Winner of British Fantasy Award for Best Novel Returns Prize

The winner of the 2011 British Fantasy Award for Best Novel, Sam Stone, announced that she is returning her prize. According to The Guardian, this year’s awards have been drawing controversy since they were presented October 2, 2011 at FantasyCon in Brighton. Editor Stephen Jones posted a blog entry criticizing several aspects of the awards, most notably claiming that several of the award winners had a personal connection with British Fantasy Society chairman David Howe and his small press Telos. Jones said, “There is certainly a strong case for the BFS chairman to have removed himself from the entire process once it became apparent how many of his own titles and those of his partner were on the initial nomination list.” In a statement on her blog, Stone said “I do not wish to be seen as the winner that tore the British Fantasy Society in two. The society means too much to me. . . therefore, I am returning the award for Best Novel.”