Aurealis Award for best horror short story

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Aurealis Award for best horror short story
Awarded forExcellence in horror fiction short stories
CountryAustralia
Presented byChimaera Publications,
Continuum Foundation
First awarded1995
Currently held by
WebsiteOfficial site

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers".[2] To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year;[3] the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.[4]

Since their creation in 1995, awards have been given in various categories of speculative fiction. Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction.[2] The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy. The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.[5]

The results are decided by a panel of judges from a list of submitted nominees; the long-list of nominees is reduced to a short-list of finalists.[2] Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner.[6] The judges are selected from a public application process by the Award's management team.[7]

This article lists all the short-list nominees and winners in the best horror short story category, as well as short stories that have received honourable mentions or have been highly commended. A work of fiction is defined as a short story if it is fewer than 40,000 words long.[3] Since 2001, honourable mentions and high commendations have been awarded intermittently. Paul Haines has won the award four times, while three people have won the award twice – Simon Brown, Kaaron Warren and Sean Williams. Warren holds the record for most nominations, with nine. Robert Hood holds the record for most nominations without winning, having been a losing finalist four times.

Winners and nominees[]

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the story's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a blue background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list. If the short story was originally published in a book with other stories rather than by itself or in a magazine, the book title is included after the publisher's name.

  *   Winners and joint winners
  *   Nominees on the shortlist

Year Author(s) Short story Publisher or publication Ref
1995 Francis Payne* "" () [8][9]
1995 Terry Dowling "Scaring the Train" MirrorDanse (The Man Who Lost Red) [8][9]
1995 Leanne Frahm "Entropy" () [8][9]
1995 Philip Neilsen "Rock and Roll Has to Die" Reed Books () [8][9]
1995 Kaaron Warren "Skin Holes" Penguin () [8][9]
1996 Sean Williams* "" Eidolon [10]
1996 Stephen Dedman "Never Seen by Waking Eyes" F&SF [10]
1996 Terry Dowling "Beckoning Nightframe" Eidolon [10]
1996 Patricia MacCormack "The Bloom of Decay" Bloodsongs [10]
1996 Kaaron Warren "The Hanging People" Bloodsongs [10]
1997 Terry Dowling* "" Eidolon [11]
1997 Bill Congreve "The Mullet That Screwed John West" MirrorDanse (Epiphanies of Blood) [9][11]
1997 J. M. Earle "Ten Minutes of Midnight" Aurealis [11]
1997 Sean Williams "The Freezing of Sarah" Bloodsongs [11]
1998 Kaaron Warren* "A Positive" Bloodsongs [12]
1998 Paul Brandon "The Marsh Runners" Voyager (Dreaming Down-Under) [9][12]
1998 Glyn Parry "Dawn Chorus" Moonstone (Fantastic Worlds) [9][12]
1998 Aaron Sterns "The Third Rail" Voyager (Dreaming Down-Under) [9][12]
1998 Kaaron Warren "The Glass Woman" Aurealis [12]
1999 Sean Williams & Simon Brown* "" Ticonderoga () [9][13]
1999 Allan Baillie "The Mouth" Longman () [9][13]
1999 Stephen Dedman "Honest Ghosts" [13]
1999 Kain Massin "Escape from Stalingrad" [13]
1999 Alison Venugoban "Funeral Rights" [13]
2000 Deborah Biancotti* "" [14]
2000 Jack Dann "Marilyn" Eidolon [14]
2000 Stephen Dedman "A Sentiment Open to Doubt" [14]
2000 Robert Hood "That Old Black Graffiti" Hodder (Tales from the Wasteland) [9][14]
2000 Michael Pryor "Sewercide" Aurealis [14]
2001 Simon Haynes* "" [15]
2001 Stephen Dedman "Probable Cause" Orb [15]
2001 Robert Hood "Rotten Times" Aurealis [15]
2001 Rick Kennett & Paul Collins "Whispers" Cosmos Books () [9][15]
2001 Alison Venugoban "Happy Birthday to Me" (Nor of Human...) [9][15]
2002 Kim Westwood* "" [16]
2002 Stephen Dedman "Wastelands" Agog! () [9][16]
2002 Claire McKenna "What the Tide Brings" [16]
2002 Chris McMahon "Within Twilight" [16]
2003 Simon Brown* "" HarperCollins () [9][17]
2003 Stephen Dedman "The Wind Shall Blow For Ever Mair" HarperCollins () [9][17]
2003 Sue Isle "Amy's Stars" Orb [17]
2003 Kyla Ward "Kijin Tea" Agog! () [9][17]
2003 Janeen Webb "Blake's Angel" HarperCollins () [9][17]
2004 Paul Haines* "" [18]
2004 Stephen Dedman "Twilight of the Idols" DAW () [9][18]
2004 Richard Harland "The Border" Agog! (Agog! Smashing Stories) [9][18]
2004 Ben Peek "Dr Who (or the day I learned to love Tom Baker)" Wakefield Press () [9][18]
2004 Alinta Thornton "Kathleen, Furnished with Bees" [18]
2005 Lee Battersby* "" Shadowed Realms [19]
2005 James Cain "The Ride" [19]
2005 Paul Haines "Doof, Doof, Doof" [19]
2005 Chuck McKenzie "Eight-Beat Bar" Aurealis [19]
2005 Cat Sparks "Macciato Lane" [19]
2006 Stephen Dedman* "Dead of Winter" Weird Tales [20]
2006 Margo Lanagan "Winkie" Allen & Unwin (Red Spikes) [9][20]
2006 Chris Lawson "Hieronymous Boche" Eidolon Books (Eidolon I) [9][20]
2006 Kaaron Warren "Dead Sea Fruit" Fantasy Magazine [20]
2006 Kaaron Warren "Woman Train" (The Outcast) [9][20]
2007 Anna Tambour* "" Subterranean [21]
2007 Terry Dowling "Toother" Night Shade Books () [21][22]
2007 Richard Harland "Special Perceptions" Ash-Tree Press () [9][21]
2007 Rick Kennett "The Dark and What It Said" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine [21]
2007 Ben Peek "Black Betty" [21]
2008 Kirstyn McDermott* "" Greatest Uncommon Denominator [23]
2008 Lee Battersby "In From the Snow'" HarperVoyager () [9][23]
2008 Deborah Biancotti "Pale Dark Soldier" Midnight Echo [23]
2008 Trent Jamieson "Day Boy" Murky Depths [23]
2008 Ian McHugh "" Galaxy Press () [9][23]
2009 Paul Haines* (tie) "" () [9][24]
2009 Paul Haines* (tie) "" () [9][24]
2009 Felicity Dowker "Jesse's Gift" Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine [24]
2009 Christopher Green "Having Faith" [24]
2009 Andrew J. McKiernan "The Message" Midnight Echo [24]
2010 Richard Harland* "The Fear" Brimstone Press (Macabre: A Journey Through Australia's Darkest Fears) [25]
2010 Bob Franklin "Take the Free Tour" Affirm Press (Under Stones) [26]
2010 Paul Haines "Her Gallant Needs" (Sprawl) [26]
2010 Robert Hood "Wasting Matilda" Constable & Robinson (Zombie Apocalypse!) [26]
2010 Martin Livings "Lollo" Apex Publishing (Close Encounters of the Urban Kind) [26]
2011 Paul Haines* (tie) "" Brimstone Press (The Last Days of Kali Yuga) [27]
2011 * (tie) "" Ticonderoga Publications (Bluegrass Symphony) [27]
2011 Deborah Biancotti "And the Dead Shall Outnumber the Living" (Ishtar) [28]
2011 Margo Lanagan "Mulberry Boys" Tor Books (Blood and Other Cravings) [28]
2011 Angela Slatter "The Coffin Maker's Daughter" Quercus Books (A Book of Horrors) [28]
2012 Kaaron Warren* "Sky" (Through Splintered Walls) [29]
2012 "Sanaa's Army" Ticonderoga Publications (Bloodstones) [30]
2012 "Elyora" Review of Australian Fiction, Rabbit Hole Special Issue [30]
2012 Felicity Dowker "To Wish Upon a Clockwork Heart" Ticonderoga Publications (Bread And Circuses) [30]
2012 Robert Hood "Escena de un Asesinato" PS Publishing (Exotic Gothic 4) [30]
2013 Kim Wilkins* "The Year of Ancient Ghosts" Ticonderoga Publications (The Year of Ancient Ghosts) [31][32]
2013 "Fencelines" (The Bone Chime Song and Other Stories) [31]
2013 Terry Dowling "The Sleepover" PS Publishing (Exotic Gothic 5) [31]
2013 Kirstyn McDermott "The Home for Broken Dolls" (Caution: Contains Small Parts) [31]
2013 Kaaron Warren "The Human Moth" (The Grimscribe's Puppets) [31]
2014 Angela Slatter* "Home and Hearth" (Home and Hearth) [33]
2014 Deborah Biancotti "The Executioner Goes Home" Review of Australian Fiction Volume 11, Issue 6 [34]
2014 James Bradley "Skinsuit" Island Magazine 137 [34]
2014 Kirstyn McDermott "By The Moon's Good Grace" Review of Australian Fiction Volume 12, Issue 3 [34]
2014 Garth Nix "Shay Corsham Worsted" (Fearful Symmetries) [34]
2015 * "Bullets" (In Sunshine Bright and Darkness Deep) [35]
2015 "Consorting With Fish" (Blurring the Line) [36]
2015 "Heirloom Pieces" Apex Publications (Apex Magazine) [36]
2015 "The Briskwater Mare" (Cherry Crow Children) [36]
2015 "Breaking Windows" Aurealis 84 [36]
2015 Kirstyn McDermott "Self, Contained" (The Dark) [36]
2016 * "Flame Trees" Asimov's Science Fiction, April/May 2016 [37][38]
2016 "Non Zero Sum" (SNAFU: Hunters) [37]
2016 Garth Nix "Penny for a Match, Mister?" Saga Press (The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales [37]
2016 Angela Slatter "The Red Forest" PS Publishing (Winter Children and Other Chilling Tales) [37]
2016 Kaaron Warren "68 Days" (Tomorrow's Cthulhu [37]
2016 "Life, or Whatever Passes For It" (Peel Back the Skin) [37]
2017 * "Old Growth" (SQ Mag 31) [39][40]
2017 "Reef" (SQ Mag 31) [39]
2017 "Outside, a Drifter" (Looming Low) [39]
2017 "Angel Hair" (Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories) [39]
2017 "The Endless Below" Breach Issue #02 [39]
2017 "On the Line" (Midnight Echo 12) [39]
2018 * "Sub-Urban" Breach 07 [41][42]
2018 Michael Gardner "The Offering" Aurealis 112 [41]
2018 Jason Nahrung "Slither" (Cthulhu Deep Down Under 2) [41]
2018 "By Kindle Light" AntipodeanSF 235 [41]
2018 "Hit and Rot" Breach 08 [41]
2018 "The Further Shore" Bourbon Penn 15 [41]
2019 "Vivienne and Agnes" self-published Beside the Seaside – Tales from the Day Tripper [43]
2019 "Loose Stones" Infinite Threads [44]
2019 "The Mark" Verge 2019, ""Uncanny [44]
2019 "Pilgrimage" Breach #10 [44]
2019 Terry Dowling "The Unwrapping" Echoes [44]
2019 Jason Fischer "Of Meat and Man" SNAFU: Last Stand, Cohesion Press [44]
2019 "The Moth Tapes" Aurealis #117, Chimaera Publications [44]
2020 Jessica Nelson-Tyers "Phoenix Pharmaceuticals" Cancer, The Zodiac Series, #7, Deadset Press [45][46]
2020 Elaine Cuyegkeng "The Genetic Alchemist's Daughter" Black Cranes: Tales of Unquiet Women, Omnium Gatherum [45]
2020 Martin Livings "The Bone Fairy" Midnight Echo 15, Australasian Horror Writers Association [45]
2020 Garth Nix "Many Mouths to Make a Meal" Final Cuts, Blumhouse/Anchor [45]
2020 Helena O'Connor "How We Felt" Aurealis #136 [45]

Honourable mentions and high commendations[]

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a grey background have been noted as highly commended; those with a white background have received honourable mentions. If the short story was originally published in a book with other stories rather than by itself or in a magazine, the book title is included after the publisher's name.

  *   Highly commended
  *   Honourable mentions

Year Author Short story Publisher or publication Ref
2001 Kirstyn McDermott "Smile for Me" [9]
2001 Stephen Dedman "Ravens" Interzone [9]
2002 Robert Hood "Number 7" MirrorDanse (Immaterial) [9]
2002 Deborah Biancotti "Silicon Cast" [9]
2004 Paul Haines* "They Say It’s Other People" Agog! (Agog! Smashing Stories) [9]
2005 Peter Barber* "Dust" Aurealis [9]
2005 Shane Jiraiya Cummings* "Revision Is Murder" [9]
2005 Greg Guerin* "The Deviation Road" [9]
2005 Paul Haines* "The Light in Autumn’s Leaves" [9]
2005 Martin Livings* "In Nomine Patris" Shadowed Realms [9]
2006 Jacinta Butterworth "Love Affair" () [9][47]
2006 "One Night Stand" Agog! () [9]
2006 Margo Lanagan "Under Hell, Over Heaven" Allen & Unwin (Red Spikes) [9]
2006 "Mosquito Story" Fantasy Magazine [9]
2007 Margo Lanagan "She-Creatures" Night Shade Books () [9][22]
2007 Martin Livings "There was Darkness" Ticonderoga () [9]
2007 "Lion’s Breath" [9]

See also[]

  • Ditmar Award, an Australian science fiction award established in 1969

References[]

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  33. ^ "And the winners are..." Conflux. 12 April 2015.
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External links[]

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