AustLit

The Australian Shadows are the annual literary awards presented by the Australian Horror Writers Association. They are judged on the overall effect – the skill, delivery, and lasting resonance – of horror fiction written or edited by an Australian.

The award was first presented in 2006 for the year 2005.

The awards are open to any horror fiction published by, or in anthologies edited by an Australian/New Zealand/Oceania resident or citizen in a given calendar year.

Until the 2009 awards (presented in 2010), the award had a single winner, drawn from nominated novels, collections, and short fiction. Winners for these years are included under 'All listed recipients' below.

From 2011, the award was given in five categories:

— Novel

— Long Fiction (novellas and novelettes)

— Short Fiction (short stories)

— Collection (single author collections)

— Edited Publication (anthologies and magazine issues).

Winners for these years are listed under the relevant subcategories.

The award for long fiction was later renamed in honour of Paul Haines, and awards for graphic novels and non-fiction were added in 2015.

The award was set up with sponsorship from Altair Australia, who donated a collection of hand-painted awards created by Brom. The Brom statuettes were used as prizes from 2005 to 2009. As of 2010, all Australian Shadows winners were awarded a trophy and a cash prize. From 2013, no further prize money will be offered.

Sources:

http://www.australianhorror.com/index.php?view=39 (Sighted: 3/12/20130

Source: Australian Horror Writers Association website, http://www.australianhorror.com (Sighted: 12/03/2008; 21/04/2011)