The Balrog Awards were a set of awards given annually from 1979 to 1985 for the best works and achievements of

speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...

in the previous year. The awards were named after the

balrog Balrogs () are a species of powerful demonic monsters in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. One first appeared in print in his high-fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings'', where the Company of the Ring encounter a Balrog known as Durin's Bane in ...

, a fictional creature from

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 Rawlinson ...

Middle-earth Middle-earth is the Setting (narrative), setting of much of the English writer J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy. The term is equivalent to the ''Midgard, Miðgarðr'' of Norse mythology and ''Middangeard'' in Old English works, including ''Beowulf'' ...

legendarium.''Locus'' Index to SF Awards: About the Balrog Awards
Accessed 26 March 2021. The awards were originally announced by editor Jonathan Bacon in Issue #15 of ''Fantasy Crossroads'' and presented at the Fool-Con II convention on

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. Mas ...

, 1979 at Johnson County Community College,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

.''Nemedian Chroniclers''
, Issue #4, p. 12. The awards were never taken seriously and are often referred to, tongue-in-cheek, as the "coveted Balrog Awards".

Awards (by year)

1979

* Best Novel: '' Blind Voices'', Tom Reamy * Best Short Fiction: "Death from Exposure", Pat Cadigan * Best Collection/Anthology: '' Born to Exile'', Phyllis Eisenstein * Best Poet:

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury ( ; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction, Horror fiction, horr ...

* Best Artist: Tim Kirk * Best Amateur Publication: ''Shayol'' * Best Professional Publication: '' Age of Dreams'', Alicia Austin * Best Amateur Achievement: Paul C. Allen (for '' Fantasy Newsletter'' and "Of Swords & Sorcery") * Best Professional Achievement:

and Donald M. Grant (tie) * Judges' Choice: Jonathan Bacon (for ''Fantasy Crossroads'') * Judges' Choice:

Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen na ...

(for lifetime achievement)

1980

* Best Novel: '' Dragondrums'',

Anne McCaffrey Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American writer known for the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, ''Weyr Search'', 1968) an ...

* Best Short Fiction: " The Last Defender of Camelot", Roger Zelazny * Best Collection/Anthology: '' Night Shift'',

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

* Best Poet: H. Warner Munn * Best Artist:

Michael Whelan Michael Whelan (born June 29, 1950) is an Americans, American artist of imaginative Realism (arts), realism. For more than 30 years, he worked as an illustrator, specializing in science fiction and fantasy cover art. Since the mid-1990s, he has ...

* Best Amateur Publication: '' Fantasy Newsletter'' * Best Professional Publication: '' Omni'' * Best Amateur Achievement: Paul Allen (for '' Fantasy Newsletter'' and "Of Swords and Sorcery") * Best Professional Achievement:

* SF Film Hall of Fame: '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' (tie) * Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: '' Fantasia'' * Special Award: Ian Ballantine & Betty Ballantine

1981

* Best Novel: '' The Wounded Land'', Stephen R. Donaldson * Best Short Fiction: "The Web of the Magi", Richard Cowper * Best Collection/Anthology: '' Unfinished Tales'',

, edited by

Christopher Tolkien Christopher John Reuel Tolkien (21 November 1924 – 16 January 2020) was an English and naturalised French academic editor and writer. The son of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien, Christopher edited 24 volumes based on his father's P ...

* Best Poet: H. Warner Munn * Best Artist:

Frank Frazetta Frank Frazetta (born Frank Frazzetta ; February 9, 1928 – May 10, 2010) was an American artist known for themes of Fantasy art, fantasy and science fiction, noted for comic books, mass market paperback, paperback book covers, paintings, p ...

* Best Amateur Publication: '' Fantasy Newsletter'' * Best Professional Publication: '' F&SF'' * Best Amateur Achievement: Paul C. Allen & Susan Allen (for '' Fantasy Newsletter'') * Best Professional Achievement:

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

(for contributions, including the ''Star Wars'' saga) * SF Film Hall of Fame: ''

The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...

'' * Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: '' The Wizard of Oz'' * Special Award:

Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Francisco Isidoro Luis Borges Acevedo ( ; ; 24 August 1899 – 14 June 1986) was an Argentine short-story writer, essayist, poet and translator regarded as a key figure in Spanish literature, Spanish-language and international literatur ...

* Special Award:

Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...

1982

* Best Novel: '' Camber the Heretic'', Katherine Kurtz * Best Short Fiction: "A Thief in Korianth", C. J. Cherryh * Best Collection/Anthology: '' Shadows of Sanctuary'', Robert Lynn Asprin, ed. * Best Poet: Frederick Mayer * Best Artist: Real Musgrave * Best Amateur Publication: '' Eldritch Tales'' * Best Professional Publication: '' Omni'' * Best Amateur Achievement: Robert A. Collins (for saving '' Fantasy Newsletter'') * Best Professional Achievement:

and

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

(tie) * SF Film Hall of Fame: ''

Forbidden Planet ''Forbidden Planet'' is a 1956 American science fiction action film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack and directed by Fred M. Wilcox (director), Fred M. Wilcox from a script by Cyril Hume that was based on a film story by ...

'' * Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: ''

King Kong King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has since become an international pop culture icon,Erb, Cynthia, 1998, ''Tracking Kin ...

'' * Judges' Choice: Leo & Diane Dillon

1983

* Best Novel: '' The One Tree'', Stephen R. Donaldson * Best Short Fiction: "All of Us Are Dying", George Clayton Johnson * Best Collection/Anthology: ''Storm Season'', Robert Lynn Asprin, ed. * Best Poet: Frederick J. Mayer * Best Artist: Tim Hildebrandt * Best Amateur Publication: ''Shayol'' * Best Professional Publication: '' F&SF'' * Best Amateur Achievement: Allan Bechtold (for SF workshops) * Best Professional Achievement:

Ben Bova Benjamin William Bova (November 8, 1932November 29, 2020) was an American writer and editor. During a writing career of 60 years, he was the author of more than 120 works of science fact and fiction, an editor of ''Analog Science Fiction and Fac ...

(for writing and editing '' Omni'' and '' Analog'') * SF Film Hall of Fame: '' The Day the Earth Stood Still'' * Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: ''

The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy, dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell (actress), Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was prod ...

'' * Special Award: Kirby McCauley

1984

* Best Novel: '' The Armageddon Rag'',

George R. R. Martin George Raymond Richard Martin (born George Raymond Martin; September 20, 1948) also known by the initials G.R.R.M. is an American author, television writer, and television producer. He is best known as the author of the unfinished series of Hi ...

* Best Short Story: "Wizard Goes A-Courtin'", John Morressy * Best Collection/Anthology: '' Unicorn Variations'', Roger Zelazny * Best Poet: Frederick J. Mayer * Best Artist: Real Musgrave * Best Amateur Publication: '' Fantasy Newsletter'' * Best Professional Publication: '' F&SF'' * Best Amateur Achievement: Stan Gardner (for saving the Balrogs) * Best Professional Achievement: Pendragon Gallery (for promoting fantasy artwork) * SF Film Hall of Fame: ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Di ...

'' * Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: ''

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...

'' * Judges' Choice: Mercer Mayer (for educating children in

fantasy art Fantastic art is a broad and loosely defined art genre. It is not restricted to a specific school of artists, geographical location or historical period. It can be characterised by subject matter—which portrays non-realistic, mystical, mythi ...

)

1985

* Best Novel: '' The Practice Effect'',

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,

* Best Short Story: "A Troll and Two Roses", Patricia A. McKillip * Best Collection/Anthology: ''Daughter of Regals and Other Tales'', Stephen R. Donaldson * Best Poet: Ardath Mayhar * Best Artist: Richard Pini & Wendy Pini * Best Amateur Publication: ''Eldritch Tales'' * Best Professional Publication: ''Masques'', J. N. Williamson, ed. * Best Amateur Achievement: David B. Silva (for ''The Horror Show'') * Best Professional Achievement: Hap Henriksen (for the National SF/Fantasy Hall of Fame) * SF Film Hall of Fame: '' Starman'' * SF Film Hall of Fame: '' E.T. The Extraterrestrial'' * Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: ''

Raiders of the Lost Ark ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' is a 1981 American action-adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. Set in 1936, the film stars Harrison Ford as Indiana ...

'' * Special Award: Lester del Rey

References

{{Fantasy fiction American literary awards B Science fiction awards Fantasy awards