The Science Fiction and Fantasy Association of New Zealand’s (SFFANZ) annual bash ran last weekend, culminating in the presentation of the Sir Julius Vogel Awards.
The final season of SPP’s The Almighty Johnsons took the gong for Best Dramatic Presentation.
The Sir Julius Vogel Awards recognise excellence in Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror by New Zealanders, and recognise both professional work and the efforts of genre fans.
For young players, Vogel was a Prime Minister of New Zealand in the 19th century. In 1887, he introduced the first women’s suffrage Bill to Parliament. In 1889 he wrote what’s generally acknowledged as the first NZ SF novel, Anno Domini 2000 – A Woman’s Destiny, in which he anticipated “a utopian world where women held many positions of authority”.
NZ got its first female PM in 1997 and its second in 1999, so Vogel’s sense of timing wasn’t far off.
The National Science Fiction Convention, ConClave 2, ran 24 – 27 April in Auckland.
The 2014 Julis Vogel award winners were:
Professional Awards
Best Novel
Heartwood, Freya Robertson
Best Youth Novel
Raven Flight, Juliet Marillier
Best Novella
Cave Fever, Lee Murray
Best Short Story
By Bone-Light, Juliet Marillier
Best Collected Work
Baby Teeth, edited by Dan Rabarts & Lee Murray
Best Professional Artwork
Cover of Regeneration: New Zealand Speculative Fiction 2, Emma Weakley
Best Professional Production/Publication
WearableArt, Craig Potton Publishing
Best Dramatic Presentation
The Almighty Johnsons (Season 3)
South Pacific Pictures
Fan Award Nominees
Best Fan Production / Publication
Phoenixine, John & Lynelle Howell
Best Fan Writing
Alan Parker, Presidential Address
and
Lynelle Howell, Presidental Sweet/DuhVice
Best New Talent
Dan Rabarts
Services To Fandom
The League of Victorian Imagineers
Services To Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror
Helen Lowe