The Australian Shadows Award is presented by the Australian Horror Writers Association and is the highest honour for horror, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction in Australia and New Zealand. As I convened the Award for a couple of years not so long ago, it holds a special place in my dark little heart. And I’m absolutely delighted to see that two of my favourite writers — Kaaron Warren and Deb Biancotti — are in the winners’ circle this year. Really, you can’t go wrong in reading anything either of these amazing women put to paper.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Long Fiction:
Slights by Kaaron Warren (Angry Robot)
Edited Publication:
Grants Pass, edited by Jennifer Brozek & Amanda Pillar (Morrigan Books)
Short Fiction:
“Six Suicides” by Deborah Biancotti (A Book of Endings)
Judges reports from the guest judges and preliminary judging panel can be read here.
Well done to all of the winners and to everyone who made the shortlist. It was a very competitive field this year which bodes well for the future of dark fiction in this country.
Kirstyn McDermott 