The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are given to works of

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

and

horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction ** Japanese horror, Japanese horror fiction **Korean horror, Korean horror fiction * Horror film, a film genre *Horror comics, comic books focusing o ...

that explore

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

(

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, gay,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

) topics in a positive way. They were founded in 1998, first presented by the

Gaylactic Network The Gaylactic Network is a North American LGBT science fiction fandom organization. It has several affiliate chapters across the United States and Canada, with a membership of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people and friends, shar ...

in 1999. In 2002 they were given their own organization, the ''Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation''. Since their inception, awards have been given in categories for novels, short fiction, and best other work. Other categories have also been added and removed in intervening years. Works produced before the inception of the awards are eligible to be inducted into the "Hall of Fame". The novels category is open to submissions of novels released during the prior calendar year in North America that includes "significant positive GLBT content". The results are decided by a panel of judges from the list of submitted nominees; the long list of nominees is reduced to a short list of finalists, and the results are generally announced and presented at

Gaylaxicon Gaylaxicon is a recurring science fiction, fantasy and horror convention that focused on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender topics. It has taken in various locations in the United States and occasionally Canada, often on the East Coast. Sta ...

, an annual convention devoted to LGBT-themed science fiction. This article lists all the "Best Novel" award nominees and winners and novels inducted into the Hall of Fame. 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 award category are etched on a small plaque on the base or on the plexiglass itself. A small cash stipend is awarded to winners in the Best Novel category. The cost of the awards is met through individual donations and fundraising events.

Laurie J. Marks Laurie J. Marks (born March 27, 1957) is an American author of fantasy novels. Life Inspired by C.S. Lewis, Laurie wrote her first novel at twelve. Her determination to become a fantasy novelist led her to take a typing class and all the writin ...

and

Melissa Scott Melissa Scott (born 1960, in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American science fiction and fantasy author noted for her science fiction novels featuring LGBT characters and elaborate settings. Biography Scott studied history at Harvard College and B ...

have both won the award twice.

Elizabeth Bear Sarah Bear Elizabeth Wishnevsky (born September 22, 1971) is an American author who works primarily in speculative fiction genres, writing under the name Elizabeth Bear. She won the 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the 2008 Hugo A ...

holds the record for most nominations, with ten nominations and one win.

Novel winners and nominees

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the award ceremonies; the books were released is the preceding years. Entries with a lavender background have won the relevant award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list. Superscript letters after the result indicate simultaneous nominations in other categories. Also won the People's Choice Award. The awards for 2014 and 2015 were combined into a single ceremony and presented in 2015

Hall of Fame novels

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the award ceremonies; the books were all first published before the founding of the awards in 1998. No novels have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since 2003. Entries in bold and with a lavender background were inducted into the Hall of Fame that year; those that are neither highlighted nor in bold were not inducted that year (NI), but may be inducted later (IL). Superscript letters after the result indicate simultaneous nominations in other categories. Also won the People's Choice Award.

References

External links

The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaylactic Spectrum Award Winners And Nominees For Best Novel Best Novel Lists of LGBT-related award winners and nominees Lists of speculative fiction-related award winners and nominees

Novel winners and nominees

Hall of Fame novels

See also

References

External links