AustLit
History
Awarded from the inception of the Ditmars, this award eventually became 'Best Fan Website/Zine' and then 'Best Fan Production'.
In 1978 alone, it was called 'Australian Amateur Production'.
In 1987, an anonymous 'zine called Motional was shortlisted for this award: it is not listed here, because its publication details have not been traced.
This award was not presented between 1999 and 2003.
Only those works that would normally be indexed on AustLit are included in this listing.
This award is given separately from 'Fan Production'.
Latest Winners / Recipients
-
Year: 2006
winner y
TiconderogaOnline
Ticon4
Lyn Triffitt
(editor),
Russell B. Farr
(editor),
Liz Grzyb
(editor),
1999
Narrogin
:
Ticonderoga Publications
,
Z1249487
1999
periodical
science fiction
fantasy
(12 issues)
Australia's longest-running semi-professional science-fiction webzine, TiconderogaOnline was established in 1999 by Russell B. Farr, the founder and editor of Ticonderoga Publications (TP). Farr had founded TP as a traditional publishing house, but saw the potential in online publishing, and subsequently closed down its operations to focus on the webzine. A shortage of time and available funds meant that TiconderogaOnline only published four short stories in its first year. In 2000, Farr published a further two stories before personal circumstances forced him to temporarily suspend the webzine.
In late 2003, a collective comprising Lee Battersby, Liz Grzyb, Lyn Triffitt, and Farr re-established TiconderogaOnline. The revamped website went public in 2004 with a new volume/issue edition format: volume 1, no. 1 was published in March. The website went on to win Best Website at the prestigious Ditmar Awards in 2006, in addition to having one of its authors nominated for Best Short Story. Late the following year, however, the webzine was again temporarily suspended, following a number of incidents, including moving the operations from Bentley to Greenwood, the ill-health of one of the editors, a month's delay in publishing issue #12, and the loss of the entire previous issue (#11) due to technical problems. The site was operating again by February 2008 with the publication of a double issue (to make up for the previous year's lapses). Later that same year, Farr and his editorial team decided to create a fourth incarnation of TiconderogaOnline, relaunching the site with a new name: Ticon4. Problems with maintaining Ticon4 have continued to plague the editors, however, with the site being trashed by a hacker in October 2009. This was followed shortly afterwards by the accidental deletion of the entire site by the webhost. Despite these setbacks, Ticon4 was again operating in early 2010.
-
Year: 2005
winner Edwina Harvey with Ted Scribner, for the Australian Science Fiction Bullsheet. (For this year only, the award was called 'Best Fan Website/Zine'.) -
Year: 2004
-
Year: 2003
winner y
Fables and Reflections
Lily Chrywenstrom
(editor),
2001
Claremont
:
Fables and Reflections
,
2001-
Z1118363
2001
periodical
(8 issues)
An Australian fanzine publishing fiction and non-fiction in the genres of science fiction, fantasy and magic realism, Fables and Reflections was established in Perth in May 2001, with its first issue being published in November that year. Covering an array of forms, including short fiction, poetry, critical essays, art, cartoons, interviews, reviews and articles focusing on Australian writing, the magazine was cconceved by its founding editor as a forum for specualtive fiction that was "a bit different." It was initially published as a fanzine, paying contributor copies only, but by issue 8 had become a more professional-looking publication.
Among the artists to contribute covers to Fables and Reflections were Cat Sparks, Daryl Lindquist and Judy Canavan.
-
Year: 1999
winner y
The Metaphysical Review
Bruce Gillespie
(editor),
Collingwood
:
Bruce Gillespie
,
1984
Z1761298
1984
periodical
(3 issues)
Bruce Gillespie started the science fiction and fantasy fanzine, The Metaphysical Review, in 1984 as a means of providing news and comment in the related areas of music, film, books, travel and chatter.
