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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Aurealis Award For Best Science Fiction Novel

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. 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 science fiction novel category, as well as novels that have received honourable mentions. Since 2003, honourable mentions have been awarded intermittently. Damien Broderick and Jay Kristoff have won the award three times, while five have won it twice – K. A. Bedford, Greg Egan, Amie Kaufman, Sean McMullen, and Sean Williams. Williams holds the record for most nominations with 14. Rory Barnes, James Bradley, Simon Brown, Sara Creasy, Nina D'Aleo, Joel Shepherd, Meagan Spooner, Graham Storrs, and Tess Williams share the record for most nominations without winning, each having been nominated twice.

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(s) Novel Publisher Ref
1995 Greg Egan* Distress Millennium
Sean McMullen Mirrorsun Rising Aphelion Publications
Kate Orman Set Piece Virgin Books
Sean Williams & Shane Dix The Unknown Soldier Aphelion Publications
1996 Sean Williams* Metal Fatigue HarperCollins
Simon Brown Privateer HarperCollins
Tess Williams Map of Power Arrow Books
1997 Damien Broderick* The White Abacus Avon Eos
Damien Broderick & Rory Barnes Zones Moonstone
Simon Brown Winter HarperCollins
Greg Egan Diaspora Millennium
Richard Harland The Dark Edge Pan Macmillan
1998 Sean McMullen* The Centurion's Empire Tor Books
Alison Goodman Singing the Dogstar Blues HarperCollins
John Marsden The Night Is for Hunting Pan Macmillan
Kate Orman The New Adventures: Walking to Babylon Virgin Books
Sean Williams The Resurrected Man Voyager Books
1999 Greg Egan* Teranesia Gollancz
Jonathan Blum & Kate Orman Doctor Who: Unnatural History BBC Books
Damien Broderick & Rory Barnes The Book of Revelation HarperCollins
Andrew Masterson The Letter Girl Picador
Sally Rogers-Davidson Spare Parts Penguin Books
2000 Sean McMullen* The Miocene Arrow Tor Books
James Bradley The Deep Field Sceptre
Sean Williams & Shane Dix The Dying Light Voyager Books
Tess Williams Sea as Mirror Voyager Books
2001 Sean Williams & Shane Dix* The Dark Imbalance Voyager Books
Peter McAllister Cosmonaut Penguin Books
Sean McMullen Eyes of the Calculor Tor Books
Joel Shepherd Crossover Voyager Books
2002 Damien Broderick* Transcension Tor Books
Michelle Marquardt Blue Silence Bantam Books
Sean Williams & Shane Dix Echoes of Earth Voyager Books
2003 Jonathan Blum & Kate Orman* Fallen Gods Telos Publishing
Jay Caselberg Wyrmhole Roc Books
Ian Irvine Terminator Gene Simon & Schuster
Kate Orman Blue Box BBC Worldwide
Sean Williams & Shane Dix Orphans of Earth Voyager Books
2004 Maxine McArthur* Less Than Human Warner Aspect
K. A. Bedford Orbital Burn Edge Publishing
Jack Dann The Rebel Flamingo
Marianne de Pierres Nylon Angel Orbit Books
Sean Williams & Shane Dix Heirs of Earth Voyager Books
2005 K. A. Bedford* Eclipse Edge Publishing
John Birmingham Designated Targets Pan Macmillan
Marianne de Pierres Crash Deluxe Orbit Books
Sean Williams & Shane Dix Ascent Voyager Books
2006 Damien Broderick* K-Machines Avalon Publishing Group
K. A. Bedford Hydrogen Steel Edge Publishing
Andrew McGahan Underground Allen & Unwin
Sean Williams & Shane Dix Descent Voyager Books
2007 David Kowalski* The Company of the Dead Pan Macmillan
Marianne de Pierres Dark Space Orbit Books
Jack Heath Remote Control Pan Macmillan
Sean Williams Saturn Returns Orbit Books
2008 K. A. Bedford* Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait Edge Publishing
Marianne de Pierres Chaos Space Orbit Books
Simon Haynes Hal Spacejock: No Free Lunch Fremantle Press
Kim Westwood The Daughters of Moab HarperVoyager
Sean Williams Earth Ascendant Orbit Books
2009 Andrew McGahan* Wonders of a Godless World Allen & Unwin
Sean Williams The Grand Conjunction Orbit Books
2010 Marianne de Pierres* Transformation Space Orbit Books
Sara Creasy Song of Scarabaeus EOS Books
Marianne de Pierres Mirror Space Orbit Books
2011 Kim Westwood* The Courier's New Bicycle HarperVoyager
Max Barry Machine Man Scribe Publications
Sara Creasy Children of Scarabaeus HarperVoyager
Peter Docker The Waterboys Fremantle Press
Meg Mundell Black Glass Scribe Publications
2012 Daniel O'Malley* The Rook HarperCollins
Jo Anderton Suited Angry Robot Books
Nina D'Aleo The Last City Momentum
Andrea K. Höst And All the Stars Andrea K. Hosth
Ambelin Kwaymullina The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf Walker Books
Garth Nix A Confusion of Princes Allen & Unwin
2013 Max Barry* Lexicon Hachette
Andrew Macrae Trucksong Twelfth Planet Press
Jane Rawson A Wrong Turn at the Office of Unmade Lists Transit Lounge
Graham Storrs True Path Momentum
Nike Sulway Rupetta Tartarus Press
2014 Marianne de Pierres* Peacemaker Angry Robot
Amanda Bridgeman Aurora: Meridian Momentum
LynC Nil By Mouth Satalyte Publishing
Nina D'Aleo The White List Momentum
Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner Their Shattered World Allen & Unwin
Graham Storrs Foresight Momentum
2015 Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff* Illuminae Allen & Unwin
Evelyn Blackwell Crossed (self-published)
James Bradley Clade Penguin
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner Their Fractured Light Allen & Unwin
Joel Shepherd Renegade Kindle Direct
Sean Williams Twinmaker: Fall Allen & Unwin
2016 Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff* Gemima: The Illuminae Files 2 Allen & Unwin
Jane Abbott Watershed Penguin Random House
S. K. Dunstall Confluence Ace Books
D. K. Mok Squid's Grief (self-published)
Daniel O'Malley Stiletto HarperCollins Publishers
Rebekah Turner Threader Harlequin Australia
2017 Jane Rawson* From the Wreck Transit Lounge
Sally Abbott Closing Down Hachette Australia
Claire G. Coleman Terra Nullius Hachette Australia
Daniel Findlay Year of the Orphan Penguin Random House Australia
Krissy Kneen An Uncertain Grace Text Publishing
Cat Sparks Lotus Blue Skyhorse
2018 Jay Kristoff* Lifel1k3 Allen & Unwin
Kylie Chan Scales of Empire HarperCollins Publishers
Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff Obsidio Allen & Unwin
Angela Meyer A Superior Spectre Ventura Press
Jennifer Mills Dyschronia Picador Australia
Margaret Morgan The Second Cure Penguin Random House Australia
2019 Amie Kaufman* & Jay Kristoff* Aurora Rising Allen & Unwin
Sarah Hopkins The Subjects Text Publishing
Meg Mundell The Trespassers University of Queensland Press
Gillian Polack The Year of the Fruit Cake IFWG
Alice Robinson The Glad Shout Affirm
Rohan Wilson Daughter of Bad Times Allen & Unwin
2020 Laura Jean McKay* The Animals in That Country Scribe
Corey J. White* Repo Virtual Tor.com Publishing
James Bradley Ghost Species Penguin/Hamish Hamilton
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Aurora Burning Allen & Unwin
Donna Mazza Fauna Allen & Unwin
Kate Mildenhall The Mother Fault Simon & Schuster
2021 Kathryn Barker* Waking Romeo Allen & Unwin
Max Barry The 22 Murders of Madison May Hachette Australia
Rebecca Bowyer Stealing Time Story Addict Publishing
Jason Fischer Papa Lucy & The Boneman Outland Entertainment
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Aurora’s End Allen & Unwin
Claire McKenna Deepwater King HarperCollins Publishers
2022 T. R. Napper* 36 Streets Titan
Rhett Davis Hovering Hachette
Kathryn Hore The Stranger Allen & Unwin
Steve Toltz Here Goes Nothing Hamish Hamilton
Georgina Young Bootstrap Text
2023 Tansy Rayner Roberts* Time of the Cat Self-published
Kylie Chan Minds of Sand and Light HarperCollins Publishers
Roanna McClelland The Comforting Weight of Water Wakefield Press
T. R. Napper Aliens: Bishop Titan
Marko Newman Dronikus AndAlso Books
Keith Stevenson Traitor's Run coeur de leon publishing

Honourable mentions

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.

Year Author Novel Publisher Ref
2003 Paul Collins The Earthborn Tor Books
2007 Rose Michael The Asking Game Transit Lounge

See also

  • Ditmar Award, an Australian science fiction award established in 1969