Nova Award
The Nova Awards recognised achievement in British and (later) Irish sf fanzines and were presented annually between 1973 and 2014 at the UK convention Novacon. Originally given to a single issue of a fanzine and then from 1976 for its year's run, from 1981 onward there were three awards: for fanzine, fan writer and fan artist. From 1995 there were also occasional 'best fan' committee awards. The eligibility period was typically 'Novacon to Novacon' so usually 1 November to 31 October.
Origins
In a letter in Checkpoint #31 (February 1973), Keith Walker floated the idea of a British fanzine award. #34 (March 1974) reported Walker saying that he'd learned that the Novacon committee were planning something similar and he'd support that. #39 (June 1974) announced that the award would be called The Nova. Members of Novacon could propose fanzines to be considered by a panel of judges and suggestions could be sent to the administrator, Gillon Field. Field is usually cited as the founder/creator of the Award[1] but there may be a case for considering Hazel Reynolds as a joint creator[2].
1973 Award
The jury was selected by Field and Reynolds and consisted of Ken Bulmer, Jim Linwood, Phil Rogers and Tony Walsh. The award was for a single issue published between November 1, 1972, and October 31, 1973. Titles submitted were Egg #6, Idiocy Couchant #2, Maya #5, Sfinx #7, Shadow #19, Siddhartha #3, Speculation #32 and Zimri #5. The jury met on the Friday of Novacon 3 and were joined by Field and Ray Bradbury. Linwood later stressed that, despite some people's assumptions, Speculation was not the unanimous choice but it was the winner nevertheless. The award was an 'attractive sculpture in perspex designed and built by Gillon and engraved ... by Ray Bradbury'[3].
1974 Award
The 1974 jury consisting of Jim Linwood, Greg Pickersgill, Ina Shorrock, Andrew Stephenson and Keith Walker[4] was chosen by Field before her death in March. Reynolds took over as administrator and also attended the meeting, as did Ken Slater who would be presenting the award[5], although neither acted as judges. That panel were unable to reach a consensus and so the award was given jointly to Zimri #6 and Big Scab #2. Peter Roberts wrote in Checkpoint #56:
I have my reservations about the award itself, but I must admit that the trophy looks nice (Ray Bradbury got a Special Award for his work on it). The trouble with the Nova award is (first) that it's given by a panel of aspiring Secret Masters (which wouldn't be so bad if they'd all read all the fmz under consideration) and (second) that only nominated fmz were considered, instead of the whole field. The panel was initially 3 people, but by the time of the convention it somehow swelled to about eight.
1975 Award
In 1975 jury consisted of Greg Pickersgill, Malcolm Edwards, Peter Roberts, and Andrew Stephenson[6]. There was some uncertainty over whether the award was for a single issue or the year's run. Peter Weston announced that while the jury had wanted to give the award to Wrinkled Shrew on the strength of one exceptional issue they felt that under the rules it had to go to Maya[7]. The implication is that the jury were acknowledging the year's run of Maya but its editor Rob Jackson seemingly considered it an award for Maya #8[8]. The manner of the presentation led to some criticism in fanzines at the time. Checkpoint was now edited by Ian Maule and in #63 (December 1975) he wrote:
I feel that although the award itself is quite laudable the rules and actual process for adjudging the nominated fanzines could be adjusted somewhat to avoid any confusion at a future date. For example: nominations should close at a set date say one month before the convention and the judges subsequently chosen as opposed to the current practice of selecting the judges first, this to avoid as far as possible any bias among those giving the award. I also feel that the rules should specify whether the award is for the best issue during the year or the best series of issues.
1976 Award
The last juried award was given in 1976. A letter from Jim Linwood quoted in Checkpoint #73 (August 1976) suggests the jury may have consisted of Gray Boak, Dave Rowe, Ian Williams and one other. Linwood was invited to be a judge but chose not to participate. There was reportedly discussion of making the award explicitly for the year's run and also of making judges' fanzines eligible. The award went to Rob Jackson's Maya, seemingly on the strength of the year's run rather than for a single issue.
1977 onward
From 1977 the judging panel was discontinued. Dave Langford was asked to devise a comprehensive set of voting rules[9] for the award winner to be chosen by popular vote of Novacon members able to demonstrate a basic familiarity with the field.
From 1981 Novas were also presented to the best fanzine writer and best fanzine artist and from 1995 there were occasional committee awards for 'best fan'.
From 2003 electronic fanzines were made eligible subject to a print copy being lodged with the administrator and following a debate at Novacon 39 and follow-up discussions at Novacon 40, the rules were changed in 2011 to allow voting by non-Novacon members resident in the UK and Ireland able to meet the 'familiarity' criterion.
In March 2015, Novacon 45 announced the main categories were being retired, although occasional 'committee awards' might still be made.
Past administrators have included Gillon Field, Hazel Reynolds, Dave Langford, Pam Wells, Paul Vincent, Martin Tudor, Sandra Bond, Tony Berry and Steve Green.
In early years the award took various physical forms but from the mid-1990s it was standardised as a silver rocketship designed by Birmingham fan Ray Bradbury.
- ↑ e.g. Novacon 17 progress report 1:'The NOVA is an award for fanzines produced by Science Fiction Fandom in the British Isles, created in 1973 by the late Gillon Field...'.
- ↑ In Cynic #6, Jim Linwood said that Reynolds wrote to him inviting him to be a judge, and in Cynic #7 Reynolds described the award as 'our little brainchild' and talked of how she encouraged people to nominate fanzines in its first year.
- ↑ This and other details for 1973 from Jim Linwood writing in Cynic #6.
- ↑ Checkpoint #46 (March 1974)
- ↑ Checkpoint #57 (November 1974)
- ↑ Then, page 322.
- ↑ Ibid
- ↑ See Checkpoint #65, March 1976.
- ↑ Then, page 349.
- ↑ This was the first occasion one fan received two Novas in the same year
- ↑ An umbrella title for a series of individually-titled fanzines.
- ↑ Originally two separate titles, Waxen Wings and Banana Skins, in November 1995. From Easter 1996 they were merged as the cumbersome Waxen Wings and Banana Skins and from November 1996 the title was contracted to Banana Wings.
- ↑ Chris Garcia and Pete Young were the first non-UK/Irish residents to win a Nova.
- ↑ Atom was the first person and only person to be awarded a Nova posthumously.
| Award | 1973—2014 |
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