Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Balrog Award

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The Balrog Awards were a set of awards given annually from 1979 to 1985 for the best works and achievements of speculative fiction in the previous year. The awards were named after the balrog, a fictional creature from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. The awards were originally announced by editor Jonathan Bacon in Issue #15 of Fantasy Crossroads and presented at the Fool-Con II convention on April Fool's Day, 1979 at Johnson County Community College, Kansas. The awards were never taken seriously and are often referred to, tongue-in-cheek, as the "coveted Balrog Awards".

Contents

1979

  • Best Novel: Blind Voices, Tom Reamy
  • Best Short Fiction: "Death from Exposure", Pat Cadigan
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Born to Exile, Phyllis Eisenstein
  • Best Poet: Ray Bradbury
  • Best Artist: Tim Kirk
  • Best Amateur Publication: Shayol
  • Best Professional Publication: Age of Dreams, Alicia Austin
  • Best Amateur Achievement: Paul C. Allen (for Fantasy Newsletter and "Of Swords & Sorcery")
  • Best Professional Achievement: J. R. R. Tolkien and Donald M. Grant (tie)
  • Judges' Choice: Jonathan Bacon (for Fantasy Crossroads)
  • Judges' Choice: Andre Norton (for lifetime achievement)

    • 1980

  • Best Novel: Dragondrums, Anne McCaffrey
  • Best Short Fiction: "The Last Defender of Camelot", Roger Zelazny
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Night Shift, Stephen King
  • Best Poet: H. Warner Munn
  • Best Artist: Michael Whelan
  • Best Amateur Publication: Fantasy Newsletter
  • Best Professional Publication: Omni
  • Best Amateur Achievement: Paul Allen (for Fantasy Newsletter and "Of Swords and Sorcery")
  • Best Professional Achievement: Anne McCaffrey
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars (tie)
  • Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Fantasia
  • Special Award: Ian Ballantine & Betty Ballantine

    • 1981

  • Best Novel: The Wounded Land, Stephen R. Donaldson
  • Best Short Fiction: "The Web of the Magi", Richard Cowper
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Unfinished Tales, J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
  • Best Poet: H. Warner Munn
  • Best Artist: Frank Frazetta
  • Best Amateur Publication: Fantasy Newsletter
  • Best Professional Publication: F&SF
  • Best Amateur Achievement: Paul C. Allen & Susan Allen (for Fantasy Newsletter)
  • Best Professional Achievement: George Lucas (for contributions, including the Star Wars saga)
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: The Empire Strikes Back
  • Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: The Wizard of Oz
  • Special Award: Jorge Luis Borges
  • Special Award: Fritz Leiber

    • 1982

  • Best Novel: Camber the Heretic, Katherine Kurtz
  • Best Short Fiction: "A Thief in Korianth", C. J. Cherryh
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Shadows of Sanctuary, Robert Lynn Asprin, ed.
  • Best Poet: Frederick Mayer
  • Best Artist: Real Musgrave
  • Best Amateur Publication: Eldritch Tales
  • Best Professional Publication: Omni
  • Best Amateur Achievement: Robert A. Collins (for saving Fantasy Newsletter)
  • Best Professional Achievement: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (tie)
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: Forbidden Planet
  • Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: King Kong
  • Judges' Choice: Leo & Diane Dillon

    • 1983

  • Best Novel: The One Tree, Stephen R. Donaldson
  • Best Short Fiction: "All of Us Are Dying", George Clayton Johnson
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Storm Season, Robert Lynn Asprin, ed.
  • Best Poet: Frederick J. Mayer
  • Best Artist: Tim Hildebrandt
  • Best Amateur Publication: Shayol
  • Best Professional Publication: F&SF
  • Best Amateur Achievement: Allan Bechtold (for SF workshops)
  • Best Professional Achievement: Ben Bova (for writing and editing Omni and Analog)
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: The Day the Earth Stood Still
  • Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Dark Crystal
  • Special Award: Kirby McCauley

    • 1984

  • Best Novel: The Armageddon Rag, George R. R. Martin
  • Best Short Story: "Wizard Goes A-Courtin'", John Morressy
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Unicorn Variations, Roger Zelazny
  • Best Poet: Frederick J. Mayer
  • Best Artist: Real Musgrave
  • Best Amateur Publication: Fantasy Newsletter
  • Best Professional Publication: F&SF
  • Best Amateur Achievement: Stan Gardner (for saving the Balrogs)
  • Best Professional Achievement: Pendragon Gallery (for promoting fantasy artwork)
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: Blade Runner
  • Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Bambi
  • Judges' Choice: Mercer Mayer (for educating children in fantasy art)

    • 1985

  • Best Novel: The Practice Effect, David Brin
  • Best Short Story: "A Troll and Two Roses", Patricia A. McKillip
  • Best Collection/Anthology: Daughter of Regals and Other Tales, Stephen R. Donaldson
  • Best Poet: Ardath Mayhar
  • Best Artist: Richard Pini & Wendy Pini
  • Best Amateur Publication: Eldritch Tales
  • Best Professional Publication: Masques, J. N. Williamson, ed.
  • Best Amateur Achievement: David B. Silva (for The Horror Show)
  • Best Professional Achievement: Hap Henriksen (for the National SF/Fantasy Hall of Fame)
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: Starman
  • SF Film Hall of Fame: E.T. The Extraterrestrial
  • Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Raiders of the Lost Ark
  • Special Award: Lester del Rey

    • References

    Balrog Award Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA