The (SFADB) is an index of science fiction, fantasy, and
horror awards compiled by Mark R. Kelly and published by the
Locus Science Fiction Foundation
''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...
. Known formerly as the Locus Index to SF Awards, it has been cited as an invaluable science fiction resource, and is often more up-to-date than the awards' own websites (according to ''
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...
'').
[
]
History
The Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards was established in 2000 by Mark R. Kelly, the founder of ''Locus Online
''Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field'', founded in 1968, is an American magazine published monthly in Oakland, California. It is the news organ and trade journal for the English-language science fiction and fantasy fields ...
''.[ The ]Cornell University Library
The Cornell University Library is the library system of Cornell University. As of 2014, it holds over 8 million printed volumes and over a million ebooks. More than 90 percent of its current 120,000 Periodical literature, periodical titles are ...
has described it as a comprehensive listing of science fiction awards, including "reader polls, fan awards, inactive awards, academic awards, award statistics, and more".[ Despite the title, the index has always covered fantasy and horror in addition to science fiction.][ In 2012, coincident with Kelly's retirement as an aerospace software engineer,][ the website received a redesign and expansion, and was renamed the Science Fiction Awards Database (SFADB).]
Reception
The index has received praise from authors and editors of speculative fiction, including Jo Walton
Jo Walton (born 1964) is a Welsh and Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She is best known for the fantasy novel ''Among Others'', which won the Hugo Award, Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012, and ''Tooth and Claw (novel), Tooth ...
and Gardner Dozois
Gardner Raymond Dozois ( ; July 23, 1947 – May 27, 2018) was an American people, American science fiction author and editing, editor. He was the founding editor of ''The Year's Best Science Fiction'' anthologies (1984–2018) and was editor of ...
. Walton has said that her book ''An Informal History of the Hugos
''An Informal History of the Hugos'' (subtitled ''A Personal Look Back at the Hugo Awards, 1953–2000'' is a 2018 reference work on science fiction and fantasy written by Jo Walton. In it, she asks if the nominees for the Hugo Award for Best ...
'' would not have been possible without the existence of the index. The Orion Publishing Group
Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based book publisher. It was founded in 1991 and acquired Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, ...
called it "extraordinary, and to our mind, criminally under-appreciated", and cited it as a primary source for Gollancz's ''SF Masterworks
''S.F. Masterworks'' is a series of science fiction novel reprints published by UK-based company Orion Publishing Group, a subsidiary of Hachette UK. The series is intended for the United Kingdom and Australian markets, but many editions are dis ...
'' and ''SF Gateway'' series of books.[
Writing in '']The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and f ...
'', Peter Nicholls and David Langford
David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...
called the index invaluable, and noted that it was often more up-to-date than the awards' official websites.[ ''Locus Online'', which hosted the index, received the 2002 ]Hugo Award
The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention and chosen by its members. The Hugo is widely considered the premier a ...
for Best Website.[
]
Contents
The SFADB compiles over 100 literary awards for science fiction, fantasy, and horror, from 1951 to date. It includes both nominees and winners, with a separate page for each person and award. Awards are displayed as three groups: Major Career Awards, Major Awards and Other Awards, and can be sorted chronologically, by nominee, and by category.[
Statistics such as "Total Wins", "Total Losses" and "Never-Winners" are also listed.][ The following table lists a subset of 29 awards that are featured in the "Awards" dropdown (as of 2021):
The SFADB also has a citations directory for each author, containing a list of critical works and reading guides where their books have been cited.][ In 2018, it added indexes for "Year's Best" anthologies of short fiction, with contents linked to the individual author pages.][
]
References
Sources
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{{refend
External links
Locus Index to Science Fiction Awards
(archive)
Science Fiction Awards Database
Bibliographic databases and indexes
Library 2.0
Online databases
Speculative fiction websites
Internet properties established in 2000
Science fiction awards
Fantasy awards
Horror fiction awards