ConFurence Group creates new annual awards

Along with the ConFurence's name-change from ConFurence 13 to ConFurence 2002, last year's special Awards for Best Anthropomorphic Motion Pictures and TV Series of the 20th Century are transforming into a new series of annual Awards: the Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts of the Year Awards. (We debated giving them a cute nickname similar to the Oscars, Emmys or Hugos, but it was felt that such a nickname should arise from popular use among the fans rather than being imposed by the administrators.)

The first Awards will be presented at ConFurence 2002, for the "best" created during the calendar year of January - December 2001, as nominated by 'morph fans throughout the world and voted upon by the CF membership, in the following categories:

1. Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture.

2. Best Anthropomorphic TV Series.

3. Best Anthropomorphic Novel.

4. Best Anthropomorphic Short Story.

5. Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work.

6. Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book or Strip.

7. Best Anthropomorphic Fanzine.

8. Best Anthropomorphic Published Art.

9. Best Anthropomorphic Game.

"Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture" is for any qualifying motion picture first released during 2001, live-action or animated, theatrically or direct to video.

"Best Anthropomorphic TV Series" is for any qualifying TV series, live-action or animated, that has at least one new episode broadcast during 2001.

"Best Anthropomorphic Novel" is for any qualifying novel first published during 2001, in print or electronically. Please note that both text novels and graphic novels are eligible. In case of a serialized novel, the final chapter or the first complete edition must have been published during 2001.

"Best Anthropomorphic Short Story" is for any qualifying short story first published during 2001, in an original-fiction anthology, a s-f magazine, a Furry fanzine, a comic book, or electronically. Frankly, it is often difficult to tell when a short story published electronically has first been posted. It would be appreciated if those who wish to nominate a story published in an Online magazine or an individual website will make sure that it is a new 2001 story. Please note that both text short stories and pictorial short stories (for example, a short story in Radio Comix's "Furrlough") are eligible.

"Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work" is intended to be a catchall category for collections of Furry short stories, individual collections of comic strips, and poetry. After debating whether there should be a Best Anthropomorphic Music category, it was decided that Furry song lyrics would qualify here.

"Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book or Strip" is for any qualifying continuing non-animated cartoon title that has published at least one new issue/strip during 2001. This includes continuing comic books like "Furrlough" or "Shanda the Panda", newspaper comic strips, and Internet comic strips. One-shot comic books which are not graphic novels may qualify here.

"Best Anthropomorphic Fanzine" is for any qualifying fanzine that has published at least one new issue during 2001. This includes both printed fanzines like "Anthrolations", "Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe", or "Yarf!", and electronic fanzines like "TSAT (Transformation-related Stories, Art and Talk)". For eligibility, a fanzine must be available to the general public. This includes APAs which are for sale to the public, but not APAs which are available to their members only.

"Best Anthropomorphic Published Art" is for any qualifying individual work of art first published during 2001. Examples include book and magazine covers (including comic book covers), fanzine interior illustrations, movie and video posters or box covers, and advertising art. Works of art exhibited only at an art show are not eligible, but art prints may be eligible if they have been widely exhibited.

"Best Anthropomorphic Game" is for any qualifying game first published during 2001, including both RPG games and electronic games. A major revised or new edition qualifies as a new work.

Furry fans throughout the world are encouraged to send in up to five nominations in each category, since we want to make this for the "Best" internationally, not just what is published in North America. Since this is for the calendar year 2001, do not send in your nominations immediately. Rather, start making a list of the works you have seen during the year so far and during the next few months. Nominations will open on December 1, 2001, and close on January 7, 2002. Send your nominations in during those five weeks, to:

ConFurence Group

(attention: Annual Awards)

P. O. Box 84721

San Diego, California 92138-4721

or email to:

[email protected]

A Final Ballot, listing the five titles in each category receiving the most nominations, will be provided to all ConFurence members starting on January 24, 2002 (the first day of FURther Confusion 2002). Fans may send in nominations for the Awards without being ConFurence members, but they must be a member of CF 2002 in order to vote on the Final Ballot. Voting will close on Monday, March 18, 2002, to allow time to count the votes and prepare the trophies for presentation at CF 2002, April 26 - 28.

This is the first year these annual Awards are being presented. They will doubtlessly undergo many changes in the future. Science-fiction fandom's Hugo Awards have been presented since 1953, and hardly a year goes by without proposals to change the categories. Should Comic Books and Comic Strips have separate categories? Should there be a Best Fursuit or Best Furry Website category? Comments are welcomed. In addition to the presentation of the first Awards at CF 2002, there will be an open discussion of them to get suggestions for their improvement next year.