First awarded in 1975, the World Fantasy Awards are handed out annually at the World Fantasy Convention (WFC) to recognize outstanding achievement in the field of fantasy. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The World Fantasy Convention is an annual gathering of professionals, collectors, and others interested in the field of fantasy. ... Fantasy is a genre of art, literature, film, television, and music that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of either plot, theme, setting, or all three. ...

These awards are among the most prestigious given every year in the speculative fiction genre. WF award winners are chosen by a panel of judges, which differs every year. For the 2005 awards, the judges were Alis Rasmussen (Kate Elliott), Jeffrey Ford, Tim Lebbon, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, and Jessica Amanda Salmonson. Kate Elliott is the pen name of writer Alis A. Rasmussen. ... Kate Elliott is the pen name of writer Alis A. Rasmussen. ... Jeffrey Ford (b 1955) is an American author who writes works of Fantasy but his works have been described as spanning both Fantasy and Science Fiction. ... Patrick Nielsen Hayden is a science fiction editor and fanzine writer. ...

Winners are chosen from groups of nominees (generally five or six per category), also selected largely by the judges, with two picked by members of the annual WFC.

The WF awards thus differ significantly in administration from other notable genre awards, such as Hugos or Nebulas. For the Hugos, the nominees and winners are chosen solely by members of the World Science Fiction Convention, while the Nebulas are awards for authors chosen by authors, specifically members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Thus neither the Hugos nor Nebulas have overseeing judges. The Hugo Award is given every year for the best science fiction or fantasy stories of the previous year, and for related areas in fandom, art and dramatic presentation. ... The Nebula is an award given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), for the best science fiction/fantasy fiction published in the United States during the two previous years. ... Worldcon, a. ... Science Fiction Writers of America, or SFWA (pronounced siff-wah or seff-wah), was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight and James Blish. ...

Because of the small number of judges for the WF awards, and because they usually try to read very comprehensively in the field, selections for the awards are often eclectic. For example, low-selling but high-quality works from small press publications, which may be overlooked by other awards, often receive a critical spotlight in the WF awards. The Dun Emer Press in 1903 with Elizabeth Yeats working the hand press Small press is a term often used to describe publishers who typically specialize in genre fiction, or limited edition books or magazines. ...

The WF are also unique in having categories for single-author collections and multi-author anthologies, which categories the Nebulas and Hugos lack.

Current and past categories for the awards

• Novel
• Novella
• Short Fiction
• Anthology
• Collection
• Artist
• Special Awards
  • Convention Award
  • Life Achievement
  • Special Award: Professional
  • Special Award: Non-Professional

This World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy novel or novels voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy novella or novellas voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy short story voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy anthology voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is given to the fantasy fiction collection voted best by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is given to the artist voted best in the fantasy field by a panel of judges, and presented each year at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is presented to individuals for their outstanding service to the fantasy field, and decided by a panel of judges at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is presented to individuals for their outstanding professional work in the fantasy field, and voted by a panel of judges at the World Fantasy Convention. ... This World Fantasy Award is presented to individuals for outstanding non-professional work in the fantasy field, and voted by a panel of judges at the World Fantasy Convention. ...

External links

• Past and present winners and nominees