: 'The World SF Blog', chief editor Lavie Tidhar

2014

2015

  • Novel: Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
  • Short Fiction: 'The Honey Trap' by Ruth E. J. Booth
  • Artwork: 'The Wasp Factory after Iain Banks' by Tessa Farmer
  • Non-Fiction: 'Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers and the First World War' by Edward James

2016

2017

2018

  • Novel: The Rift by Nina Allan
  • Short Fiction: 'The Enclave' by Anne Charnock
  • Artwork: Joint winners. Cover of The Ion Raider by Jim Burns and Waiting on a Bright Moon by Victo Ngai
  • Non-Fiction: Iain M. Banks by Paul Kincaid

2019

  • Novel: Embers of War by Gareth L. Powell
  • Short Fiction: 'Time Was' by Ian McDonald
  • Non-Fiction: 'On motherhood and erasure: people-shaped holes, hollow characters and the illusion of impossible adventures' by Aliette de Bodard
  • Artwork: 'In the Vanishers' Palace: Dragon I and II' by Likhain

2020

2021

  • Novel: The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin
  • Short Fiction: 'Infinite Tea in the Demara Cafe' by Ida Keogh
  • Artwork: Shipbuilding Over the Clyde by Iain Clark
  • Non-Fiction: It's the End of the World: But What Are We Really Afraid Of by Adam Roberts

2022

2023

2024

Links[edit]

Award Website 1970—
This is an award page. If you know something about it, such as who awarded it, who the winners were, what the criteria were, and when it was awarded, please add it! See Standards for Awards.
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