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The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of science fiction, fantasy and horror that explore LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) topics in a positive way. Established in 1998, the awards were initially presented by the Gaylactic Network, with awards first awarded in 1999. In 2002 the awards were given their own organization, the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation.[1] The most recent awards were presented in October 2008 at the Gaylaxicon science fiction convention in Washington, D.C.; Ginn Hale and Joshua Lewis won the awards for best novel and best short fiction, respectively.[2][3][4]
The major award categories are for best novel, short fiction, and other works. The winners and short list of recommended nominees are decided by a jury. One of the most recognized authors, Nicola Griffith has received the most awards overall, with three wins. Griffith also jointly holds the record for most nominations with Melissa Scott, both having received five nominations. Works of any format produced before the awards were first given are eligible to be inducted into the "Hall of Fame", although no work has been inducted since 2003. The list of award winners and Hall of Fame inductees has been called a "who's who of science fiction" by GLBTQ.com.[5] This article lists the winners in each of the categories, and the inductees to the Hall of Fame.
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Since their inception, the awards have been given in categories for novels and best other work. Other categories have also been added and removed in intervening years, including categories for short fiction (since the second year) and comic books for one year. A short lived "People's Choice" award voted by convention attendees was also awarded to one work from any of the category nominee short lists. The award for best novel is the only one to have been handed out every year since the awards began. Currently, there are three regular categories, novels, short fiction and other works. The other works category is for works in any non-novel, non-short-fiction medium. This includes: comic books, graphic novels, movies, television episodes, multimedia, anthologies, story collections, gaming products, artwork, music.[6]
The categories are open to submission of English-language works released during the prior calendar year in North America that include "significant positive GLBT content". The time-frame of eligibility is based on copyright date for first printing for written works, cover date for magazines and comic books, release date for films, first air date for television. Works must be "professionally" published or distributed to be eligible for consideration and be wholly original and legal. The judges may choose to extend eligibility for a work due to oversight, confusion regarding release dates, or problems with availability. An open nomination/recommendation process is used to identify works to be considered by the judges. Works of any format produced before the inception of the awards are eligible to be inducted into the "Hall of Fame"; these inductees are selected solely by the judges.[6]
The results are decided by a panel of judges from the list of submitted nominees; nominations may be made by anyone. The judges are volunteers from science fiction fandom and GLBT community, with one volunteer as the "Award Administrator". The judges review each recommended work and the long list of nominees is reduced via review and discussion to a short list of finalists, and then one or more winners is chosen by consensus or vote. The results are generally announced and presented at Gaylaxicon, a convention dedicated to LGBT science fiction, although they have also been presented at Worldcon in the past.[7][8] Each award consists of an etched image on lucite on a stand, using a spiral galaxy in a triangle logo, based on the logo the Gaylactic Network. The award winner's name, work title, award year and category are etched on a small plaque on the base or on the plexiglass itself. A small cash stipend is also awarded to winners in the Best Novel category. The cost of the awards is paid through individual donations and fundraising events.[6]
Nicola Griffith has won the most awards, winning three of five nominations in all of the main categories. Melissa Scott has also received five nominations, winning two awards for her novels. Other authors and editors who have won the award multiple times are David Gerrold, Keith Hartman, Laurie J. Marks, and Stephen Pagel. Samuel R. Delany is notable for winning both a special "Lifetime Achievement" award and having a novel in the Hall of Fame. Elizabeth Bear, Tanya Huff and Steven Harper have each been finalists four times without winning, a joint record.[9] The most successful individual comic book creator is Judd Winick, who has been nominated twice and won one award for writing Green Lantern comic books. The creators of Buffy the Vampire Slayer have also received five nominations across various media, making it the most successful franchise and television series at the awards.[9]
In the following table, the years correspond to the year of work's release; the ceremonies are always held the following year. The notes column details the type of media for entries in the other works category, or the name of the publication in which the entries were first published in the short fiction category. The years are linked to the appropriate year in literature, comics, television or film articles.
| Year | Author(s) / Editor(s) / Director(s) | Title | Publisher / Producer | Note | Category | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 |
Ann Harris | Accidental Creatures | Tor | Novel | Novel | [10] |
| 1999 |
Stephen Leigh | Dark Water's Embrace | Avon Eos | Novel | Novel | [10] |
| 1999 |
Nicola Griffith & Stephen Pagel | Bending the Landscape: Science Fiction | Overlook | Anthology | Other work | [11] |
| 2000 |
Keith Hartman | The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse | Meisha Merlin | Novel | Novel[A] | [11] |
| 2000 |
Peg Kerr | The Wild Swans | Warner Aspect | Novel | Novel | [11] |
| 2000 |
Eleanor Arnason | "Dapple" | Bantam Dell | in Asimov's SF 09/99 | Short fiction | [11] |
| 2000 |
Spike Jonze & Charlie Kaufman | Being John Malkovich | USA Films | Film | Other work | [11] |
| 2001 |
David Gerrold | Jumping Off the Planet | Tor | Novel | Novel | [12] |
| 2001 |
Joss Whedon et al. | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Fox/Mutant Enemy Prod. | Television series | Other work[A] | [12] |
| 2002 |
Hugh Nissenson | The Song of the Earth | Algonquin | Novel | Novel | [13] |
| 2002 |
Alexis Glynn Latner | "Kindred" | Overlook | in Bending the Landscape: Horror | Short fiction | [13] |
| 2002 |
Nicola Griffith & Stephen Pagel | Bending the Landscape: Horror | Overlook | Anthology | Other work | [13] |
| 2003 |
Laurie J. Marks | Fire Logic | Tor | Novel | Novel | [14] |
| 2003 |
Sarah Monette | "Three Letters from the Queen of Elfland" | Small Beer Press | Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet #11 | Short fiction | [14] |
| 2003 |
Mark Millar et al. | The Authority issues #28-29 | DC comics | Comic book issues | Comic/graphic novel | [14] |
| 2003 |
Judd Winick et al. | Green Lantern issues #153-155, "Hate Crime" | DC comics | Comic book issues | Comic/graphic novel | [14] |
| 2003 |
Michael Rowe (ed.) | Queer Fear II | Arsenal Pulp Press | Anthology | Other work | [14] |
| 2004 |
Nalo Hopkinson | The Salt Roads | Warner | Novel | Novel | [15][16] |
| 2004 |
Barth Anderson | "Lark Till Dawn, Princess" | Warner Aspect | in Mojo: Conjure Stories | Short fiction | [15][16] |
| 2004 |
Tony Kushner | Angels in America | HBO | Television series | Other work | [15][16] |
| 2004 |
Greg Rucka & Michael Lark | Gotham Central issues #6–10, "Half a Life" | DC comics | Comic book issues | Other work | [15][16] |
| 2005 |
Laurie J. Marks | Earth Logic | Tor | Novel | Novel | [17] |
| 2005 |
Richard Hall | "Country People" | Southern Tier | in Shadows of the Night | Short fiction | [18] |
| 2006 |
Karin Lowachee | Cagebird | Warner Aspect | Novel | Novel | [19] |
| 2007 |
Hal Duncan | Vellum | Del Rey | Novel | Novel | [20] |
| 2007 |
David Gerrold | "In the Quake Zone" | SFBC | in Down These Dark Spaceways | Short fiction | [20][21] |
| 2007 |
Joy Parks | "Instinct" | Arsenal Pulp | in The Future Is Queer | Short fiction | [20][21] |
| 2007 |
Christopher Barzak | "The Language of Moths" | Sovereign Media | in Realms of Fantasy | Short fiction | [20][21] |
| 2007 |
Richard Labonte & Lawrence Schimel (eds.) | The Future Is Queer | Arsenal Pulp | Anthology | Other work | [20][21] |
| 2007 |
Russell T Davies et al. | Torchwood Season 1 | BBC | Television series | Other work | [20][21] |
| 2007 |
James McTeigue James McTeigue et al. | V for Vendetta | Warner Bros. | Film | Other work | [20][21] |
| 2008 |
Ginn Hale | Wicked Gentlemen | Blind Eye Books | Novel | Novel | [2][22] |
| 2008 |
Joshua Lewis | "Ever So Much More Than Twenty" | Lethe Press | in So Fey | Short fiction | [2][22] |
A People's Choice award winner.
A People's Choice Award winner.
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