Hello, lovelies! I can hardly believe it, but we’re almost at year-end, which makes it the perfect time to look back on what we accomplished and the things that we loved. As I’ve been doing for several years now, I am once again compiling links to author/editor/publication eligibility posts, year-in-review posts, year’s best lists, and general reviews and resources. These posts serve several purposes – to help those who nominate works for awards to remember what eligible works have come out during the year and what category they fall into; to help readers find work they might have missed and might love; and for creators to reflect on the amazing things they accomplished over the year. If you are an author, editor, publisher, artist, poet, etc., I highly recommend making a post of your own, and if you do, please let me know! I’ll be putting together my own lists of my favorites of the year, along with what I published, at some point as well.
I’ve divided the post into a few hopefully helpful categories, and I will continue to update with new links as I receive them. Please do spread the word, tag me with your posts on twitter (@ac_wise), drop me an email at a.c.wise@hotmail.com, or drop links in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you made this year and what work you loved!
Note: Cat Rambo maintains a similar list, and they were kind enough to set up a webform to gather information for our posts. Please feel free to use the form as well and that will get both of us your information.
Eligibility Posts
Links to authors/editors/publishers posting their award-eligible work, organized alphabetically. (** denotes an author eligible for the Astounding Award.)
Palestinian Speculative Fiction (various authors eligible work listed)
Tordotcom Short Fiction and Books
Treehouse Writers (multiple authors sharing eligible work)
Favorites/Recommendation Lists
What did reviewers love this year? What books are your peers seriously digging? Click through the links below to find various recommended reading lists and various best of the year lists.
Autostraddle Best Queer Books of 2021
Barnes & Noble Book of the Year Finalists
Die Booth Recommended Reading List
Alex Brown: Year in Review (Locus)
Karen Burnham: Year in Review (Locus)
Christopher M. Cevasco Recommended Reading
Kel Coleman Recommended Reading
Vanessa Fogg Favorite Books of 2021
Phillip Fracassi’s Year in Horror Fiction
Goodreads Choice Best Books of 2021
Paula Guran: Year in Review (Locus)
Maria Haskins Recommended Reading
A.P. Howell Recommended Reading Thread
Rich Horton: Year in Review (Locus)
Gabino Iglesias: Year in Review (Locus)
José Pablo Iriarte Recommended Reading Thread
Russell Letson: Year in Review (Locus)
Library Journal Best Books of 2021
Locus Recommended Reading List 2021
Adrienne Martini: Year in Review (Locus)
Sam J. Miller Recommended Reading
Ian Mond: Year in Review (Locus)
Colleen Mondor: Year in Review (Locus)
Nebula Recommended Reading List
Nerds of a Feather Best Books of 2021
Nerds of a Feather Hugo Recommendation List Part 1: Fiction Categories
Nerds of a Feather Hugo Recommendation List Part 2: Visual Categories
Nerds of a Feather Hugo Recommendation List Part 3: Individual Categories
Nerds of a Feather Hugo Recommendation List Part 4: Institutional Categories
NPR Favorite Speculative Fiction Books of 2021
NYPL Best Books for Adults 2021
Oprah Daily Favorite Books of 2021
Anthony Panegyres Recommended Reading
Tim Pratt: Year in Review (Locus)
Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2021
Quick Sip Reviews Recommended Reading
Lauren Ring Recommendation Thread
Shelf Awareness Favorite Books of 2021
Graham Sleight: Year in Review (Locus)
Arley Sorg Recommended Reading
Arley Sorg: Year in Review (Locus)
Stoker Recommended Reading List
Strange Horizons Recommended Reading/Year in Review
Tangent Online Recommended Reading List 2021
Teen Vogue’s Best Books of 2021
Time’s 100 Must Read Books of 2021
To Hell with Awards Season Highlights of 2021
E. Catherine Tobler Recommended Reading
Tor Reviewers’ Choice Best Books of 2021
Tor/Nightfire Best Horror Collections and Anthologies of 2021
Track of Words (Lora Gray) Favorite Reads of 2021
Eugenia Triantafyllou Recommended Reading
Waterstones Best Books of the Year Shortlist
Gary K. Wolfe: Year in Review (Locus)
Alvaro Zinos-Amaro: Year in Review (Locus)
Review Sites and Resources
Looking for yet more recommendations of things to read? The links below will help you find reviews, news, interviews, and more!
Strange Horizons Fiction Reviews
Award Info
What awards are out there? Who can nominate works? What are the various deadlines? The links below may help answer your questions!
Aurora Awards – Eligibility lists are now open to CSFFA Members to suggest work.
British Fantasy Awards – Suggested reading/eligibility list is open for additions until March 31, 2022
BSFA Awards – The longlist has been posted. Voting is open until February 21, 2022.
Hugo Awards – The nomination period is open until March 15, 2022. Instructions on how to nominate work can be found on the Chicon site.
Ignyte Awards – Public voting opens April 18, 2022.
Locus Awards – Public voting is open through April 15, 2022 (link at the bottom of the page.)
Nebula Awards – Nebula nominations are open to SFWA Members through February 28, 2022.
Science Fiction Awards Database
Stoker Awards – The Final Ballot is open to HWA Members for voting until March 15, 2022.
WSFA Small Press Awards – authors and editors may submit work originally published in 2021 for consideration through March 31, 2022.
World Fantasy Awards – authors, editors, and publishers may submit work originally published in 2021 through June 1, 2022. Members of the 2020, 2021, or 2022 World Fantast Convention may submit nomination ballots through June 1, 2022.
Image Credits:
Girl Reading, Artist/Maker Unknown, c. 1932, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Reading by Lamplight, Wanda Gág, c. 1927, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Sybil Reading, Attributed to Ugo da Carpi, c. 1517-18, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Pingback: Round-up of Awards Posts by F&SF Writers, Editors, and Publishers for 2021 | The World Remains Mysterious
I actually made an eligibility post this year! It’s: https://winniewoohoo.com/2021-in-review-and-awards-eligibility/
I have my year-end eligibility post in the inaugural issue of my newsletter, available on the web here: https://buttondown.email/spyscribe/archive/hello-and-welcome-3202/