The World Fantasy Awards are given each year by the World Fantasy Convention for the best fantasy fiction and art published in English during the preceding calendar year. The awards have been described by sources such as The Guardian as a "prestigious fantasy prize", and as one of the three most renowned speculative fiction awards, along with the Hugo and Nebula Awards (which cover both fantasy and science fiction). The World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional is given each year to individuals for their non-professional work in the preceding calendar year in fields related to fantasy that are not covered by other World Fantasy Award categories. These have included editors of magazines and novels, publishers, and authors of non-fiction works. Occasionally some publishing companies have been nominated along with individual editors and publishers. The nomination reasons have sometimes not been specified beyond "contributions to the genre". Individuals are also eligible for the Special Award—Professional category for their professional work. The World Fantasy Special Award—Non-professional has been awarded annually since 1975.

World Fantasy Award nominees and winners are decided by attendees and judges at the annual World Fantasy Convention. A ballot is posted in June for attendees of the current and previous two conferences to determine two of the finalists, and a panel of five judges adds three or more nominees before voting on the overall winner. The panel of judges is typically made up of fantasy authors and is chosen each year by the World Fantasy Awards Administration, which has the power to break ties. The final results are presented at the World Fantasy Convention at the end of October. Through 2015, winners were presented with a statuette of H. P. Lovecraft; more recent winners receive a statuette of a tree.

During the 50 nomination years, 270 individuals and 3 organizations have been nominated; 60 people and 2 organizations have won, including ties and co-nominees. The organizations that have been nominated are: The British Fantasy Society, with one winning nomination; The Friends of Arthur Machen, with one unsuccessful nomination; and Fedogan & Bremer, with one win out of three nominations. Stuart David Schiff has received the most awards at four wins out of six nominations, for his work at Whispers magazine and Whispers Press. R. B. Russell has won four times out of nine nominations, and Rosalie Parker four out of eight, for their work at Tartarus Press. Three other individuals have won twice: Paul C. Allen out of three nominations for Fantasy Newsletter, Richard Chizmar out of seven for Cemetery Dance and Cemetery Dance Publications, and W. Paul Ganley out of ten for Weirdbook and Weirdbook Press. Ganley's ten nominations are the most of anyone, followed by Stephen Jones with nine, winning once, for Fantasy Tales and other work; Scott H. Andrews with one win out of nine nominations for his work at Beneath Ceaseless Skies; and Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas with one win out of nine nominations for Uncanny Magazine.

In the following table, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the work was performed. The table includes the stated reason the individual (or company) was nominated, which may not have been the only fantasy-related non-professional work they did during the previous calendar year. "N/A" in the reason column represents a nomination where no reason was given. Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the individual's name have won the award; those with a white background are the other nominees on the shortlist.

  *   Winners

Winners and nominees

Year	Winner or nominee	Reason(s)	Ref.
1975	Stuart David Schiff*	Whispers
	Roy A. Squires	publishing
	Harry O. Morris	Nyctalops
1976	Karl Edward Wagner*	Carcosa, publisher
	David Drake*
	James Groce*
	Harry O. Morris	publishing/editing
	George H. Scithers	publishing/editing
	Roy A. Squires	publishing/editing
	Robert Weinberg	publishing/editing
	Gerry de la Ree	publishing/editing
1977	Stuart David Schiff*	editing/publishing Whispers
	Jonathan Bacon	editing/publishing Fantasy Crossroads
	Arnie Fenner	editing/publishing Chacal
	Nils Hardin	publishing/editing Xenophile
	Gary Hoppenstand	publishing/editing Midnight Sun
	Harry O. Morris	editing/publishing Nyctalops
1978	Robert Weinberg*	publishing and editing
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook
	Gary Hoppenstand	Midnight Sun
	Stephen Jones	Fantasy Tales
	Harry O. Morris	Nyctalops
	Jonathan Bacon	Fantasy Crossroads
1979	Donald H. Tuck*	The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Vol. 2
	Paul C. Allen	Fantasy Newsletter
	Pat Cadigan	Shayol
	Arnie Fenner
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook
	Stuart David Schiff	Whispers and Whispers Press
1980	Paul C. Allen*	Fantasy Newsletter
	Pat Cadigan	Shayol
	Arnie Fenner
	Harry O. Morris	Nyctalops
	Stuart David Schiff	Whispers and Whispers Press
1981	Pat Cadigan*	Shayol
	Arnie Fenner*
	Charles de Lint	Triskell Press; Dragonfields
	Charles R. Saunders
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook
	Stephen Jones	Fantasy Tales; Airgedlamh
	David Sutton
1982	Paul C. Allen*	Fantasy Newsletter
	Robert A. Collins*
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook
	Stephen Jones	Fantasy Tales
	David Sutton
	Ken Keller	Trumpet
1983	Stuart David Schiff*	Whispers and Whispers Press
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook
	Robert T. Garcia	American Fantasy
	Francesco Cova	Kadath
	Stephen Jones	Fantasy Tales
	David Sutton
1984	Stephen Jones*	Fantasy Tales
	David Sutton*
	Robert M. Price	Crypt of Cthulhu
	Douglas E. Winter	criticism
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook
	Robert A. Collins	Fantasy Newsletter/Fantasy Review
1985	Stuart David Schiff*	Whispers and Whispers Press
	Jeff Conner	Scream/Press
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook and Weirdbook Press
	Paul Mikol	Dark Harvest
	Scot Stadalsky
1986	Douglas E. Winter*	reviewing
	David B. Silva	The Horror Show
	Paul Mikol	Dark Harvest
	Scot Stadalsky
	Jeff Conner	Scream/Press
	W. Paul Ganley	Weirdbook and Weirdbook Press
1987	W. Paul Ganley*	Weirdbook and Weirdbook Press
	Jeff Conner*	Scream/Press
	Stephen Jones	Fantasy Tales
	David Sutton
	David B. Silva	The Horror Show
1988	Robert T. Garcia*	American Fantasy
	Nancy Garcia*
	David B. Silva*	The Horror Show
	Stephen Jones	Fantasy Tales
	David Sutton
	Paul Mikol	Dark Harvest
	Scot Stadalsky
1989	Kristine Kathryn Rusch*	Pulphouse
	Dean Wesley Smith*
	Carl T. Ford	Dagon Press
	Peggy Nadramia	Grue
	Paul F. Olson	Horrorstruck
1990	Peggy Nadramia*	Grue
	David B. Silva	The Horror Show
	Joe Stefko	Charnel House
	Tracy Cocoman
	Richard Chizmar	Cemetery Dance
1991	Richard Chizmar*	Cemetery Dance
	Steve Pasechnick	Strange Plasma
	Barry Hoffman	Gauntlet
	Marc Michaud	Necronomicon Press
1992	W. Paul Ganley*	Weirdbook
	Joe Stefko	Charnel House
	Tracy Cocoman
	Peggy Nadramia	Grue
	Barry Hoffman	Gauntlet
	Crispin Burnham	Eldritch Tales
1993	Doug Lewis*	Roadkill Press
	Tomi Lewis*
	John Gregory Betancourt	Wildside Press
	Kim Betancourt
	Stanislaus Tal	Tal Publications
	George Hatch	Horror's Head Press
	Richard Chizmar	Cemetery Dance
	Joe Stefko	Charnel House
	Tracy Cocoman
1994	Marc Michaud*	Necronomicon Press
	Brian Stableford	small press reviews
	George Hatch	Horror's Head Press
	Joe Stefko	Charnel House
	Tracy Cocoman
	Richard Chizmar	Cemetery Dance Publications
1995	Bryan Cholfin*	Broken Mirrors Press; Crank!
	John Gregory Betancourt	Wildside Press
	Kim Betancourt
	Richard Chizmar	Cemetery Dance Publications
	Michael Andre-Driussi	Lexicon Urthus: A Dictionary for the Urth Cycle (Sirius Fiction)
	David Sutton	Voices from Shadow (Shadow Publishing)
1996	Marc Michaud*	Necronomicon Press
	Fedogan & Bremer	book publishing
	Robert K. J. Killheffer	Century
	Meg Hamel
	Jenna A. Felice
	Steve Pasechnick	Edgewood Press
	Robert Weinberg	contributions to the genre
1997	Barbara Roden*	Ash-Tree Press
	Christopher Roden*
	Fedogan & Bremer	book publishing
	Paula Guran	DarkEcho
1998	Fedogan & Bremer*	book publishing
	Richard Chizmar	Cemetery Dance and Cemetery Dance Publications
	Chris Logan Edwards	Tigereyes Press
	Jeff VanderMeer	The Ministry of Whimsy Press
	Tom Winstead
	Barry Hoffman	Gauntlet and Gauntlet book publishing
1999	Richard Chizmar*	Cemetery Dance Publications
	Jacob Weisman	Tachyon Publications
	Steve Pasechnick	Edgewood Press
	David Marshall	Pumpkin Books
2000	The British Fantasy Society*	N/A
	Ken Abner	Terminal Fright Press
	Philip J. Rahman	Fedogan & Bremer
	Dennis E. Weiler
	Rosemary Pardoe	Haunted Library
	William K. Schafer	Subterranean Press
	R. B. Russell	Tartarus Press
2001	Bill Sheehan*	At the Foot of the Story Tree: An Inquiry into the Fiction of Peter Straub (Subterranean Press)
	R. B. Russell	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker
	Barbara Roden	Ash-Tree Press
	Christopher Roden
	Philip J. Rahman	Fedogan & Bremer
	Dennis E. Weiler
	Benjamin Cossel	Night Shade Books
	Jeremy Lassen
	Jason Williams
	Peter Crowther	PS Publishing
2002	R. B. Russell*	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker*
	Peter Crowther	PS Publishing
	Michael Waltz, et al.	Sidecar Preservation Society
	Paula Guran	Horror Garage
	Jerad Walters	Cocytus Press
2003	Benjamin Cossel*	Night Shade Books
	Jeremy Lassen*
	Jason Williams*
	Gavin Grant	Small Beer Press
	Kelly Link
	Sean Wallace	Prime Books
	Michael Walsh	Old Earth Books
	Peter Crowther	PS Publishing
2004	R. B. Russell*	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker*
	Deborah Layne	Wheatland Press
	Jay Lake
	Paul Miller	Earthling Publications
	Dave Truesdale	Tangent Online
	Rodger Turner	SF Site
	Neil Walsh
	Wayne MacLaurin
2005	Robert Morgan*	Sarob Press
	Sandy Auden	The Alien Online
	Ariel
	Matthew Cheney	The Mumpsimus
	Barbara Roden	All Hallows
	Christopher Roden
	Michael Walsh	Old Earth Books
2006	David J. Howe*	Telos Publishing
	Stephen Walker*
	The Friends of Arthur Machen	Faunus, Machenalia, and The Life of Arthur Machen (Telos Publishing)
	Rodger Turner	SF Site
	Neil Walsh
	Wayne MacLaurin
	Leo Grin	The Cimmerian
	Jess Nevins	The Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana (MonkeyBrain Books)
2007	Gary K. Wolfe*	reviews and criticism in Locus and elsewhere
	Leslie Howle	her work at Clarion West
	Leo Grin	The Cimmerian
	Susan Marie Groppi	Strange Horizons
	John Klima	Electric Velocipede
2008	Midori Snyder	Endicott Studios Website
	Terri Windling*
	G. S. Evans	Café Irreal
	Alice Whittenburg
	John Klima	Electric Velocipede
	R. B. Russell	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker
	Stephen Jones	Travellers in Darkness: The Souvenir Book of the World Horror Convention 2007 (World Horror Convention)
2009	Michael Walsh*	Howard Waldrop collections from Old Earth Books
	Edith L. Crowe	her work with The Mythopoeic Society
	Elise Matthesen	setting out to inspire and for serving as inspiration for works of poetry, fantasy, and SF over the last decade through her jewelry-making and her "artist's challenges".
	Sean Wallace	Clarkesworld Magazine
	Neil Clarke
	Nick Mamatas
	John Klima	Electric Velocipede
2010	Susan Marie Groppi*	Strange Horizons
	Bob Colby	Readercon
	B. Diane Martin
	Dave Shaw
	Eric M. Van
	Neil Clarke	Clarkesworld Magazine
	Cheryl Morgan
	Sean Wallace
	John Klima	Electric Velocipede
	John Berlyne	Powers: Secret Histories (PS Publishing)
	R. B. Russell	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker
2011	Alisa Krasnostein*	Twelfth Planet Press
	Stephen Jones	Brighton Shock!: The Souvenir Book Of The World Horror Convention 2010 (PS Publishing)
	Michael Marshall Smith
	Amanda Foubister
	Matthew Kressel	Sybil's Garage and Senses Five Press
	Charles Tan	Bibliophile Stalker
	Lavie Tidhar	The World SF Blog
2012	R. B. Russell*	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker*
	Charles Tan	Bibliophile Stalker blog
	Kate Baker	Clarkesworld Magazine
	Neil Clarke
	Cheryl Morgan
	Sean Wallace
	Cat Rambo	Fantasy Magazine
	Mark Valentine	Wormwood
2013	S. T. Joshi*	Unutterable Horror: A History of Supernatural Fiction, Volumes 1 & 2 (PS Publishing)
	L. Timmel Duchamp	Aqueduct Press
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Charles Tan	Bibliophile Stalker blog
	Jerad Walters	Centipede Press
	Joseph Wrzos	Hannes Bok: A Life in Illustration (Centipede Press)
2014	Kate Baker*	Clarkesworld Magazine
	Neil Clarke*
	Sean Wallace*
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Marc Aplin	Fantasy-Faction
	Leslie Howle	Clarion West administration
	Mieneke van der Salm	A Fantastical Librarian
2015	R. B. Russell*	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker*
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Matt Cardin	Born to Fear: Interviews with Thomas Ligotti (Subterranean Press)
	Stefan Fergus	Civilian Reader
	Patrick Swenson	Fairwood Press
2016	John O'Neill*	Black Gate
	Helen Young	Tales After Tolkien Society
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Jedediah Berry	The Family Arcana: A Story in Cards (Ninepin Press)
	Eben Kling
	Alexandra Pierce	Letters to Tiptree (Twelfth Planet Press)
	Alisa Krasnostein
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
2017	Neile Graham*	fostering excellence in the genre through her role as Workshop Director, Clarion West
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Malcolm R. Phifer	The Fantasy Illustration Library, Volume Two: Gods and Goddesses
	Michael C. Phifer
	Brian White	Fireside Fiction Company
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
2018	Justina Ireland*	FIYAH: Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction
	Troy L. Wiggins*
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali	PodCastle
	Jen R. Albert
	R. B. Russell	Tartarus Press
	Rosalie Parker
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
2019	Scott H. Andrews*	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Terri Windling	Myth and Moor
	Mike Allen	Mythic Delirium
	E. Catherine Tobler	Shimmer
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
2020	Bodhisattva Chattopadhyay*	Fafnir – Nordic Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy Research
	Laura E. Goodin*
	Esko Suoranta*
	Michael Kelly	Undertow Publications, The Year's Best Weird Fiction
	Jonathan Strahan	Coode Street Podcast
	Gary K. Wolfe
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
	Terri Windling	Myth & Moor
2021	Brian Attebery*	Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Michael Kelly	Undertow Publications
	Arley Sorg	Fantasy Magazine
	Christie Yant
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
2022	Tonia Ransom*	Nightlight: A Horror Fiction Podcast
	Gautam Bhatia	Strange Horizons
	Vanessa Rose Phin
	Maria J. Pérez Cuervo	Hellebore
	Michael Kelly	Undertow Publications
	Arley Sorg	Fantasy Magazine
	Christie Yant
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
2023	Michael Kelly*	Undertow Publications
	Cristina Macía	The Celsius Festival
	Dave Ring	Neon Hemlock Press
	Lynne M. Thomas	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas
	E. Catherine Tobler	Editing The Deadlands
2024	Lynne M. Thomas*	Uncanny Magazine
	Michael Damian Thomas*
	Scott H. Andrews	Beneath Ceaseless Skies
	Trevor Kennedy	Phantasmagoria
	Brian J. Showers	Swan River Press
	Julian Yap	The Sunday Morning Transport
	Fran Wilde

• World Fantasy Convention

• World Fantasy Convention official site