Black writers featured prominently at the British Fantasy Awards 2020 announced on Monday, February 22, 2021.
The British Fantasy Awards are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society since 1976. The current award categories are Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award), Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award), Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Independent Press, Best Artist, Best Anthology, Best Collection, Best Comic/Graphic Novel, Best Non-Fiction, and Best Newcomer (the Sydney J. Bounds Award), while the Karl Edward Wagner Award for “important contribution to the genre or the Society” is given at the discretion of a committee.
The shortlists for the 2020 edition announced on October 24 had Ta-Nehisi Coates, for The Water Dancer (Penguin) in the running for Best Newcomer (the Sydney J Bounds Award). Also shortlisted for Best Novella were The Deep were Rivers Solomon, with Daveed Diggs, William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes (Hodder & Stoughton) and The Survival of Molly Southbourne by Tade Thompson (Tordotcom).
In the Best Anthology category was New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction for People of Color, ed. Nisi Shawl (Solaris); The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (New York University Press) was in Best Non-Fiction. Fiyah which focuses on writing from Black writers was hoping for nod in the Best Magazine / Periodical category.
The winners announced included the following Black writers;
The Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer – Ta-Nehisi Coates, for The Water Dancer (Penguin) @TaNehisiCoats, @PenguinUKBooks
Best Film/Television Production award – Us – written and directed by Jordan Peele (Monkeypaw Productions et al.) @JordanPeele
Best Non-Fiction – The Dark Fantastic: Race and the Imagination from Harry Potter to the Hunger Games, by Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (New York University Press) @Ebonyteach
Best Magazine/Periodical – Fiyah edited by DaVaun Sanders @fiyahlitmag @davaunsanders fiyahlitmag.com
Best Anthology – New Suns: Original Speculative Fiction for People of Color, edited by Nisi Shawl.
You can watch the whole ceremony in the below video.
