2021 Ignyte Awards Winners

The FIYAHCON 2021 committee has announced the winners for the 2021 Ignyte Awards, which “seek to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the current and future landscapes of science fiction, fantasy, and horror by recognizing incredible feats in storytelling and outstanding efforts toward inclusivity of the genre.” Winners were presented at an online ceremony on September 18, 2021.

Best Novel — Adult

  • WINNER: Black Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
  • The City We Became, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit)
  • Vagabonds, Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu (Saga)
  • The Only Good Indians, Stephen Graham Jones (Saga)
  • Midnight Bargain, C.L. Polk (Erewhon)

Best Novel — YA

  • WINNER: Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry)
  • Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet)
  • Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
  • A Song Below Water, Bethany Morrow (Tor Teen)
  • A Sky Beyond the Storm, Sabaa Tahir (Razorbill)

Best in MG

  • Maya and the Rising Dark, Rena Barron (HMH)
  • Frightville: Curse of the Wish Eater, Mike Ford (Scholastic)
  • Race to the Sun, Rebecca Roanhorse (Disney)
  • A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick)

Best Novella

  • WINNER: Riot Baby, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom)
  • Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom)
  • Stone and Steel, Eboni Dunbar (Neon Hemlock)
  • The Four Profound Weaves, R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
  • Empress of Salt and Fortune, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Best Novelette

  • “The Transition of Osoosi”, Ozzie M. Gartrell (Fiyah Winter ’20)
  • “One Hand in the Coffin”, Justin C. Key (Strange Horizons 1/20/20)
  • “The Night Sun”, Zin E. Rocklyn (Tor.com 3/11/20)
  • “Love Hangover”, Sheree Renée Thomas (SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire)

Best Short Story

  • “Express to Beijing West Railway Station | 开往西站的特别列车”, Congyun ‘Mu Ming’ Gu, translated by Kiera Johnson (Samovar 10/26/20)
  • “Rat and Finch Are Friends”, Innocent Chizaram Ilo (Strange Horizons 3/2/20)
  • “Body, Remember”, Nicasio Andres Reed (Fireside 11/20)
  • “My Country Is a Ghost”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 1-2/20)

Best in Speculative Poetry

  • “The Alt-history of King Kong”, Renoir Gaither (Speculative City Fall ’20)
  • “Fin”, Terese Mason Pierre (Uncanny 9-10/20)
  • “Hungry Ghost”, Millie Ho (Uncanny 3-4/20)
  • “Tequila Mockingbird | Matar un Ruiseñor”, Raúl Gallardo Flores, translated by Juan Martínez (Strange Horizons 11/30/20)

Critics Award

  • WINNER: Stitch (Stitch’s Media Mix)
  • Maria Haskins
  • Jesse (Bowties & Books)
  • Charles Payseur (Quick Sip Reviews)
  • A.C. Wise

Best Fiction Podcast

  • WINNER: Nightlight Podcast, Tonia Ransom
  • PodCastle, Jen R. Albert, Cherae Clark, Khaalidah Muhammad-Ali, Setsu Uzume & Peter Adrian Behravesh
  • Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Scott H. Andrews, ed.
  • Escape Pod, Mur Lafferty, S.B. Divya, Benjamin C. Kinney, Tina Connolly, Alasdair Stuart, Summer Brooks, Adam Pracht & the entire Escape Pod team
  • The Magnus Archives, Jonathan Sims, Alexander J Newall, Lowri Ann Davies & Rusty Quill

Best Artist

  • WINNER: Odera Igbokwe
  • Rovina Cai
  • Paul Lewin
  • Nilah Magruder
  • John Picacio

Best Comics Team

  • WINNER: Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings (Abrams)
  • Cuisine Chinoise: Five Tales of Food and Life, Zao Dao, Diana Schutz & Brandon Kandor (Dark Horse)
  • Far Sector, N.K. Jemisin & Jamal Campbell (DC)
  • Giga, Alex Paknadel & John Lê (Vault)
  • You Brought Me the Ocean, Alex Sanchez & Jul Maroh (DC)

Best Anthology/Collected Works

  • Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with a Fresh Bite, Zoraida Cordova & Natalie C. Parker, eds. (Imprint)
  • Glitter + Ashes: Queer Tales of a World that Wouldn’t Die, dave ring, ed. (Neon Hemlock)
  • Nine Bar Blues, Sheree Renée Thomas (Third Man)
  • Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction, Joshua Whitehead, ed. (Arsenal Pulp)

Best in Creative Nonfiction

  • WINNER: “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream: The Duty of the Black Writer During Times of American Unrest”, Tochi Onyebuchi (Tor.com 6/1/20)
  • “How to Make a Family: Queer Blood Bonds in Black Feminist Vampire Novels”, Tamara Jerée (Strange Horizons 1/27/20)
  • “The African Superhero and the Legacy of Captain Africa”, Suyi Davies Okungbowa (Tor.com 8/24/20)
  • “Fine Weather, Isn’t It?”, Tochi Onyebuchi (SFWA Bulletin #215)
  • “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Excellence”, Nibedita Sen (Uncanny 9-10/20)

The Ember Award

  • WINNER: Dhonielle Clayton
  • K. Tempest Bradford
  • Clarion West
  • Tananarive Due
  • Michi Trota

The Community Award

  • WINNER: #PublishingPaidMe, L.L. McKinney & Tochi Onyebuchi
  • Anathema Magazine: Spec from the Margins, Michael Matheson, Andrew Wilmot & Chinelo Onwualu
  • Beth Phelan
  • Diana M. Pho
  • Writing The Other: Online Classes and Workshops, Nisi Shawl & K. Tempest Bradford

For more information, see the FIYAHCON website.


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