The Eugie Foster Memorial Award for Short Fiction (or Eugie Award) celebrates the best in innovative fiction. This annual award is presented at Dragon Con, the nation’s largest fan-run convention.
The Eugie Award honors stories that are irreplaceable, that inspire, enlighten, and entertain. We will be looking for stories that are beautiful, thoughtful, and passionate, and change us and the field. The recipient is a story that is unique and will become essential to speculative fiction readers.
2024 Eugie Award
The 2024 Eugie Award recipient: "The Sound of Children Screaming" by Rachael K. Jones
The finalists for the Eugie Award:
- “Even if Such Ways Are Bad” by Rich Larson (Reactor)
- “Falling Bodies” by Rebecca Roanhorse (Amazon Publishing)
- “The Sound of Children Screaming” by Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare Magazine)
- “Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200” by R.S.A. Garcia (Uncanny Magazine)
- “The Year Without Sunshine” by Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny Magazine)
Thank you to those who nominated works, including John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Neil Clarke, Lesley Conner, Ellen Datlow, Wendy Delmater, Tom Dullemond, Shawn Garrett, Gavin Grant, Emily Hockaday, Katherine Inskip, Mur Lafferty, Taylor De Lano, Arley Sorg, Lynne M Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, Elise Tobler, Sean Wallace, Wendy N. Wagner, Eleanor Wood.
Description
Eligibility: Original speculative short fiction of 20,000 words or fewer, published—including in print, ebook, or online, individually, or in a magazine, collection, or anthology—for the first time in the English language in the previous year.
Our System: This is a juried award, that includes multiple visions and voices in a three tier system. This begins with the long list nominations coming from publishers and editors, acting in those roles, finding the works that shook the industry. We also have select readers to fill in any gaps, including non-traditionally published works. The second tier is our selection committee of spec fiction fans, reading as fans, to find what speaks to them while looking for stories that are timeless. Finally, a judging panel examines the finalists in depth to determine the Award recipient.
Previous Years
The 2023 Eugie Award recipient: "Quandary Aminu vs The Butterfly Man" by Rich Larson
The finalists for 2023:
- “A Chestnut, A Persimmon, A Cunning Lie” by Michelle Denham (Podcastle)
- “The Little God of the Staircase” by Meg Elison (The Dark Magazine)
- “The Pigeon-Keeper's Daughter” by Su-Yee Lin (Strange Horizons)
- “Nine Theories of Time” by Spencer Nitkey (Apex Magazine)
- “Quandary Aminu vs The Butterfly Man” by Rich Larson (Tor.com)
Thank you to those who nominated works in 2023, including John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Gautam Bhatia, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Wendy Delmater, Tom Dullemond, Shawn Garrett, Gavin Grant, Emily Hockaday, Katherine Inskip, Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Mur Lafferty, Dante Luiz, Jason Sizemore, Arley Sorg, Lynne M Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, Sean Wallace, Sheila Williams.
The 2022 Eugie Award recipient: "Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather" by Sarah Pinsker
The finalists for 2022:
- “Colors of the Immortal Palette” by Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny Magazine)
- “A Flower Cannot Love the Hand” by Aimee Ogden (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
- “L'Espirit de L'Escalier” by Catherynne M. Valente (Tor.com)
- “A Tableau of Things That Are” by Adam-Troy Castro (Lightspeed Magazine)
- “Where Oaken Hearts Do Gather” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2021, including John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Wendy S. Delmater, Shawn Garrett, Katherine Inskip, Mur Lafferty, Trevor Quachri, Jason Sizemore, Arley Sorg, Lynne M Thomas, Michael Damian Thomas, Sheree Renée Thomas, Sheila Williams, Eleanor Wood.
The 2021 Eugie Award recipient: "The Genetic Alchemist's Daughter" by Elaine Cuyegkeng
The finalists for 2021:
- "The Bone-Stag Walks" by KT Bryski (Light Speed Magazine)
- "City of Red Midnight: A Hikayat" by Usman T. Malik (Tor.com)
- "The Genetic Alchemist's Daughter" by Elaine Cuyegkeng (Black Cranes)
- "Judge Dee and the Limits of the Law" by Lavie Tidhar (Tor.com)
- "The Sycamore and the Sybil" by Alix E. Harrow (Uncanny Magazine)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2021, including John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Michele-Lee Barasso, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Wendy S. Delmater, Emily Hockaday, Jonathan Laden, Vanessa Rose Phin, Trevor Quachri, Jason Sizemore, Arley Sorg, Lynne M Thomas, Sheree Renée Thomas, Sean Wallace.
The 2020 Eugie Award recipient: "For He Can Creep" by Siobhan Carroll
The finalists for 2020:
- "A Civilization Dreams of Absolutely Nothing" by Thoraiya Dyer (Analog Science Fiction and Fact)
- "For He Can Creep" by Siobhan Carroll (Tor.com)
- "The House Wins in the End" by L Chan (The Dark)
- "Love in the Time of Immuno-Sharing" by Andy Dudak (Analog Science Fiction and Fact)
- "Postlude to the Afternoon of a Faun" by Jerome Stueart (The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2020, including John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Karen Bovenmyer, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Wendy S. Delmater, C.C. Finlay, Charles Gannon, Michelle Halket, Emily Hockaday, Melissa Hofelich, Vanessa Rose Phin, Trevor Quachri, Lawrence Schoen, Lynne M Thomas, Sean Wallace, Sheila Williams.
The 2019 Eugie Award recipient: "When We Were Starless" by Simone Heller
The finalists for 2019:
- "Barleycorn" by Cae Hawksmoor (Abyss & Apex)
- "The Heart of Owl Abbas" by Kathleen Jennings (Tor.com)
- "When We Were Starless" by Simone Heller (Clarkesworld)
- "A Witch's Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium to Portal Fantasies" by Alix E. Harrow (Apex Magazine)
- "The War of Light and Shadow, in Five Dishes" by Siobhan Carroll (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2019, including John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Karen Bovenmyer, Bill Campbell, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Lesley Conner, Wendy S. Delmater, C.C. Finlay, Ellie Knoll, Vanessa Rose Phin, Lawrence M. Schoen, Lynne M Thomas, Sheila Williams, Sean Wallace, Troy Wiggins.
The 2018 Eugie Award recipient: Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde.
The finalists for 2018:
- “And Then There Were (N-One)” by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny Magazine, March/April 2017)
- "Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand" by Fran Wilde (Uncanny Magazine, September 2017)
- "Infinite Love Engine" by Violet Allen (Lightspeed Magazine, April 2017)
- "The Last Novelist (or A Dead Lizard in the Yard)" by Matthew Kressel (Tor.com, March 2017)
- “Zen and the Art of Starship Maintenance” by Tobias S. Buckell (Cosmic Powers, 2017)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2017, including: John Joseph Adams, Scott H. Andrews, Eugen Bacon, Neil Clarke, Jane Crowley, Dani Daly, Ellen Datlow, Wendy S. Delmater, C.C. Finlay, Emily Hockaday, Mike Resnick, Scott Roberts, Lawrence M. Schoen, Jason Sizemore, Lynne M Thomas, Troy Wiggins.
Our 2018 team included: Scott Hancock, Michael Fay, Martin Leing, K. McLarin, Alasdair Stuart, Alison Campbell-Wise, Debbie Yutko. And our judges: Stephen L. Antczak, Alex Hofelich, And Lisa Yaszek. Also thanks to Addy Neilson who made the pins and plaque. Matthew M. Foster--Chair
The 2017 Eugie Award recipient: The City Born Great by N.K. Jemisin.
The finalists for 2017:
- “The City Born Great” by N.K. Jemisin (Tor.com, September 2016)
- "The Limitless Perspective of Master Peek, or, the Luminescence of Debauchery" by Catherynne M. Valente (Beneath Ceaseless Skies, May 2016)
- "Seasons of Glass and Iron" by Amal El-Mohtar (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales)
- "Ten Poems for the Mossums, One for the Man" by Suzanne Palmer (Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, July 2016)
- “You’ll Surely Drown Here If You Stay” by Alyssa Wong (Uncanny Magazine, May 2016)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2017, including: John Joseph Adams, Mike Allen, Morris Allen, Scott H. Andrews, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Wendy S. Delmater, Charles Coleman Finlay, Niall Harrison, Emily Hockaday, Dominik Parisien, Trevor Quachri, Mike Resnick, Scott Roberts, Jason Sizemore, Lynne M Thomas, Sean Wallace, Sheila Williams, Navah Wolfe.
Our 2017 team included: Davey Beauchamp, Divya Breed, Tina Connolly, Scott Hancock, Michael Fay, Amy Herring, Martin Leing, K. McLarin, James Nicoll, David Steffen, Alasdair Stuart, Debbie Yutko. And our judges: Alex Hofelich, Chesya Burke, And Lisa Yaszek. Also thanks to Addy Neilson who made the pins and plaque. Matthew M. Foster--Chair
The Eugie Award was presented for the first time in 2016—for works published in 2015.
The 2016 Eugie Award recipient: The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild by Catherynne M. Valente.
The finalists for 2016:
- “The Deepwater Bride” by Tamsyn Muir (F&SF, July/Aug 2015)
- “Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers” by Alyssa Wong (Nightmare, Oct 2015)
- "The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild" by Catherynne M. Valente (Clarkesworld, Jan & Mar 2015)
- "Pocosin" by Ursula Vernon (Apex Magazine, Jan 2015)
- "Three Cups of Grief, by Starlight" by Aliette De Bodard (Clarkesworld, Jan 2015)
Thank you to those who nominated works from 2016, including: John Joseph Adams, Mike Allen, Scott H. Andrews, Michele Barasso, Neil Clarke, Ellen Datlow, Charles Coleman Finlay, Niall Harrison, Emily Hockaday, Michael Kelly, Jonathan Laden, Mike Resnick, Scott Roberts, Edmund R. Schubert, Jason Sizemore, Jonathan Strahan, Lynne M Thomas, and Sean Wallace.
Our 2016 team included: Davey Beauchamp, Scott Hancock, Michael Fay, Amy Herring, Martin Leing, K. McLarin, Alasdair Stuart, Debbie Yutko. And our judges: Alex Hofelich, Rachael Jones, And Lisa Yaszek. Also thanks to Addy Neilson who made the pins and plaque. Matthew M. Foster--Chair
To contact us about the awards use EugieAward@EugieFoster.com.
