General Governance
[Updated 15 June, 2009]
General governance
The Aurealis Awards are administered by Fantastic Queensland on behalf of Chimaera Publications.
The Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team is responsible for the overall governance of the awards as stipulated by contract. This governance includes the Aurealis Awards ceremony as well as the judging process.
The day-to-day running of the Aurealis Awards is delegated to an awards coordinator and assistant coordinator who are chosen by the management team. The appointment of the coordinator and the assistant coordinator is a public application process; any member of the public is eligible, but the coordinators may not serve on the Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team while holding this position.
The selection of finalists and winners from entries in the Aurealis Awards process is the responsibility of selected judging panels.
Five judges, including a designated convenor, is the ideal but panel sizes may vary among categories – and from year to year – depending on the perceived workload and the availability of judges for a particular category. However, each panel must consist of at least three judges.
Judges are selected by the Aurealis Awards management team following a public application process; any member of the public may apply. The management team reserves the right to select judges from the pool of applicants, and may seek additional judges should it be deemed necessary following the closure of the public application process. No correspondence will be entered into.
For more information about being an Aurealis Awards judge, go to the Judging the Aurealis Awards webpage. It is anticipated that most disputes will be resolved by a consensus within the individual judging panels or with the assistance of the awards coordinator.
Should a resolution not be achieved, the matter may be referred to the Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team. In such cases, the management team’s decision is final and binding.
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Entries
The Aurealis Awards 2009 are for works of speculative fiction by authors, editors and illustrators, who are Australian citizens or permanent residents , first published in English between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009.
Works must be formally entered in the awards process to be considered for an Aurealis Award. Go to the online entry form.
The earlier our judges receive the work, the more time they will have to give it the consideration it deserves.
Once a work is entered, you will receive an email acknowledging the entry, and a copy of the judges’ addresses to submit entries for our judges’ consideration.
Entries will be judged solely on their own merits as perceived by the judges.
There is no fee to enter works for the awards, and anyone may enter a work into the Aurealis Awards process. But in entering a work, you undertake to supply one copy of the work to each of the judges of the relevant category/categories – i.e. you’ll need to supply a minimum of five copies of the work entered.
A list of entries appears on the Aurealis Awards website and is progressively updated during the year. Only formally entered works will be considered for the awards.
Entry deadline
Entry forms, AND copies of entered works must be received by the coordinator and relevant judges by midnight EST, Saturday 31 October 2009.
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Works published late in the year
The Aurealis Awards 2009 are for works of speculative fiction by authors, editors and illustrators, who are Australian citizens or permanent residents, first published in English between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009.
If a work is released too late in the year to be considered by the judges (i.e. after 31 October 2009), it will be eligible for consideration in the following year’s awards process.
However, if a work is released near to, but before the 31 October deadline, and is entered into that year’s awards process and our judges have considered that work eligible for that year, then this work becomes ineligible for entry the following year – i.e. a work cannot be considered in two consecutive years.
To avoid a logjam of work arriving at the very end of the awards process, if a work is released close to our 31 October 2009 deadline, we recommend advance copies or page proofs be sent to judges as soon as possible. We are happy to accept photocopies or printouts of manuscripts or galleys, providing the text is identical to that appearing in the final, published version. Works submitted in proof form will be eligible for an award so long as at least one judge on the relevant panel or the awards coordinator sights a final published version on or by Friday 27 November 2009.
The earlier our judges receive the work, the more time they will have to give it the consideration it deserves.
The Awards coordinator and judges are under no obligation to notify those entering if works cannot be considered because they are deemed ineligible under our rules and conditions.
The Aurealis Awards aim to be as comprehensive and as inclusive as possible, so if an eligible work does not appear on our list of entries then please email the coordinator to let us know about it. Every effort will be made to encourage that work’s author/publisher to enter it. However, please note that just suggesting a work be considered does not constitute a valid entry. coordinator@aurealisawards.com
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Categories
There are seven categories. Each category has a panel of at least three judges who choose the best eligible works entered each year.
Science fiction
- best science fiction short story
- best science fiction novel
Fantasy
- best fantasy short story
- best fantasy novel
Horror
- best horror short story
- best horror novel
Young adult
- best young adult short story
- best young adult novel
Children’s
- best children’s short fiction or children’s picture book
- best children’s long fiction
The young adult and children’s categories cover entries across the spectrum - science fiction, fantasy and horror. For the purposes of the Aurealis Awards, young adult can best be described as ‘teen fiction’, broadly 12-16 years. The children’s category is for younger readers, age 8-12.
Anthology and collection
- best collection (a volume of stories by a single author)
- best anthology (a volume of stories by multiple authors)
Illustrated book or graphic novel
- best illustrated book/graphic novel
The definition of novel and short story is left to the discretion of the judges of each category.
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The Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence
The Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence is awarded at the discretion of the convenors for a particular achievement in speculative fiction or related areas. This award may take into account a body of work or achievements over a number of years; it can also e for a work of non-fiction, artwork, electronic or multimedia work, film or TV, or that which brings credit or attention to the speculative fiction genres. The award was originally known as The Convenors' Award for Excellence and was renamed in 2002 after Peter McNamara (d. 2004), publisher, editor and the original Aurealis Awards convenor, shortly after he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Entries for the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award must be submitted to the Aurealis Awards coordinator using the form provided by midnight EST, Saturday 31 October 2009.
Because this is a special award and the scope of the entries may vary greatly, entries for this award do not feature on the list of general Aurealis Awards 2009 entries and only the winner is announced publicly on the night of the Aurealis Awards ceremony.
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For an entry
Each entry is categorised, and this information will be displayed on the list of Aurealis Awards 2009 entries.
Although works may be entered in more than one category, we urge you to only choose the most relevant, rather than make across-the-board, blanket entries.
It is rare, for example, for one work to be considered science fiction and fantasy and horror and YA.
It is possible for a work to be a finalist and win in more than one category. But if a work is entered in multiple categories, then a copy of the entry must be sent to each judge in each of the relevant categories.
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Regarding novels, anthologies, collections and illustrated books or graphic novels
The Aurealis Awards management team recognises the financial burden of entering multiple works in multiple categories to some authors, editors and publishers at independent small presses.
We cannot accept novels, anthologies, collections and illustrated books or graphic novels electronically, but are happy to accept photocopies or printouts of manuscripts or galleys, providing the text is identical to that appearing in the final, published version. When multiple printed copies of the work/s are difficult or expensive to obtain, those who enter (particularly individual authors or small presses who face financial hardship) are encouraged to contact the a wards coordinator to discuss. It may be possible to arrange for judges to share two or three copies if they are received sufficiently early in the awards process (at least six weeks before our final deadline of Saturday 31 October 2009, i.e. material to be shared will need to arrive before Saturday 19 September 2009). This will take place at the discretion of the awards coordinator and the convenor/s of the category/categories involved.
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Regarding short stories
Although it is always preferable that Aurealis Awards judges receive hard copy of short stories, from 2009 they have agreed to accept some electronic entries(up to ten thousand words) from authors and small press publishers, if the financial burden of supplying hard copy is excessive. Entering stories electronically will require the submission of both a word document and a pdf of entries to the awards coordinator for distribution to the relevant judges. It is not sufficient to merely provide links to web pages.
If there are more than three short stories entered from a given volume (be it book or magazine), our judges must receive hard copy of the work in question. You cannot simply submit pdf and word documents of the entire volume. It is unfair to expect our judges to read a whole volume onscreen or to print out entire volumes themselves. If everyone submitted work this way, the financial burden on our judges and the Aurealis Awards management team would be unreasonable. When multiple printed copies of the work/s are difficult or expensive to obtain, those who enter (particularly individual authors or small presses who face financial hardship) are encouraged to contact the Awards coordinator to discuss. It may be possible to arrange for judges to share two or three copies if they are received sufficiently early in the awards process (at least six weeks before our final deadline of Saturday 31 October 2009, i.e. material to be shared will need to arrive before Saturday 19 September 2009). This will take place at the discretion of the awards coordinator and the convenor/s of the category/categories involved.
We aim to be as inclusive as possible and endeavour to do all we can to assist in the entry process. Contact the awards coordinator at coordinator@aurealisawards.com.
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Regarding co-authored, edited or illustrated works
The Aurealis Awards 2009 are for works of speculative fiction by authors, editors and illustrators, who are Australian citizens or permanent residents , first published in English between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009.
In the case of co-authored novels or short stories, at least one of the authors must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and the Australian involvement may not be limited to illustration only.
To be eligible, anthologies must have been edited by an Australian citizen or permanent resident and first published in English in the period under consideration. In the case of co-edited works, at least one of the editors must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
For single author collections , the entry must have been either authored by an Australian citizen or permanent resident OR edited by an Australian citizen or permanent resident. This category recognises the role of editors in shaping and producing anthologies and collected works.
The 2008 Aurealis Awards process was the first time we had the anthology category, and magazines were considered alongside anthologies. This practice has now been discontinued in response to feedback from our judges who felt that the inherent differences in the formats were more marked than the similarities.
However, a magazine – or e-zine – may be entered into the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence as this special award has a broad scope and many and varied types of works may be considered.
In the case of illustrated works or graphic novels (either work for adults or children’s picture books), entries must have been either written or illustrated by an Australian citizen or permanent resident and first published in English between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009
We aim to be as inclusive as possible and endeavour to do all we can to assist in the entry process. Contact the awards coordinator at coordinator@aurealisawards.com.
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Regarding work published or submitted in electronic format
The Aurealis Awards management team recognises the financial burden of entering multiple works in multiple categories to some authors, editors and publishers at independent small presses.
We cannot accept novels or fiction longer than ten thousand words electronically, but are happy to accept photocopies or printouts of manuscripts or galleys, providing the text is identical to that appearing in the final, published version. When multiple printed copies of the work/s are difficult or expensive to obtain, those who enter (particularly individual authors or small presses who face financial hardship) are encouraged to contact the Awards coordinator to discuss. It may be possible to arrange for judges to share two or three copies if they are received sufficiently early in the awards process (at least six weeks before our final deadline of Saturday 31 October 2009, i.e. material to be shared will need to arrive before Saturday 19 September 2009). This will take place at the discretion of the awards coordinator and the convenor/s of the category/categories involved.
Although it is always preferable that Aurealis Awards judges receive hard copy of short stories, from 2009 they have agreed to accept some electronic entries(up to ten thousand words) from authors and small press publishers, if the financial burden of supplying hard copy is excessive. Entering stories electronically will require the submission of both a word document and a pdf of entries to the awards coordinator for distribution to the relevant judges. It is not sufficient to merely provide links to web pages.
If there are more than three short stories entered from a given volume (be it book or magazine), or in the case of best anthology and collection, our judges must receive hard copy of the work in question. You cannot simply submit pdf and word documents of the entire volume. It is unfair to expect our judges to read a whole volume onscreen or to print out entire volumes themselves. If everyone submitted work this way, the financial burden on our judges and the Aurealis Awards management team would be unreasonable. When multiple printed copies of the work/s are difficult or expensive to obtain, those who enter (particularly individual authors or small presses who face financial hardship) are encouraged to contact the Awards coordinator to discuss. It may be possible to arrange for judges to share two or three copies if they are received sufficiently early in the awards process (at least six weeks before our final deadline of Saturday 31 October 2009, i.e. material to be shared will need to arrive before Saturday 19 September 2009). This will take place at the discretion of the awards coordinator and the convenor/s of the category/categories involved.
In the case of multimedia, if a work of this type is to be entered in the novel, anthology or collection categories, then judges will need to receive hard copy of the work for their consideration. However, a multimedia format work may be entered and considered for the Peter McNamara Convenors’ Award for Excellence as this special award has a broad scope and may take into account more than the printed word.
We aim to be as inclusive as possible and endeavour to do all we can to assist in the entry process. Contact the awards coordinator at coordinator@aurealisawards.com.
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Conflict of interest
A novel or short story written by a judge is automatically ineligible to be entered for an award in that year in the category for which the person is a judge. Work is still eligible to be entered in other categories.
A novel or short story written by the Aurealis Awards coordinator, assistant coordinator or any member of the Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team is automatically ineligible to be nominated for an award.
This ineligibility applies only to works written by the person involved. For example, if the editor of an anthology or magazine is a judge, stories in the anthology or magazine not written by him/her are still eligible, but anything written by him/her is not.
If the editor or co-editor of an anthology or collection is a judge in the anthology and collection category, then that anthology or collection edited or co-edited by him/her is ineligible.
Should a judge have any concerns about their eligibility or the appropriateness of reviewing a particular work, they should raise them with their convenor, who will then discuss the matter with the awards coordinator and make a ruling. This ruling will be final.
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Regarding blogs, websites, reviews, critiques and other public comments
Judges, the awards coordinator, the assistant coordinator and members of the Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team may externally review or critique works which may be eligible for entry. These reviews or critiques may take the form of blogs, printed reviews, discussion panels and similar activities.
However, as it is important that the awards maintain a level of independence and impartiality, all such reviews should contain a disclaimer emphasising that this is the personal opinion of the person involved and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the panel, the awards coordinator or the Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team.
Similarly, we ask that judges refrain from commenting on shortlisted works within their category between the date the shortlist is publicly released (early December 2009) and the announcement of the winners at the awards ceremony (Saturday 23 January 2010).
Most of the judges’ discussions are conducted via an online forum or email. All discussions between the judges in each panel and the awards coordinator and/or the Aurealis Awards management team are confidential.
The Awards coordinator, the assistant coordinator and members of the Fantastic Queensland Aurealis Awards management team must also refrain from commenting on all shortlisted works within this time frame.
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