Australian Shadows Complete Rules
GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
- All entries must be works of fiction first published within the calendar year of consideration (e.g. 2011 for the 2011 awards).
- In the case of work translated from another language, eligibility will be determined by the year of first publication in English.
- The work may be published in any text format: print, electronic, or audio.
- The work may be traditionally published or self-published.
- The author/editor must be a citizen or permanent resident of Australia, New Zealand, or Oceania (hereafter referred to as 'Australia' for convenience).
- In the case of collaborations, works co-written with or co-edited by a non-Australian are eligible (although only the Australian collaborator may claim prizes if that work wins).
- The work must have horror/dark fictioncontent either as a focal point or an integral element of the work (i.e. the intent of the work must be to disturb or inspire fear in the reader). Eligible genres/sub-genres include horror, dark fiction, dark fantasy, and paranormal fiction.
- In the case of anthologies and collections, some mixed genre stories may be allowed, but the predominant genre/theme of the anthology/collection must be horror. The Awards Director has the discretion to rule ineligible any work based on genre (i.e. if the work is not dark/horrific enough).
ANNUAL READING PERIOD
- 1 May to 31 December.
PRIZES
- $250 and a trophy for the winners of each category.
- In the case of collaborations:
- Prize money must be split between two Australian co-authors or co-editors, although separate trophies may be commissioned at the Awards Director's discretion.
- If co-written with or co-edited by a non-Australian, the non-Australian co-writer/co-editor will not receive prize money, a trophy, or a certificate.
- Finalists will receive a certificate.
ELECTRONIC WORKS
- Electronic books and individual short stories may be entered into the Awards in electronic form. Individual short stories (in the Short Fiction category) or works that are only available in electronic format (i.e. e-books) may be emailed to the Awards Director. See ENTERING WORKS for more details.
- Hardcopy books are preferred if this is the work's native format. In the case of a work that is available in print and e-book form, the print book is preferred.
- If multiple short stories from the same anthology or collection are to be entered, submitting a copy of the print book is preferred over emailing several short stories.
JUDGES and SHORTLISTED FINALISTS
- A panel of not less than three (3) judges (referred to as the judging panel) will read all entered material to determine a shortlist of five (5) works in each category as finalists.
- Judges are encouraged to serve a two-year consecutive tenure. After two years, it is recommended that the judge step aside to allow new judges to serve. This ensures no one individual's opinion will dominate finalist selections.
- If an award category receives less than ten (10) entries, the judging panel has the discretion to reduce the number of shortlisted finalists to three (3) or to announce a 'No Award' for that category.
- If the judging panel concludes that entered works in any category are of insufficient quality to be considered award-worthy, they may announce a 'No Award' for that category, regardless of how many works were entered in that category.
- It is up to the Awards Director's and AHWA Committee's discretion whether guest judges are appointed to determine winners from the judging panel's shortlists. If no guest judge is appointed, the judging panel will determine the winners from their shortlisted finalists.
- In the event no guest judges are appointed, the Awards Director and AHWA Committee may appoint more than one judging panel (e.g. a judging panel per category) if the workload is deemed too great for one judging panel to determine shortlisted finalists and winners for all categories.
CATEGORIES:
Novel
- At least 40,000 words.
Long Fiction
- Between 7,501 to 39,999 words.
Short Fiction
- Up to 7,500 words.
Collection
- Three (3) or more short stories by a single author.
- No minimum or maximum word count.
- May contain reprints (i.e. previously published short stories) or originals.
- Reprint-only collections are eligible in the year the collection as a whole is first published. Second or subsequent editions (in any format) or the publication of a new edition by a different publisher are ineligible unless different stories are included.
Edited Publication
- Three (3) or more short stories by two (2) or more authors; edited by one or more editors.
- No minimum or maximum word count.
- Includes anthologies and individual magazine issues.
- Horror/dark-themed special issues of mixed-genre magazines are eligible.
- May contain reprints (i.e. previously published short stories) or originals.
- Reprint-only anthologies are eligible in the year the anthology as a whole is first published. Second or subsequent editions (in any format) or the publication of a new edition by a different publisher are ineligible unless different stories are included.
[Historical categories no longer in use]
- 2005 to 2008: All works considered together, regardless of length or format.
- 2009 to 2010: Long Fiction (novels/novellas/collections); Short Fiction; Edited Publication.
ENTERING WORKS
- Authors, editors, and publishers should email the Awards Director (australianshadows@australianhorror.com) with the title, author, publisher, and publication month of their work. The Awards Director will then advise the author/publisher of the judging panel's postal addresses. It is recommended works should be posted to the judging panel within 14 days of entry to avoid judging delays.
- In the case of works eligible for electronic entry (short fiction or works only available in electronic form), these may be emailed to the Awards Director (australianshadows@australianhorror.com) as a PDF attachment (preferred). Other e-book formats may be entered after consultation with the Awards Director and judging panel.
- Entry is free.