The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
Since their creation in 1995, awards have been given in various categories of speculative fiction. Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction. The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy. The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.
The results are decided by a panel of judges from a list of submitted nominees; the long-list of nominees is reduced to a short-list of finalists. Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner. The judges are selected from a public application process by the Award's management team.
This article lists all the short-list nominees and winners in the best fantasy novel category, as well as novels that have received honourable mentions or have been highly commended. Since 2003, honourable mentions and high commendations have been awarded intermittently. Juliet Marillier, Garth Nix hold the record for most wins with 4. Marillier holds the record for most nominations with 12, and Glenda Larke has the most nominations without winning, having been a losing finalist ten times.
Winners and nominees In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a blue background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.
Winners and joint winners Nominees on the shortlist
Year Author NovelPublisherRef * Sabriel Moonstone Allen & Unwin Battleaxe Voyager Books Mus of Kerbridge TSR Pan Macmillan * Bantam Books * Enchanter Voyager Books * StarMan Voyager Books Pan Macmillan Cairo Jim and the Alabastron of Forgotten Gods Hachette Children's Books Australia Equinox Pan Macmillan * Random House Darkfall Penguin Books Sinner Voyager Books Dragonclaw Random House Black Ice Hodder Headline * Omnibus Books * Fire Angels Avon Eos Pilgrim Voyager Books Penguin Books Cold Iron Hodder * Aramaya Avon Eos Crusader Voyager Books Random House Omnibus Books Daughter of the Forest Pan Macmillan * Son of the Shadows Pan Macmillan Voyager Books UQP Medalon Voyager Books Vixen Sceptre * Voyager Books Child of the Prophecy Pan Macmillan Lirael Allen & Unwin Penguin Books Voyager Books * Voyager Books Voyager Books Penguin Books Hades' Daughter Voyager Books Voyager Books Blood Voyager Books * Abhorsen Allen & Unwin Prime Books Grass for His Pillow Hodder Voyager Books Voyage of the Shadowmoon Tor Books * Voyager Books Brilliance of the Moon Hodder The Tainted Voyager Books Snow, Fire, Sword Random House Giants of the Frost Voyager Books * Blade of Fortriu Pan Macmillan Darkwitch Rising Voyager Books Nightpeople UQP Surrender Penguin Books Voyager Books * Wildwood Dancing Pan Macmillan Penguin Books Heart of the Mirage Voyager Books Voidfarer Tor Books Blaze of Glory Random House * Heaven's Net Is Wide Hachette Voyager Books Five Star Publishing Song of the Shiver Barrens Voyager Books Heart of Gold Random House * HarperCollins Amberlight Juno Books Tender Morsels Allen & Unwin Heir to Sevenwaters Pan Macmillan HarperVoyager * Magician's Apprentice Orbit Books Horn Twelfth Planet Press HarperVoyager Witches Incorporated HarperVoyager HarperVoyager * HarperVoyager Andrea K Hösth Orbit Books HarperVoyager Pan Macmillan * Ember and Ash Hachette HarperVoyager Stormlord's Exile HarperVoyager Debris Angry Robot HarperVoyager * Sea Hearts Allen & Unwin Bitter Greens Random House Australia Stormdancer Tor UK Flame of Sevenwaters Pan Macmillan Australia Winter Be My Shield HarperVoyager * Mitchell Hogan Lexicon Hachette Australia & Meagan Spooner These Broken Stars Allen & Unwin Newt's Emerald Jill Grinberg Literary Management Ink Black Magic FableCroft Publishing * Dreamer's Pool Pan Macmillan Australia Fireborn Hachette Australia & Meagan Spooner This Shattered World Allen & Unwin Hachette Australia Afterworlds Penguin Books Australia Daughters of the Storm Harlequin Enterprises Australia * Day Boy Text Publishing In the Skin of a Monster Allen & Unwin Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club HarperCollins HarperVoyager Tower of Thorns Pan Macmillan Australia Skin Text Publishing * Nevernight HarperVoyager Hachette Australia Den of Wolves Pan Macmillan Australia Vigil Jo Fletcher Books Road to Winter Text Publishing Sisters of the Fire Harlequin Australia * Godsgrave HarperCollins Publishers Crossroads of Canopy Tor Books Gwen Fremantle Press Cassandra Odyssey Books Gap Year in Ghost Town Allen & Unwin Wellside Candlemark & Gleam * City of Lies Penguin Random House * Hachette Australia Devouring Dark Grey Matter Press Lady Helen and the Dark Days Deceit HarperCollins Publishers Lightning Tracks Plainspeak Publishing We Ride the Storm (self-published) * Angel Mage Allen & Unwin Darkdawn HarperCollins Publishers Piatkus Macmillan Scholastic Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town Allen & Unwin*Allen & Unwin*Hollow EmpireBantam PressMonstrous HeartHarperVoyagerAllen & UnwinConquistChimaera PublicationsTalem Press*Dark RiseAllen & UnwinAll the Murmuring BonesTitan PublishingTorPiatkusShe Who Became the SunMantleSupermums: And So It Begins(self-published)Path of ThornsTitanThe Not So Chosen OneTextThe Stone RoadErewhonA Restless TruthTorBlitzHarperCollinsHonour Among GhostsAllen & Unwin2023The Will of the ManyTextShadow BaronOrbigThe Sinister Booksellers of BathAllen & UnwinOf Knives and Night-Bloomsself-publishedThe Blood-Born DragonBattleWarrior PressHow to Be RememberedAllen & Unwin2024Thoroughly DisenchantedVoyagerKavithriGollanczThe She-Wolf of Baker StreetClan Destine PressThe End and Everything Before ItTextThe Briar Book of the DeadTitan BooksSkysongPantera2025Upon a Starlit TideVoyagerHouse of the Rain Kingself-publishedHoneyeaterPicadorGreenteethOrbitSlashed BeautiesHQ FictionGrave EmpireOrbit
Statistics Multiple wins (as of 2022, after the 2021 winner announced):
Juliet Marillier (4) Garth Nix (4) Sara Douglass (3) Jay Kristoff (3) Jane Routley (2) Sean Williams (2)
Most nominations:
Juliet Marillier (12) Sara Douglass (11) Glenda Larke (10) Garth Nix (6) Jay Kristoff (4) Michael Pryor (4) Kim Wilkins (4) Jennifer Fallon (3) Kate Forsyth (3) Alison Goodman (3) Lian Hearn (3) Maria Lewis (3) Tansy Rayner Roberts (3) Sean Williams (3)
Honourable mentions and highly commended novels In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a grey background have been noted as highly commended; those with a white background have received honourable mentions.
Highly commended Honourable mentions
Year Author NovelPublisherRef2003 Scrutator Viking Press Lamplighter HarperCollins 2005 * Priestess of the White Voyager Books 2006 White Tiger Voyager Books Hachette Livre 2007 Blood Ties Hachette Australia Empress of Mijak Voyager Books
See also Ditmar Award, an Australian science fiction award established in 1969
References
External links Aurealis Awards official site