The WSFA Small Press Award was inaugurated by the Washington Science Fiction Association in 2007. The award is open to works of imaginative literature (e.g.

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 ...

, horror) published in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

for the first time in the previous calendar year. Furthermore, the Small Press Award is limited to

short fiction A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

—works under 20,000 words in length—that was published by a

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

. The nominees are narrowed down by a panel elected by the WSFA membership, and these finalists are then judged by the entire WSFA membership to select a winner. Throughout the process, the author and publisher of each story are kept anonymous. The winning story is announced at

Capclave The Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) is the oldest science fiction club in the Washington, D.C. area. It is also one of the oldest science fiction clubs, founded in 1947 by seven fans who met at that year's Worldcon in Philadelphia, th ...

, the WSFA convention held in the

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

area each October.

Winners

* 2007 Award: "El Regalo" by Peter S. Beagle (published in ''The Line Between'',

Tachyon Publications Tachyon Publications is an independent press specializing in science fiction and fantasy books. Founded in San Francisco in 1995 by Jacob Weisman, Tachyon books have tended toward high-end literary works, short story collections, and anthologies ...

) * 2008 Award: "The Wizard of Macatawa" by Tom Doyle (published in

Paradox Magazine ''Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction'' (also known as ''Paradox Magazine'' or simply ''Paradox'') was a literary magazine featuring original short historical fiction in all of its forms up to novella length. This include ...

, Issue 11) * 2009 Award: "The Absence of Stars: Part One" by Greg Siewert (published in

Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show ''Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show'' (2008) is a science fiction and fantasy anthology edited by Edmund R. Schubert and Orson Scott Card. Originally published in paperback by Tor Books in August 2008, it contains eighteen stories ...

, December 2008) * 2010 Award: "Siren Beat" by

Tansy Rayner Roberts Tansy Rayner Roberts (born 22 May 1978) is an Australian fantasy writer. Her short stories have been published in a variety of genre magazines, including ''Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine'' and ''Aurealis''. She also writes crime fiction a ...

(published by Twelfth Planet Press, October 2009) * 2011 Award: "Amaryllis" by

Carrie Vaughn Carrie Vaughn (born January 28, 1973) is an American writer, the author of the urban fantasy '' Kitty Norville'' series. She has published more than 60 short stories in science fiction and fantasy magazines as well as short story anthologies and ...

(published in

Lightspeed Magazine ''Lightspeed'' is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine edited and published by John Joseph Adams. The first issue was published in June 2010 and it has maintained a regular monthly schedule since. The magazine currently publis ...

, June 2010) * 2012 Award: "The Patrician" by

(published in ''Love and Romanpunk'', Twelfth Planet Press, May 2011) * 2013 Award: "Good Hunting" by

Ken Liu Ken Liu (born 1976) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy. His epic fantasy series ''The Dandelion Dynasty'', which he describes as silkpunk, is published by Simon & Schuster. Liu has won Hugo and Nebula Awards for his short fic ...

(published in ''Strange Horizons'', October 2012) * 2014 Award: "Explaining Cthulhu to Grandma" by Alex Shvartsman (published in

, April 2013) * 2015 Award: " Jackalope Wives" by

Ursula Vernon Ursula Vernon (born May 28, 1977) is an American freelance writer, artist and illustrator. She has won numerous awards for her work in various mediums, including the Hugo Award for her graphic novel '' Digger'', the Nebula Award for her short st ...

(published in

Apex Magazine ''Apex Magazine'', also previously known as ''Apex Digest'', is an American horror and science fiction magazine. This subscription webzine, ''Apex Magazine'', contains short fiction, reviews, and interviews. It has been nominated for several awa ...

January 2014) * 2016 Award: "Today I Am Paul" by Martin L. Shoemaker (published in ''

Clarkesworld ''Clarkesworld Magazine'' (ISSN 1937-7843) is an American online fantasy and science fiction magazine. It released its first issue October 1, 2006 and has maintained a regular monthly schedule since, publishing fiction by authors such as Elizabet ...

'' August 2015) * 2017 Award: " The Tomato Thief" by

(published in

January 2016) * 2018 Award: " The Secret Life of Bots" by Suzanne Palmer (published in

September 2017) * 2019 Award: "The Thing in the Walls Wants Your Small Change" by Virginia M. Mohlere (published in Luna Station Quarterly May 2018) * 2020 Award: "The Partisan and the Witch" by Charlotte Honigman (published in ''Skull & Pestle: New Tales of Baba Yaga'', edited by Kate Wolford (World Weaver Press, 2019) * 2021 Award: "Metal Like Blood in the Dark" by T. Kingfisher (published in ''Uncanny Magazine, (September/October 2020)'' edited by Lynne M. Thomas and Michael Damian Thomas)

References

{{Reflist

External links

WSFA Small Press Award

Washington Science Fiction Association

Capclave
American literary awards Fantasy awards Science fiction awards W Awards established in 2007 2007 establishments in Washington, D.C.