The Life Achievement Awards, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field, went to Juliet Marillier and Michael Whelan.

The World Fantasy Awards winners are:

Best Novel

• WINNER:The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape)

• The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (Holt; Quercus UK)
• The Bog Wife, Kay Chronister (Counterpoint; Titan UK)
• The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman (Viking; Del Rey UK)
• The Wings Upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (Tachyon)

Best Novella

• WINNER:Yoke of Stars, R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)

• Crypt of the Moon Spider, Nathan Ballingrud (Nightfire; Titan UK)
• In the Shadow of Their Dying, Michael F. Fletcher & Anna Smith Spark (Grimdark Magazine)
• The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (Tordotcom)
• The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom; Titan UK)

Best Short Fiction

• WINNER: “Raptor”, Maura McHugh (Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology)

• “Our Best Selves”, Hiron Ennes (Weird Horror Fall ’24)
• “Godskin”, CL Hellisen (Strange Horizons 3/4/24)
• “The V*mpire”, PH Lee (Reactor 10/23/24)
• “Everything in the Garden is Lovely”, Hannah Yang (Apex 3/12/24)

Best Anthology

• WINNER:Heartwood, Dan Coxon, ed. (Drugstore Indian)

• Discontinue If Death Ensues, Carol Gyzander & Anna Taborska, eds. (Flame Tree)
• Northern Nights, Michael Kelly, ed. (Undertow)
• The Dagon Collection, Nate Pedersen, ed. (PS Publishing)
• The Crawling Moon: Queer Tales of Inescapable Dread, dave ring, ed. (Neon Hemlock)

Best Collection

• WINNER:A Sunny Place for Shady People, Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell (Hogarth US; Granta)

• Ghostroots, ’Pemi Aguda (Norton; Virago)
• Good Night, Sleep Tight, Brian Evenson (Coffee House)
• Kindling: Stories, Kathleen Jennings (Small Beer)
• Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil, Ananda Lima (Tor)

Best Artist

• WINNER: Liv Rainey-Smith

• Jenni Coutts
• Nico Delort
• Manzi Jackson
• Tran Nguyen

Special Award – Professional

• WINNER: Sydney Paige Guerrero, Gabriela Lee & Anna Felicia Sanchez, forMapping New Stars: A Sourcebook on Philippine Speculative Fiction (The University of the Philippines Press)

• Hildur Knútsdóttir & Mary Robinette Kowal, forThe Night Guest audiobook (Nightfire)
• David Thomas Moore, for editorial work with Solaris/Rebellion
• Sheree Renée Thomas, forThe Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
• Jacob Weisman, for Tachyon Publications

Special Award – Non-Professional

• WINNER: Steve J Shaw, for Black Shuck Books

• Andy Duncan, for “It Is Always Time to Think about These Things” (Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts Vol. 35 No. 1)
• Gavin J. Grant & Kelly Link, forLady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet
• Michael Kelly, for Undertow Publications andWeird Horror
• DaVaun Sanders, forFiyah
• Patrick Swenson, for Fairwood Press

This year’s judges were James Brogden, Jessica Day George, Lee Murray, Jonathan Oliver, and Molly Tanzer. For more information, see the WFCwebsite.

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Issue 778 Table of Contents, November 2025

For nearly 50 yearsLocus has been the benchmark of excellence, the place our entire field looks to for information on what’s happening, what’s important, and who’s doing it. It’s been the best source of news and the best place for the people who buy books to find out about them. It’s where we find out about the good, the bad, the happy and the sad. It’s our talking…Read More