ChiZine Publications has announced several of its novels have been nominated for both the Prix Aurora Awards and The Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic, two prestigious awards recognizing the best in Canadian speculative fiction.
For the 2012 Sunburst Awards, Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism (David Nickle), Enter, Night (Michael Rowe) and The Pattern Scars (Caitlin Sweet) were three of the six nominees shortlisted in the Adult Novel category. These same three novels, plus Napier’s Bones (Derryl Murphy), were also nominated for the 2012 Prix Aurora Awards in the Best Novel – English category, representing four of the six nominees. All four novels were published by ChiZine Publications in 2011.
“We’re thrilled to receive so many nominations for both awards,” says Sandra Kasturi, co-publisher of ChiZine Publications. “Our mission has always been to publish the best speculative fiction out there, walking that line between critical acclaim and popular fiction. Sometimes a bestseller is trashed by critics, or a critical darling sells three copies. To have these books recognized by both the fans of speculative fiction and a juried awards tells me we’ve found that line.”
“And,” adds co-publisher Brett Alexander Savory, “it shows that fans of speculative fiction ‘get it’ when it comes to quality. They want characterization, striking prose, unsettling themes. There’s certainly an audience for straight-ahead horror or science fiction, but our readers—and Canadian fans overall, it seems—want those strong and challenging stories.”
With the first awards handed out in 2001, The Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic is an annual juried award. Open to Canadian writers, it recognizes the best in speculative fiction novels or book-length collections in both an adult and young adult categories. It is named for Phyllis Gotlieb’s first novel and offers a cash award of $1,000 and a medallion to the winner.
The Prix Aurora Awards, administered by the Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (CSFFA), recognizes excellence within the Canadian speculative fiction community through awards for novels, short stories, fan organization, filk and more. Nominations can be made by members of the CSFFA, which is open to all Canadians citizens and permanent residents. Winners receive a trophy.
More information on Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism, Enter, Night, The Pattern Scars and Napier’s Bones can be found on ChiZine Publications’ website.
