Since the Aurealis Award' first ceremony, both the field of literature and the vibrancy of the Australian speculative fiction community have grown substantially. Congratulations to the winners of the 2008 Aurealis Awards! The winners were announced at the thirteenth annual Aurealis Awards ceremony at the Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts in Brisbane on Saturday 24 January 2009. Best Science Fiction Novel K A Bedford Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing Best Science Fiction Short Story Simon Brown "The Empire" Dreaming Again, Harper/Voyager Best Fantasy Novel Alison Goodman The Two Pearls of Wisdom HarperCollins Best Fantasy Short Story Cat Sparks "Sammarynda Deep" Paper Cities, Senses 5 Press Best Horror Novel John Harwood The Seance Jonathan Cape (Random House Australia) Best Horror Short Story Kirstyn McDermott "Painlessness" Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD), #2 Best Anthology Jonathan Strahan (editor) The Starry Rift Viking Children's Books Best Collection Sean Williams & Russell B Farr (editor) Magic Dirt: The Best of Sean Williams Ticonderoga Publications Best Illustated Book/Graphic Novel Shaun Tan Tales From Outer Suburbia Allen & Unwin Best Young Adult Novel Melina Marchetta Finnikin of the Rock Viking Penguin Best Young Adult Short Story Trent Jamieson "Cracks" Shiny, #2 Best Children’s Novel Emily Rodda The Wizard of Rondo Omnibus Books Best Children’s Illustrated Work/Picture Book Richard Harland & Laura Peterson (illustrator) Escape!, Under Siege, Race to the Ruins, The Heavy Crown The Wolf Kingdom series, Omnibus Books Peter McNamara Convenors' Award for Excellence Jack Dann