A Farewell (Belated) To The Gemmell Awards, 2009 – 2018
Often, when I’m head down, tail up, and beavering away on the writing, it’s easy to miss out on happenings in the literary and speculative fiction worlds — in this case, that the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy, usually known as the Gemmell Awards, ended in March this year.
According to the website (which is still largely extant) the reason for the closure was a shortfall in the large number of volunteers needed to run the awards. While understanding that literary endeavours are too often reliant on volunteer goodwill and sponsor generosity, both of which may eventually come to an end, I nonetheless felt sad to farewell the Gemmell Awards.
I am a Fantasy author and the Gemmell Awards focused on works in the field, particularly my current quadrant of Epic/Heroic Fantasy. So I looked to them as am indicator in that respect. I also felt the benefit of the awards directly in terms of my own writing.
The Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012
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The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night #1) was first shortlisted and then won the Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Fantasy Newcomer in 2012. I responded in the following posts:
- The Heir of Night Wins — Yes Wins! — the 2012 Gemmell Morningstar Award
- Gemmell Morningstar Award Acceptance Speech
- Some Photos From the Award Ceremony
- Here It Is: The Award Arrives!
The first post, btw, was one of my “most read” posts of 2012. #JustSayin’ 😉
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In 2013, The Gathering of the Lost (The Wall Of Night #2) was shortlisted for the Legend Award for Best Fantasy Novel. Although Gathering lost out to Brent Weeks’ The Blinding Knife, it was still a tremendous thrill and also an honour to be a finalist in the “open” award:
As a shortlistee, I also got a mini battleaxe (aka ‘Snaga’ from the novel, Legend), which was very cool and still graces the writing study. I have to be a little more careful with the Morningstar Award, since it’s made of crystal. 😀
More seriously, though, although winning the Morningstar and being shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award did not make my authorial fame and fortune outright, they did shine public light on my work, and on a great many other works of Fantasy literature. So I am deeply appreciative of the decade of volunteer effort and sponsorship, on my own and the literature’s behalf.
It’s often alleged that epic/heroic fantasy is still a man’s domain. As I indicted in my acceptance speech for the Morningstar Award, I don’t accept for a moment that this is, or should be, so. By way of interesting stats, however, I note that Heir and I are one of only three female authors/female-authored books to win a Legend or Morningstar Award in the ten years between 2009 – 2018:
2012: Morninsgtar Award — Helen Lowe; The Heir Of Night
2017: Morningstar Award — Megan E O’Keefe; Steal The Sky
2018: Legend Award — Robin Hobb; Assassin’s Fate
I read online several months back that the Gemmell awards were closing down.
I think it is a loss to the industry and to the fans, as I don’t think any other award specifically covers epic fantasy
I’m not aware of any other epic specific award either, although general fantasy awards still encompass epic, of course. But still, the epic specific focus was appreciated.
I would agree as it is validation and recognition of this genre that is undervalued within wider awards.
We’ll have to keep our fingers crossed for some new award or accolade to arise for epic fantasy. An endowment would be fabulous, if it removed the need for the reliance on volunteers and sponsorship that proved too much for the Gemmells.