Australian Shadows Awards

The Australian Shadows Award is an annual literary award established by the Australian Horror Writers Association (AHWA) in 2005 to honour the best published work of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian.

The award was sponsored by Altair Australia Books in its first two years through the donation of two statuettes created by dark fantasy artist Brom (supplied by The Franklin Mint). Each year, a director is appointed by the AHWA to administer the award.

Works are judged on their overall effect within the horror genre based on the author's skill, delivery, and the work's lasting resonance.

For its first four years, the Australian Shadows Award evaluated novels, anthologies, and short stories against each other in a single category. In 2009, the award was expanded into three category: Short Fiction, Long Fiction, and Edited Publication.

A panel of three judges determine each year's shortlists and a guest judge in each category selects the winner from the respective shortlists.

Judges history

2009

• Judging panel: Craig Bezant, Stephanie Gunn, Chuck McKenzie
• Guest judges: Bill Congreve (Short Fiction), James Doig (Edited Publication), Martin Livings (Long Fiction)
• Award Director: Shane Jiraiya Cummings

2008

• Judging panel: Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Brett McBean, Chuck McKenzie
• Guest judge: Sarah Endacott
• Award Director: Kirstyn McDermott

2007

• Judging panel: Shane Jiraiya Cummings, Gary Kemble, Mark Smith-Briggs
• Guest judge: Richard Harland
• Award Director: Kirstyn McDermott

2006

• Judging panel: David Schembri, Miranda Siemienowicz, Mark Smith-Briggs
• Guest judge: Robert Hood
• Award Director: Marty Young

2005

• Guest judge: Kim Wilkins
• Award Director: Marty Young

Winners history

2009 Finalists

Long Fiction

• A Book of Endings by Deborah Biancotti (Twelfth Planet Press)
• Red Queen by H. M. Brown (Penguin Australia)
• "Wives" by Paul Haines (X6, Coeur de Lion Publishing)
• The Dead Path by Stephen M. Irwin (Hachette Australia)
• Slights by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot) - WINNER

Edited Publication

• Grants Pass, edited by Jennifer Brozek & Amanda Pillar (Morrigan Books) - WINNER
• Festive Fear, edited by Stephen Clark (Tasmaniac Publications)
• Aurealis #42, edited by Stuart Mayne (Chimaera Publications)

Short Fiction

• "Six Suicides" by Deborah Biancotti (A Book of Endings) - WINNER
• "The Emancipated Dance" by Felicity Dowker (Midnight Echo #2)
• "Busking" by Jason Fischer (Midnight Echo #3)
• "The Message" by Andrew J. McKiernan (Midnight Echo #2)
• "The Gaze Dogs of Nine Waterfalls" by Kaaron Warren (Exotic Gothic 3)

2008 Finalists

• "The Claws of Native Ghosts" by Lee Battersby (The Beast Within, ed. Matt Hults, Graveside Tales) - WINNER
• "This Way To The Exit" by Sara Douglass (Dreaming Again, ed. Jack Dann, HarperVoyager)
• "Rick Gets a Job" by Jason Fischer (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #37)
• "Lakeside" by Christopher Green (Dreaming Again, ed. Jack Dann, HarperVoyager)
• "Her Collection of Intimacy" by Paul Haines (Black: Australian Dark Culture Magazine #2)

2007 Finalists

• "Between the Memories" by Matthew Chrulew (Aurealis #38/39)
• "Subtle Invasion" by David Conyers (The Black Book of Horror, Mortbury Press)
• "Toother" by Terry Dowling (Eclipse 1, Night Shade Books) - WINNER
• "The Dark and What It Said" by Rick Kennett (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #28)
• "There Was Darkness" by Martin Livings (Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications)
• The Darkness Within by Jason Nahrung (Hachette Livre)

2007 Honourable Mentions

• The Spiraling Worm by David Conyers & John Sunseri (Chaosium)
• "Cooling the Crows" by Kaaron Warren (In Bad Dreams, Eneit Press)
• "The Wildflowers" by Marty Young (Fantastic Wonder Stories, Ticonderoga Publications)

2006 Finalists

• "Father Renoir's Hands" by Lee Battersby (Through Soft Air - Prime Books)
• "The Dying Light" by Deborah Biancotti (Eidolon I, Eidolon Books)
• "The Blow-Off" by Stephen Dedman (Brutarian #47)
• The Pilo Family Circus by Will Elliott (ABC Books) - WINNER
• "The Bridal Bier" by Carol Ryles (Eidolon I, Eidolon Books)

2006 Honourable Mentions

• "Silk and Pearls" by K. J. Bishop (Shadowed Realms #9)
• "The Cup of Nestor" by Simon Brown (Troy, Ticonderoga Publications)
• Basic Black: Tales of Appropriate Fear by Terry Dowling (Cemetery Dance Publications)
• The Mother by Brett McBean (Lothian Books)

2005 Finalists

• "Pater Familias" by Lee Battersby (Shadowed Realms #3)
• "Father Muerte and the Flesh" by Lee Battersby (Aurealis #36) - WINNER
• Shadow Box, edited by Angela Challis & Shane Jiraiya Cummings (Brimstone Press)
• "The Red Priest's Homecoming" by Dirk Flinthart (Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #17)
• The Grinding House by Kaaron Warren (CSFG Publishing)

References

• 2009 Australian Shadows Award: Finalists (Accessed 16 May 2010).
• "News: Australian Shadows Award Expands". HorrorScope (Accessed 12 September 2009).
• "News: Australian Shadows finalists". HorrorScope (Accessed 14 February 2009).
• AHWA Australian Shadows Award website
• Kemble, Gary. (17 March 2007). "Elliott wins Australian Shadows award". ABC online news (Articulate).
• Kemble, Gary. (13 March 2009). "Lee Battersby Snares 2nd Australian Shadows Award" ABC News (Articulate). (Accessed 21 March 2009).
• Siemienowicz, Miranda (16 March 2007). "News: Australian Shadows winner announced". HorrorScope