The Mythopoeic Awards for literature and literary studies are given annually for outstanding works in the fields of myth, fantasy, and the scholarly study of these areas. Established by the

Mythopoeic Society The Mythopoeic Society (MythSoc) is a non-profit organization devoted to the study of mythopoeic literature, particularly the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and C. S. Lewis, all members of The Inklings, an informal group of write ...

in 1971, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award is given for "fiction in the spirit of the

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who pr ...

", and the Scholarship Award for non-fiction work. The award is a statuette of a seated lion, with a plaque on the base. It has drawn resemblance to, and is often called, the "

Aslan Aslan () is a major character in C. S. Lewis's ''The Chronicles of Narnia'' series. Unlike any other character, he appears in all seven chronicles of the series. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion, and is described as the King of Beasts, the ...

". The Mythopoeic Award is one of the "principal annual awards" for fantasy according to critic

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

. From 1971 to 1991, there was one award per category, annual but not always awarded before 1981. Dual awards in each category were established in 1992: Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards for Adult Literature and Children's Literature; Scholarship Awards in Inklings Studies, and Myth and Fantasy Studies. In 2010, a Student Paper Award was introduced for the best paper presented at Mythcon by an undergraduate or graduate student; it was renamed the Alexei Kondratiev Award several months after its creation. The 2022 winners were announced at Mythcon 52 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards

In the following tables, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the novel was first published. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature". Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; those with a white background are the other nominees on the shortlist. * Winners

Fantasy (1971–1991)

1970s

1980s

1990s

Adult Literature

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Children's Literature

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple wins and nominations

The following authors have received two or more Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards. The following authors have received four or more nominations.

Mythopoeic Scholarship Awards

There are two Mythopoeic Scholarship Awards since 1992 (and a Student Paper Award related to Mythcon, not covered here, since 2010). The Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies dates from 1971, in effect, its name was expanded in 1992. Scholarly works have three years to win the award once and may be on the final ballot three times.

Inklings Studies

Winners are listed below. * 1971 – C. S. Kilby; Mary McDermott Shideler * 1972 – Walter Hooper * 1973 – ''Master of Middle-earth'' by Paul H. Kocher * 1974 – ''C. S. Lewis, Mere Christian'' by Kathryn Lindskoog * 1975 – ''C. S. Lewis: A Biography'' by

Roger Lancelyn Green Roger Gilbert Lancelyn Green (2 November 1918 – 8 October 1987) was a British biographer and children's writer. He was an Oxford academic who formed part of the Inklings literary discussion group along with C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkie ...

and Walter Hooper * 1976 – ''Tolkien Criticism'' by Richard C. West; ''C. S. Lewis, An Annotated Checklist'' by Joe R. Christopher and Joan K. Ostling; ''Charles W. S. Williams, A Checklist'' by Lois Glenn * 1981 –

Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English academic editor, becoming a French citizen in later life. The son of author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher Tolkien edited much of his father ...

* 1982 – ''The Inklings'' by

Humphrey Carpenter Humphrey William Bouverie Carpenter (29 April 1946 – 4 January 2005) was an English biographer, writer, and radio broadcaster. He is known especially for his biographies of J. R. R. Tolkien and other members of the literary society the Inkl ...

* 1983 – ''Companion to Narnia'' by Paul F. Ford * 1984 – ''

The Road to Middle-earth ''The Road to Middle-earth: How J. R. R. Tolkien Created a New Mythology'' is a scholarly study of the Middle-earth works of J. R. R. Tolkien written by Tom Shippey and first published in 1982. The book discusses Tolkien's philology, and then e ...

'' by

T. A. Shippey T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively). T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in l ...

* 1985 – ''Reason and Imagination in C. S. Lewis'' by Peter J. Schakel * 1986 – ''Charles Williams, Poet of Theology'' by Glen Cavaliero * 1987 – ''J. R. R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion'' by Richard Purtill * 1988 – ''C. S. Lewis'' by Joe R. Christopher * 1989 – ''

The Return of the Shadow ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' by

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

, edited by

* 1990 – ''The Annotated Hobbit'' by

, edited by Douglas A. Anderson * 1991 – ''Jack: C. S. Lewis and His Times'' by George Sayer * 1992 – ''Word and Story in C. S. Lewis'', edited by Peter J. Schakel and Charles A. Huttar * 1993 – ''Planets in Peril'' by David C. Downing * 1994 – ''J. R. R. Tolkien, A Descriptive Bibliography'' by

Wayne G. Hammond Wayne Gordon Hammond (born February 11, 1953 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American scholar known for his research and writings on the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Biography Wayne Hammond was born in Cleveland, Ohio and then raised in Brooklyn, Ohi ...

with the assistance of Douglas A. Anderson * 1995 – ''C. S. Lewis in Context'' by Doris T. Myers * 1996 – '' J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator'' by

and

Christina Scull Christina Scull (born 6 March 1942 in Bristol, England) is a British researcher and writer best known for her books about the works of J. R. R. Tolkien. Biography Christina Scull was born in Bristol and was educated at the Redmaids' High Sc ...

* 1997 – ''The Rhetoric of Vision: Essays on Charles Williams'', ed. by Charles A. Huttar and Peter Schakel * 1998 – ''A Question of Time: J. R. R. Tolkien's Road to Faërie'' by

Verlyn Flieger Verlyn Flieger (born 1933) is an author, editor, and Professor Emerita in the Department of English at the University of Maryland at College Park, where she taught courses in comparative mythology, medieval literature, and the works of J. R. R. Tol ...

* 1999 – ''C. S. Lewis: A Companion and Guide'' by Walter Hooper * 2000 – ''

Roverandom ''Roverandom'' is a novella by J. R. R. Tolkien, originally told in 1925, about the adventures of a young dog, Rover. In the story, an irritable wizard turns Rover into a toy, and Rover goes to the Moon and under the sea in order to find the ...

'' by

, edited by

and

* 2001 – '' J. R. R. Tolkien: Author of the Century'' by

Tom Shippey Thomas Alan Shippey (born 9 September 1943) is a British medievalist, a retired scholar of Middle and Old English literature as well as of modern fantasy and science fiction. He is considered one of the world's leading academic experts on the ...

* 2002 – '' Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on The History of Middle-earth'', edited by

and Carl F. Hostetter * 2003 – ''

Beowulf and the Critics ''Beowulf and the Critics by J. R. R. Tolkien'' is a 2002 book edited by Michael D. C. Drout that presents scholarly editions of the two manuscript versions of Tolkien's essays or lecture series "'' Beowulf'' and the Critics", which served as th ...

'' by

, edited by Michael D. C. Drout * 2004 – '' Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth'' by John Garth * 2005 – ''War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien'' by

Janet Brennan Croft Janet Brennan Croft (born 1961) is an American author and editor, best known for writing and editing books and journals on J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy. She is currently Associate University Librarian for Content Discovery at Univers ...

* 2006 – '' The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion'' by

and

* 2007 – ''

The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide ''The J. R. R. Tolkien Companion and Guide'' is a 2006 reference book by the husband and wife team of Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond. It provides a detailed chronology of Tolkien's life in volume 1, and a reader's guide in volume 2. The s ...

'' by

and

* 2008 – '' The Company They Keep: C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien as Writers in Community'' by

Diana Glyer Diana Pavlac Glyer (born 21 January 1956 in Aberdeen, Maryland) is an American author, speaker and teacher whose work centers on C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and the Inklings. She teaches in the Honors College at Azusa Pacific University in Calif ...

; appendix by

David Bratman David Bratman is a librarian and Tolkien scholar. Biography David Bratman was born in Chicago to Robert Bratman, a physician, and his wife Nancy, an editor. He was one of four sons in the family. He was brought up in Cleveland, Ohio and then i ...

* 2009 – '' The History of the Hobbit'' by John D. Rateliff, Part One: Mr. Baggins; Part Two: Return to Bag-end * 2010 – ''Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits'' by

Dimitra Fimi Dimitra Fimi (born 2 June 1978) is a Scottish academic and writer and since 2020 the Senior Lecturer in Fantasy and Children's Literature at the University of Glasgow. Her research includes that of the writings of J. R. R. Tolkien and children's ...

* 2011 – ''Planet Narnia'' by Michael Ward * 2012 – ''Tolkien and Wales'' by Carl Phelpstead * 2013 – ''Green Suns and Faërie: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien'' by

* 2014 – ''Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays'' by

Jason Fisher Jason Fisher is a Tolkien scholar and winner of a Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in 2014 for his book ''Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays''. He served as the editor of the Mythopoeic Society's monthly '' Mythprint'' from 2010 to 2 ...

, ed. * 2015 – ''C. S. Lewis and the Middle Ages'' by Robert Boenig * 2016 – ''Charles Williams: The Third Inkling'' by Grevel Lindop * 2017 – ''The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams'' by

Philip Zaleski Philip Zaleski is the author and editor of several books on religion and spirituality, including ''The Recollected Heart,'' ''The Benedictines of Petersham,'' and ''Gifts of the Spirit.'' In addition, he is coauthor with his wife Carol Zaleski of ...

and Carol Zaleski * 2018 – ''The Inklings and King Arthur: J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, C. S. Lewis, and Owen Barfield on the Matter of Britain'' by Sørina Higgins, ed. * 2019 – ''There Would Always Be a Fairy Tale: More Essays on Tolkien'' by

* 2020 – ''“The Sweet and the Bitter”: Death and Dying in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings'' by Helen Young * 2021 – ''Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer'' by John M. Bowers * 2022 – ''Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages'' by Holly Ordway

Myth & Fantasy Studies

Winners are listed below. * 1992 – ''The Victorian Fantasists'', edited by Kath Filmer * 1993 – ''Strategies of Fantasy'' by

Brian Attebery Brian Attebery (born December 1951) is an American writer and emeritus professor of English and philosophy at Idaho State University. He is known for his studies of fantasy literature, including ''The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: F ...

* 1994 – ''Twentieth-Century Fantasists'', edited by Kath Filmer * 1995 – ''Old Tales and New Truths: Charting the Bright-Shadow World'' by James Roy King * 1996 – ''From the Beast to the Blonde'' by

Marina Warner Dame Marina Sarah Warner, (born 9 November 1946) is an English historian, mythographer, art critic, novelist and short story writer. She is known for her many non-fiction books relating to feminism and myth. She has written for many publicat ...

* 1997 – ''When Toys Come Alive'' by Lois Rostrow Kuznets * 1998 – ''

The Encyclopedia of Fantasy ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' is a 1997 reference work concerning fantasy fiction, edited by John Clute and John Grant. Other contributors include Mike Ashley, Neil Gaiman, Diana Wynne Jones, David Langford, Sam J. Lundwall, Michael S ...

'', edited by John Clute and John Grant * 1999 – ''A Century of Welsh Myth in Children's Literature'' by Donna R. White * 2000 – ''Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness'' by Carole G. Silver * 2001 – ''King Arthur in America'' by Alan Lupack and Barbara Tepa Lupack * 2002 – ''The Owl, the Raven & the Dove: The Religious Meaning of the Grimms' Magic Fairy Tales'' by G. Ronald Murphy * 2003 – ''Fairytale in the Ancient World'' by Graham Anderson * 2004 – ''The Myth of the American Superhero'' by John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett * 2005 – ''Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography'' by Stephen Thomas Knight * 2006 – ''National Dreams: The Remaking of Fairy Tales in Nineteenth-Century England'' by Jennifer Schacker * 2007 – ''Gemstone of Paradise: The Holy Grail in Wolfram's Parzival'' by G. Ronald Murphy, S.J. * 2008 – ''The Shadow-Walkers: Jacob Grimm's Mythology of the Monstrous'' by

* 2009 – ''Four British Fantasists: Place and Culture in the Children's Fantasies of Penelope Lively, Alan Garner, Diana Wynne Jones, and Susan Cooper'' by Charles Butler * 2010 – ''One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L'Engle and Orson Scott Card'' by Marek Oziewicz * 2011 – ''The Victorian Press and the Fairy Tale'' by Caroline Sumpter * 2012 – ''The Enchanted Screen'' by Jack Zipes * 2013 – ''Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths'' by Nancy Marie Brown * 2014 – ''Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North'' by G. Ronald Murphy * 2015 – ''Stories About Stories: Fantasy and the Remaking of Myth'' by

* 2016 – ''The Evolution of Modern Fantasy: From Antiquarianism to the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series'' by Jamie Williamson * 2017 – ''Elf Queens and Holy Friars: Fairy Beliefs and the Medieval Church'' by

Richard Firth Green Richard Firth Green is a Canadian scholar who specializes in Middle English literature. He is a Humanities Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Ohio State University and author of three monographs on the social life, law, and literature o ...

* 2018 – '' Children's Fantasy Literature: An Introduction'' by Michael Levy and

Farah Mendlesohn Farah Jane Mendlesohn (born 27 July 1968) is a British academic historian, writer on speculative fiction, and active member of science fiction fandom. Mendlesohn is best-known for their 2008 book '' Rhetorics of Fantasy'', which classifies fanta ...

* 2019 – ''Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children's Fantasy: Idealization, Identity, Ideology'' by

* 2020 – ''A Modernist Fantasy: Modernism, Anarchism, and the Radical Fantastic'' by James Gifford * 2021 – ''Fantasies of Time and Death: Dunsany, Eddison, Tolkien'' by Anna Vaninskaya * 2022 – ''The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination'' by

Philip Ball Philip Ball (born 1962) is a British science writer. For over twenty years he has been an editor of the journal ''Nature'' for which he continues to write regularly. He now writes a regular column in '' Chemistry World''. He has contributed to ...

References

External links

Mythopoeic Awards
Mythopoeic Society webpage about the Mythopoeic Awards
Mythopoeic Awards
top page in the Science Fiction Awards Database {{Fantasy fiction American literary awards Awards established in 1971 Fantasy awards Mythopoeia Tolkien studies Mythopoeic Awards