2017 Leo Awards winners announced

Presenting the Leo Awards! Established in 2017 to highlight exceptional works of literature in furry fandom, it joins our other two awards, the Cóyotls and the Ursa Majors.

The Ursa Major Awards, established in 2001, are a recognition of furry media across several categories, only some of which are literary. Anyone in the fandom can nominate and vote. The Cóyotl awards, formed in 2012, are specifically literary, and are selected by members of the Furry Writers' Guild – although winners don't have to be in that group.

The Leo Awards have a different arrangement. It was founded by Furry Book Review, a multi-author blog started by Thurston Howl of Thurston Howl Publications (which is separate from the Awards). Nominations can come from the blog's reviewers, or from published authors with enough credibility. Reviewers aren't required to be writers themselves, so the prolific reader can have a say in nominating the stories they like the best.

Voting is conducted by a panel of judges, all of whom are recently published authors, including some from outside furry fandom. Interestingly, multiple titles can win in each category! When that happens, there is no "best" - each winner makes the cut if they manage to be recommended by at least two-thirds of the judges, who can vote for multiple works.

So without further ado, we have the results of the 2017 Leo Awards announced at Anthrocon 2018 on Saturday, July 7! In no particular order, the winner(s) and nominees in each category are:

Novels

• Jackalope Wives and Other Stories – by Ursula Vernon
  
• Imperium Lupi – by Adam Browne
  
• ReWritten – by Jako Malan
  
• Kismet – by Watts Martin
   
  
• The Tower and the Fox – by Tim Susman
  
• GENMOS: Gathering Storms – by Stephen Coghlan
  
• Always Gray in Winter – by Mark Engels
   
  
• Otters in Space 3: Octopus Ascending – by Mary E. Lowd
  
• The Wayward Astronomer – by Geoffrey Thomas
  
• The Student – by Joe Sherman
  
• Thousand Tales, Learning to Fly – by Kris Schnee
   
  
• Griffin Ranger 2: The Monster Lands – by Roz Gibson
  
• Black Dust – by Invisible Wolf and Achilles
  
• Mist – by Amy Fontaine
  
• Where Werewolves Fear to Tread – by Alan Gordon

Novellas

• The Earth Tigers – by Frances Pauli
  
• Dragon Fried Cheese: Dragonsbane Saga Book 3 – by Madison Keller
  
• Matriarch: Elephant vs. T-Rex – by Roz Gibson
  
• Jazz at the End of the Night – by Weasel
   
  
• Pride of Parahumans – by Joel Kreissman
  
• Intimate Little Secrets – by Rechan
  
• Dubiously Canon: Sinful Behavior – by Rukis

Anthologies

• Bleak Horizons – edited by Tarl Hoch
  
• Passing Through – edited by Weasel Press
   
  
• Seven Deadly Sins – edited by Thurston Howl
  
• Civilized Beasts II – edited by Weasel Press
  
• Dogs of War, vol. 1 – edited by Fred Patten
  
• ROAR 8 – edited by Mary E. Lowd
  
• Symbol of a Nation – edited by Fred Patten

Short Stories

• Crossroads the Namib – by Jako Malan (from Symbol of a Nation)
  
• When the Paint Dries – by Rechan (from Intimate Little Secrets)
  
• The Lion of the Low Countries – by Huskyteer (from Symbol of a Nation)
  
• Personal History – by Tim Susman (from ROAR 8)
  
• To the Victor the Spoils – by Ocean Tigrox (from HEAT 14)
   
  
• The Moon Like an Unhatched Egg – by Mary E. Lowd (from Symbol of a Nation)
  
• The Moon Fox – by Amy Fontaine (from Cosmic Roots and Eldritch Shores)
  
• Tucked Away – by E.S. Lapso (from ROAR 8)
  
• Shells on the Beach – by Tom Mullins (from Dogs of War, vol. 1)
  
• Empty – by Faora Meridian (from FANG 8)
   
  
• Reflections – by TJ Minde (from FANG 8)
  
• Castle Phoenix – by Greyflank (from ROAR 8)
  
• Behesht – by Dwale (from ROAR 8)
  
• Repository – by Hypetaph (from Seven Deadly Sins)
  
• One Alien's Wreckage – by Mary E. Lowd (from Daily Science Fiction)

Poems

• A Deafening Dirge – by BanWynn Oakshadow (from Civilized Beasts II)
  
• Top to Bottom – by Mog Moogle (from HEAT 14)
  
• Unbroken – by Televassi (from Werewolves vs Fascism)
   
  
• The Natural Order Disordered – by J.J. Steinfeld (from Civilized Beasts II)

Nonfiction

• Furries Among Us 2 – edited by Thurston Howl
   
  
• Furry Fandom Conventions 1989-2015 – by Fred Patten
  
• Furry Nation – by Joe Strike

Congratulations everyone! Here's looking forward to next year's awards - and if you're interested in helping out, drop by the Furry Book Review.

Dronon and Sonious are members of the Furry Writers' Guild; Flayrah contributor Rakuen Growlithe is also a contributor to Furry Book Review.