Theodore Sturgeon Award
Encyclopedia
The Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award is given each year for the best science fiction
short story
of the year and is the short fiction counterpart of the Campbell award (best novel)
, published in English.
The award is in honor of science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon
, and is described on its site as "an appropriate memorial to one of the great short-story writers in a field distinguished by its short fiction." It was established in 1987 by James Gunn
, Director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction
at the University of Kansas
where Sturgeon lectured and taught. The award was established in collaboration with the heirs of Sturgeon including his widow Jayne Sturgeon and their children. The award is presented every year in conjunction with the Campbell award (best novel)
during the Campbell Conference
Awards Cerenomy held each year at the University of Kansas
in Lawrence, Kansas
.
, Frederik Pohl
, and Judith Merril
. After the 1996 Award, Judith Merril resigned and was replaced by Kij Johnson
, the 1994 Sturgeon winner; in 2005, George Zebrowski
joined the jury. Since 1999, one of Sturgeon's children has also participated in this process, usually Noel Sturgeon.
The current jury consists of James Gunn, Kij Johnson
, Frederik Pohl
, George Zebrowski
, and Noel Sturgeon, Theodore Sturgeon's daughter.
Nominations come from a wide variety of science-fiction reviewers and serious readers as well as from the editors who publish short fiction. Nominations are collected during the winter by the Center's Associate Director Christopher McKitterick
, who produces a list of finalists based on nominators' rankings. The jury then reads all of the finalists and debates their merits during the spring. The winning author is usually contacted in May and invited to attend the Campbell Conference
to be honored; the winner often attends the last day or two of the Center's Science Fiction Writers Workshop and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel Writers Workshop, as well.
The Sturgeon Award is presented during the July Campbell Conference
Awards Banquet at the University of Kansas
in Lawrence, Kansas
, as the focal point of a weekend of discussions about the writing, illustration, publishing, teaching, and criticism of science fiction. Award-winners are listed below by year of publication.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
of the year and is the short fiction counterpart of the Campbell award (best novel)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for best science fiction novel was created in 1973 by writers and critics Harry Harrison and Brian W. Aldiss to honor Campbell's name...
, published in English.
The award is in honor of science fiction writer Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon was an American science fiction author.His most famous novel is More Than Human .-Biography:...
, and is described on its site as "an appropriate memorial to one of the great short-story writers in a field distinguished by its short fiction." It was established in 1987 by James Gunn
James Gunn (author)
- Further reading :James E. Gunn The Listeners, BenBella Books, ISBN 1-932100-12-1 -External links:*...
, Director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction
Center for the Study of Science Fiction
The Center for the Study of Science Fiction is an educational institution, associated with the University of Kansas, that emerged out of the science-fiction programs that James Gunn created there beginning in 1970....
at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
where Sturgeon lectured and taught. The award was established in collaboration with the heirs of Sturgeon including his widow Jayne Sturgeon and their children. The award is presented every year in conjunction with the Campbell award (best novel)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel
The John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel for best science fiction novel was created in 1973 by writers and critics Harry Harrison and Brian W. Aldiss to honor Campbell's name...
during the Campbell Conference
Campbell Conference (science fiction)
The Campbell Conference is an academic science fiction event put on yearly by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. The Campbell Conference is the concluding event of the CSSF Writers Workshop in Science Fiction and the Novel Writers Workshop in Science Fiction,...
Awards Cerenomy held each year at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
.
Nomination and judging process
For its first eight years (1987–1994), the Sturgeon Award was selected by a committee of short-fiction experts headed by Orson Scott Card. Beginning in 1995, the Sturgeon Award became a juried award, with winners selected by a committee composed of James GunnJames Gunn (author)
- Further reading :James E. Gunn The Listeners, BenBella Books, ISBN 1-932100-12-1 -External links:*...
, Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
, and Judith Merril
Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman , who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist....
. After the 1996 Award, Judith Merril resigned and was replaced by Kij Johnson
Kij Johnson
Kij Johnson is an American writer of fantasy. She has worked extensively in publishing: managing editor for Tor Books and Wizards of the Coast/TSR, collections editor for Dark Horse Comics, and content manager working on the Microsoft Reader...
, the 1994 Sturgeon winner; in 2005, George Zebrowski
George Zebrowski
George Zebrowski is a science fiction author and editor who has written and edited a number of books. He lives with author Pamela Sargent, with whom he has co-written a number of novels, including Star Trek novels.Zebrowski won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1999 for his novel Brute Orbits...
joined the jury. Since 1999, one of Sturgeon's children has also participated in this process, usually Noel Sturgeon.
The current jury consists of James Gunn, Kij Johnson
Kij Johnson
Kij Johnson is an American writer of fantasy. She has worked extensively in publishing: managing editor for Tor Books and Wizards of the Coast/TSR, collections editor for Dark Horse Comics, and content manager working on the Microsoft Reader...
, Frederik Pohl
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl, Jr. is an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy years — from his first published work, "Elegy to a Dead Planet: Luna" , to his most recent novel, All the Lives He Led .He won the National Book Award in 1980 for his novel Jem...
, George Zebrowski
George Zebrowski
George Zebrowski is a science fiction author and editor who has written and edited a number of books. He lives with author Pamela Sargent, with whom he has co-written a number of novels, including Star Trek novels.Zebrowski won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1999 for his novel Brute Orbits...
, and Noel Sturgeon, Theodore Sturgeon's daughter.
Nominations come from a wide variety of science-fiction reviewers and serious readers as well as from the editors who publish short fiction. Nominations are collected during the winter by the Center's Associate Director Christopher McKitterick
Christopher McKitterick
Christopher McKitterick is an American writer of science fiction and an academic concerned with the field. He is Director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction, a program at the University of Kansas that supports an annual series of classes, workshops, online classes, and , a resource for...
, who produces a list of finalists based on nominators' rankings. The jury then reads all of the finalists and debates their merits during the spring. The winning author is usually contacted in May and invited to attend the Campbell Conference
Campbell Conference (science fiction)
The Campbell Conference is an academic science fiction event put on yearly by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. The Campbell Conference is the concluding event of the CSSF Writers Workshop in Science Fiction and the Novel Writers Workshop in Science Fiction,...
to be honored; the winner often attends the last day or two of the Center's Science Fiction Writers Workshop and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Novel Writers Workshop, as well.
The Sturgeon Award is presented during the July Campbell Conference
Campbell Conference (science fiction)
The Campbell Conference is an academic science fiction event put on yearly by the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas. The Campbell Conference is the concluding event of the CSSF Writers Workshop in Science Fiction and the Novel Writers Workshop in Science Fiction,...
Awards Banquet at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, as the focal point of a weekend of discussions about the writing, illustration, publishing, teaching, and criticism of science fiction. Award-winners are listed below by year of publication.
Recipients
From the Sturgeon Award official website (which also lists runners-up):- 1987: "Surviving", Judith MoffettJudith MoffettJudith Moffett is an American author and academic. She has published poetry, nonfiction, science fiction, and translations of Swedish literature...
- 1988: "Rachel in Love", Pat Murphy
- 1989: "Schrödinger's Kitten", George Alec EffingerGeorge Alec EffingerGeorge Alec Effinger was an American science fiction author, born in 1947 in Cleveland, Ohio.-Writing career:...
- 1990: "The Edge of the World", Michael SwanwickMichael SwanwickMichael Swanwick is an American science fiction author. Based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he began publishing in the early 1980s.-Biography:...
- 1991: "Bears Discover Fire", Terry BissonTerry BissonTerry Ballantine Bisson is an American science fiction and fantasy author best known for his short stories...
- 1992: "Buffalo", John KesselJohn KesselJohn Kessel is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. He is a prolific short story writer and the author of two solo novels, Good News From Outer Space and Corrupting Dr...
- 1993: "This Year's Class Picture", Dan SimmonsDan SimmonsDan Simmons is an American author most widely known for his Hugo Award-winning science fiction series, known as the Hyperion Cantos, and for his Locus-winning Ilium/Olympos cycle....
- 1994: "Fox Magic", Kij JohnsonKij JohnsonKij Johnson is an American writer of fantasy. She has worked extensively in publishing: managing editor for Tor Books and Wizards of the Coast/TSR, collections editor for Dark Horse Comics, and content manager working on the Microsoft Reader...
- 1995: "Forgiveness Day", Ursula K. Le GuinUrsula K. Le GuinUrsula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
- 1996: "Jigoku no Mokushiroku", John G. McDaid
- 1997: "The Flowers of Aulit Prison", Nancy KressNancy KressNancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella "Beggars in Spain" which was later expanded into a novel with the same title...
- 1998: "House of Dreams", Michael Flynn
- 1999: "Story of Your Life", Ted ChiangTed ChiangTed Chiang is an American speculative fiction writer. His Chinese name is Chiang Feng-nan.He was born in Port Jefferson, New York and graduated from Brown University with a Computer Science degree. He currently works as a technical writer in the software industry and resides in Bellevue, near...
- 2000: "The Wedding Album", David MarusekDavid MarusekDavid Marusek is an author who was born in Buffalo, New York but lived various places in youth. He is currently divorced and has a grown daughter. He has lived in Alaska since 1973 and that is the state he is most associated with....
- 2001: "Tendeleo's Story", Ian McDonaldIan McDonald (author)Ian McDonald is a British science fiction novelist, living in Belfast. His themes include nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings, and the impact of rapid social and technological change on non-Western societies.- Biography :...
- 2002: "The Chief Designer", Andy DuncanAndy Duncan (writer)Andy Duncan is an award-winning American science fiction and fantasy writer whose work frequently deals with Southern U.S. themes. He was born in Batesburg, South Carolina in 1964. He graduated from high school from W. W...
- 2003: "Over Yonder", Lucius ShepardLucius ShepardLucius Shepard is an American writer. Classified as a science fiction and fantasy writer, he often leans into other genres, such as magical realism. His work is infused with a political and historical sensibility and an awareness of literary antecedents...
- 2004: "The Empress of Mars", Kage BakerKage BakerKage Baker was an American science fiction and fantasy writer.- Biography :Baker was born in Hollywood, California and lived there and in Pismo Beach most of her life. Before becoming a professional writer she spent many years in theater, including teaching Elizabethan English as a second language...
(Two runners-up were also announced) - 2005: "Sergeant Chip", Bradley DentonBradley DentonBradley Clayton Denton is an American science fiction author. He has also written other types of fiction, such as the black comedy of his novel Blackburn, about a sympathetic serial killer....
(Two runners-up were also announced) - 2006: "The Calorie Man", Paolo BacigalupiPaolo BacigalupiPaolo Tadini Bacigalupi is an American science fiction and fantasy writer.He has won the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and was nominated for the National Book Award...
(Two runners-up were also announced) - 2007: "The Cartesian Theater", Robert Charles WilsonRobert Charles WilsonRobert Charles Wilson is an American-Canadian science fiction author.Wilson was born in the United States in California, but grew up near Toronto, Ontario. Apart from another short period in the early 1970s spent in Whittier, California, he has lived most of his life in Canada, and in 2007 he...
- 2008: "Tideline", Elizabeth BearElizabeth BearSarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky is an American author. Writing under the name Elizabeth Bear, she works primarily in the genre of speculative fiction, and was a winner of the 2005 John W...
; "Finisterra", David R. Moles - 2009: "The Ray-Gun: A Love StoryThe Ray-Gun: A Love Story"The Ray-Gun: A Love Story" is a science fiction novelette published in 2008 by James Alan Gardner. It won the 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Award. It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette as well as the 2009 Nebula Award for Best Novelette....
", James Alan GardnerJames Alan GardnerJames Alan Gardner is a Canadian science fiction author.Raised in Simcoe and Bradford, Ontario, he earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.... - 2010: "Shambling Towards Hiroshima", James MorrowJames MorrowJames Morrow is a fiction author. A self-described "scientific humanist", his work satirises organized religion and elements of humanism and atheism....
External links
- The award's official site