The Science Fiction Research Association (www.sfra.org) is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s SFRA awards. The Pioneer Award, which recognizes the writer or writers of the best critical essay-length work of the year (2015), went to Scott Selisker for “‘Shutter-Stop Flash-Bulb Strange’: GMOs and the Aesthetics of Scale in Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl,” published in Science Fiction Studies (www.depauw.edu/sfs/). This year’s Pilgrim Award, honoring lifetime contributions to science fiction and fantasy scholarship, was presented to Mark Bould. Farah Mendlesohn received the Thomas D. Clareson Award, which recognizes outstanding service activities-promotion of SF teaching and study, editing, reviewing, editorial writing, publishing, organizing meetings, mentoring, and leadership in SF/fantasy organizations. The Mary Kay Bray Award, given for the best essay, interview, or extended review to appear in the SFRA Review in a given year, was awarded to Amy Ransom. Dagmar Van Engen was awarded the Student Paper Award, which recognizes the best student paper as presented at the previous year’s conference.
Awards were presented as part of the Science Fiction Research Association’s 2016 conference, hosted by the University of Liverpool. Award committees’ remarks and acceptance speeches will be published in an upcoming issue of SFRA Review.