The WSFA Small Press Award was inaugurated by the

Washington Science Fiction Association 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, the ...

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 imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving 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 literature and drama ...

, 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 id ...

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 WSFA

convention Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law * Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...

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 includes ...

, Issue 11) * 2009 Award: "The Absence of Stars: Part One" by Greg Siewert (published in Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, December 2008) * 2010 Award: "Siren Beat" by Tansy Rayner Roberts (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 an ...

(published in Lightspeed Magazine, June 2010) * 2012 Award: "The Patrician" by Tansy Rayner Roberts (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 Orson Scott Card's InterGalactic Medicine Show, 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 awar ...

January 2014) * 2016 Award: "Today I Am Paul" by

Martin L. Shoemaker Martin L. Shoemaker is an American computer programmer and science fiction author,About Martin
on shoemaker.space

(published in '' Clarkesworld'' August 2015) * 2017 Award: " The Tomato Thief" by

(published in

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