The recently launched Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the nominees for its inaugural AACTA Awards, including in its list The Missing Key by Garth Nix, Anna McFarlane, & Jonathan Nix for Best Short Animation. The AACTA Awards will be held in January 2012 and are a continuum of the Australian Film Institute [...]

SFWA released a statement today announcing the term of probation for Night Shade Books has been lifted. The publisher was placed on probation as a qualifying market for the writers’ organization in July 2010, following “concerns about contractual issues with their authors.” Night Shade has since met a series of benchmarks set up by SFWA to “return [...]

The Gaylactic Network has announced the 2011 Gaylactic Spectrum Award winner and recommended short list: Best Novel: Under the Poppy, Kathe Koja (Small Beer) Short List: The Wolf at the Door, Jameson Currier (Chelsea Street Editions) A Book of Tongues, Gemma Files (ChiZine Publications) The White Road, Lynn Flewelling (Spectra) Stealing Fire, Jo Graham (Orbit) [...]

A fundraiser is underway at Magick4Terri, taking donations and auctioning items and services on behalf of Terri Windling. The auctions include items such as Tuckerizations, art, web design, advertisements, signed books and ARCs, etc., and will close on December 15, 2011. The Magick4Terri site explains, “Beloved editor, artist and writer Terri Windling is in need, [...]

Robert Silverberg is now a member of the Amazing Stories Project editorial advisory board, which plans to revive Amazing Stories magazine in 2012. He joins Barry Malzberg, Joe Wrzos, Patrick Price, and Ted White on the board. For more, see the Amazing Stories website.

Acting British Fantasy Society chair Graham Joyce has announced the new committee members for the organization: Chairperson: Lee Harris, nominated by Paul Cornell, seconded by Philip Lunt Treasurer: Amanda Rutter, nominated by Suzanne MacLeod, seconded by Neil Ford Secretary: Marion Pitman, nominated by Tina Rath, seconded by Jan Edwards Awards Administrator: Sarah Ann Watts, nominated [...]

SFWA Grand Master Anne McCaffrey, 85, died November 21, 2011 of a massive stroke at home in Ireland. McCaffrey is best known for her long-running Pern series of SF novels and stories. She was the first woman to win both the Hugo and the Nebula Awards, with “Weyr Search” (1968) and “Dragonrider” (1969) respectively. Pern [...]

Winners for the 2011 Prix Aurora Awards have been announced. The awards were presented on November 20, 2011 during Canvention 31. Winners received trophies and the Best Novel winner received a $500 cash prize from SF Canada, the National Association for Speculative Fiction Professionals. PROFESSIONAL AWARDS Best English Novel WWW: Watch, Robert J. Sawyer (Penguin [...]

SF/F line Angry Robot announced plans to launch a sister imprint for YA fiction called Strange Chemistry. Starting in September 2012, the imprint will release five titles in its first year, then move to a one-book-per-month schedule. Like Angry Robot, Strange Chemistry will simultaneously publish in the US and the UK, and in paperback and e-book [...]

Review site The Portal is joining forces with World Fantasy nominated World SF Blog. The Portal will bring its entire archives to the blog, and provide new material focusing on short fiction reviews, author interviews, and international writing. World SF Blog will continue in its mission in “posting links, news and original content related to [...]