Aurora Award Nominations are Open: Support Canadian Science Fiction

Calling all Canadians citizens at home and abroad and permanent residents of Canada: our national science fiction awards, the Aurora Awards, are now open for nominations. This year, I will nominate the following works and individuals, and I hope you will too.

Eligible for Best English Novel:

Triptych, by J.M. Frey

Read my review of it here

Eligible for Best English Short Story:

My 2 recommendations:

"The Needle's Eye" by Suzanne Church, in Chilling Tales: Evil Did I Dwell; Lewd I Did Live, EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. Available online at Suzanne's website. Note: this is a science fiction horror story, so some graphic content might not be suitable for some readers.

"We Who Steal Faces" by Tony Pi, in Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show #22, April 2011. Available online at Tony's website .

Eligible for Best Artist:

Costi Gurgi, for the cover art of Outer Diverse. See it on his website.

Eligible for Best Fan Organizational

Andrew Gurudata, organizing the Constellation Awards 2011. Read about him here

To learn more about the Aurora Awards and to nominate stories and individuals, visit:

http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/Membership/

To make your nominations, go to the above website and register for membership in the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association (CSFFA). Starting this year, the CSFFA charges a $10 membership fee, so both new and returning members will be asked to pay $10 by Paypal. After receiving your Society number by email (if you are a new member), you can go back to the Aurora Awards website and submit your nominations. Nominees do not get any sort of monetary gain from the fees. The CSFFA is a non-profit organization, and its small budget, raised by the membership and voting fees, goes to administer the awards program and produce the trophies. $10 is a low price to promote national pride in our science fiction and to give a small reward to your favourite authors, artists, and fan organizers.

 

Nomination deadline is March 31, 2012. Nominate your favourites now!

On the Red Carpet at the Constellation Awards, July 16, 2011

The Constellation Awards are Canada's awards for excellence in science fiction film and television and are presented annually at the Polaris Science Fiction Convention in Richmond Hill, Ontario. This year, I presented the award for Best Female Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie or Miniseries. My co-presenter was the beautiful and talented Katherine Curtis, reporter for The Naked News. The award went to Chloe Grace-Moretz in Kick-Ass.

Photo above: Katherine Curtis and I hold the results envelope for Best Female Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction Film, TV Movie or Mini-Series. My white tuxedo jacket is a Pierre Cardin.

After the ceremony, Katie Uhlmann of TTN-HD News interviewed me about my anthology The Dragon and the Stars, which is nominated for an Aurora Award, Canada's national science fiction award for science fiction. The interview can be seen here on YouTube.

Photo above: Interview with Katie Uhlmann of TTN HD News

Teddy Wilson and Ajay Fry, hosts of the TV series Innerspace on Space: the Imagination Station, hosted the awards ceremony. They sang the opening song, the first musical act ever in the Constellation Awards. They also won the award for Outstanding Canadian Contribution to Science Fiction Film or Television in 2010.

Photo above: I'm with Teddy Wilson and Ajay Fry.

Also present at the ceremony were actors Jewel Staite (Firefly, Stargate Atlantis) and Paul McGillion (Stargate Atlantis).

Photo above: Jewel Staite and Paul McGillion.

Photo above: me, Paul McGillion, and Jewel Staite.

Actor Adam Baldwin (Firefly) won the award for Best Best Male Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction Television Episode for his performance in the Chuck episode "Chuck Versus the Couch Lock".

Photo above: Adam Baldwin accepts his award while Jewel Staite looks on.

Guelph, Ontario, has become a center of independent horror and fantasy filmmaking, and Aidan Harris and Claire Moran are two young actors from Mind's Eye, a fantasy web series made in Guelph. They presented a Constellation Award. Claire was also nominated for Best Female Performance in a 2010 Science Fiction Television Episode.

Photo above: Aidan Harris and Claire Moran from Mind's Eye.

Other awards presenters included science fiction author J.M. Frey (Triptych) and actor Paul Lee (of the TV series Train 48).

Photo above: J.M. Frey and Paul Lee.

The Constellation Awards ceremony was classy, entertaining and fun. It's definitely the most glamorous red carpet event for Canadian science fiction. Many thanks to awards committee chairman Andrew Gurudata, who is nominated for an Aurora Award for Best Fan - Organizational for organizing the Constellation Awards.

Photo above: Andrew Gurudata, chairman of the Constellation Awards.

Nominate Andrew Gurudata (the Constellation Awards) for a Prix Aurora Award for Fan Achievement - Organizational

The Prix Aurora Awards has a category for Fan Achievement - Organizational.

I attend various science fiction awards ceremonies, and one of the best organized and entertaining is undoubtedly the Constellation Awards, held annually at the Polaris Science Fiction Convention. It's got videos that work, comedy skits, celebrity emcees, and Canadian actors, actresses, and models. And it's also the best-dressed of the Canadian science fiction award ceremonies (Fashion TV should do a report from the Constellations).

Andrew Gurudata organizes this ceremony, so please consider nominating Andrew Gurudata for the Constellation Awards Organization.

You can nominate him online at: http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/English/AwardProcess/nominationVoting.htm

Also please nominate people and works in other categories as well.

Act now! The nomination deadline is February 15!