Chesley Awards

The Chesley Awards were established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists to recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later renamed to honor famed astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell following his death in 1986.^[1] The awards are presented annually, typically at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).^[2]

Chesley Award categories

• Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Hardcover
• Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Paperback
• Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Magazine
• Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration
• Chesley Award for Best Three-Dimensional Art
• Chesley Award for Best Color Work – Unpublished
• Chesley Award for Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished
• Chesley Award for Best Product Illustration
• Chesley Award for Best Gaming-Related Illustration
• Chesley Award for Best Art Director
• Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement
• Chesley Award for Contribution to ASFA (through 2006)

Chesley Award Results

Chesley Award Winners & Nominees for 2014^[3]

The following are the winners and finalists for works done in 2013 for the 2014 Awards.

Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book

• Winner: Todd Lockwood - A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan; Tor, Feb. 2013

Other Nominees:

• Jason Chan - Lost Covenant: A Widdershins Adventure by Ari Marmell; Pyr, Dec. 2013
• Kekai Kotaki - Quintessence by David Walton; Tor, March 2013
• Maurizio Manzieri - Book of Iron by Elizabeth Bear; Subterranean Press, Sept. 2013
• Michael Whelan - A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson; Tor, Jan. 2013
• Allen Williams - Light Reading, Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; Tor, March 2013

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book

• Winner: Kerem Beyit - The Scroll of Years by Chris Willrich; Pyr, Sept. 2013

Other Nominees:

• Jason Chan - Harbinger by Phillippa Ballantine; Ace, July 2013
• Julie Dillon - Ancient Discovery; Crossed Genres Magazine 2.0 Book One; Crossed Genres Publications, April 2013
• Justin Gerard - Power Under Pressure (The Society of Steam) by Andrew P. Mayer; Pyr, Jan. 2013
• Dehong He - Shield of Sea and Space by Erin Hoffman; Pyr, May 2013

Best Cover Illustration: Magazine

• Winner: Dan Dos Santos - Fables #136 Vertigo, Dec. 2013

Other Nominees:

• Julie Dillon - Elliptic, Clarkesworld, December 2013
• Maurizio Manzieri - The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March/April 2013
• Cynthia Sheppard - Bull Spec, Spring 2013

Best Interior Illustration

• Winner: Brian Kesinger - Walking Your Octopus, July 2013; Baby Tattoo Books

Other Nominees:

• Robert Hunt - “Fire Above, Fire Below” by Garth Nix; Tor.com, May 2013
• John Jude Palencar - “A Terror” by Jeffrey Ford; Tor.com, July 2013
• John Picacio - “The Button Man and the Murder Tree” by Cherie Priest; Tor.com, May 2013)
• John Picacio - The Good Life; Popular Science Magazine, June 2013
• Greg Ruth - “Dragonkin” by Lavie Tidhar; Tor.com, July 2013
• Greg Ruth - The Running of the Bulls, The Running of the Bulls by Harry Turtledove; Tor.com, March 2013

Best Three-Dimensional Art

• Winner: Devon Dorrity - Cecaelia, Queen of the Ocean, clay

Other Nominees:

• Thomas Kuebler - Krampus the Yule Lord, mixed
• David Meng - Leatherback, resin
• Michael Parkes - Goddess of the Hunt, 1/2 life-size bronze
• Forest Rogers - Goblin Spider, Kato polyclay
• Vincent Villafranca - Star Smith, bronze

Best Unpublished: Color Work

• Winner: Donato Giancola - Huor and Hurin Approaching Gondolin, oil on linen

Other Nominees:

• Rhea Ewing - Ancestor Series - Neanderthal
• Stephanie Pui-Mun Law - Ships Passing in the Night, watercolor
• Dave Leri - Death Squealer, oil on masonite
• Annie Stegg - Lilaia the Naiad, oil on paper

Best Unpublished: Monochrome Work

• Winner: Ruth Sanderson - The Descent or Persephone, scratchboard

Other Nominees:

• Justin Gerard - The Fox Princess, pencil
• Rebecca Guay - Tender Morsels, graphite
• John Picacio - La Luna
• Travis Lewis - Bone Collector, graphite

Best Product Illustration

• Winner: Julie Bell & Boris Vallejo - Jeannie's Kitten, IlluXCon 6 promotional art

Other Nominees:

• Mitchell Bentley - 2014 Space Art Calendar; Atomic Fly Studios and Alban Lake Publishing, December 2013
• Julie Dillon - 2014 Llewellyn's Astrology Calendar June 2013
• Justin Gerrard - “Morzag! Lord of Destruction” poster
• Iain McCaig - Call of the Muse, Spectrum 20 Call for Entries poster
• John Picacio - El Arpa (Loteria Card Illustration from Lone Boy)

Best Gaming-Related Illustration

• Winner: Lucas Graciano - The Last Stand of Thorin Oakenshield for The Battle of Five Armies Board Game Ares Games

Other Nominees:

• Tyler Jacobson - Ruric: Thar the Unbowed (2014 Core Set Magic card) WotC, July 2013
• Todd Lockwood - Observant Alseid (“Theros” Magic card) WotC, Sept. 2013
• David Palumbo - Serene Remembrance (“Gatecrash” Magic card) WotC, Feb. 2013
• Steve Prescott - Prognostic Sphinx (“Theros” Magic card) WotC, Sept. 2013
• Chris Rahn - Ashen Rider (“Theros” Magic card) WotC, Sept. 2013

Best Art Director

• Winner: Irene Gallo - Tor & Tor.com

Other Nominees:

• Lou Anders - Pyr
• Lauren Panepinto- Orbit Books
• William Schafer - Subterranean Press
• Jon Schindehette - Wizards of the Coast

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award

• Winner: Jim Burns

Other Nominees:

• Kinukyo Craft
• Diane Dillon
• Drew Struzan

Further reading

• The Chesley Awards: A Retrospective, John Grant and Elizabeth Humphrey. Artists' and Photographers' Press Ltd. 2003 ( It won a Hugo Award in 2004).

References

External links

• ASFA Homepage
• The Locus Index to SF Awards: Chesley Awards
• "2014 Chesley Awards". ASFA– Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 
• "Recent Chesley Award Winners [2010–2013]". ASFA– Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 1 September 2015.