The nominations for the 2024 Elgin Award period concludes soon, but this is always a good time to look back and review the previous years winners and to help those new to science fiction and fantasy poetry, and other corners of speculative poetry get a sense of where the field has gone in the last decade or so. It is of course also helpful to look at various copies of the Rhysling anthologies and the Dwarf Stars, too, but that’s a conversation for a different time. I encourage fellow poets to copy and share this list in part or in whole for their own blogs, news articles or scholarly articles as desired.
Our thanks this year to Felicia Martinez who is serving as the chair of the Elgin Awards. Felicia Martínez is a writer, poet, and artist from Eastern New Mexico, though the San Francisco Bay Area is now home. She was recently guest poetry editor at The Deadlands, and her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Asimov’s, The Rising Phoenix Review, The Acentos Review, The Deadlands, Star*Line, and others. You can find her on the various social media sites as @feliciafm.
Since 2013, the Elgin Awards, named for SFPA founder Suzette Haden Elgin, have been presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association (est. 1978) for books published in the preceding two years in two categories, Chapbook and Book.
Chapbooks must contain 10-39 pages of poetry and books must contain 40 or more pages of poetry. E-books are eligible, as well as print. Books that won first–third place in the previous year’s Elgin Awards are ineligible. Single-author and collaborative books are eligible; anthologies are not. Books containing fiction as well as poetry are not eligible. Books must be in English, but translations are eligible. In the case of translations that also contain the poems in the original language, those pages will not count toward the total page count. Nominated books must be made available to the Chair upon request to remain eligible.
SFPA Elgin Winners, 2013-2023:
2023
Some Disassembly Required • David C. Kopaska-Merkel (Diminuendo Press, 2022)
The Last Robot and Other Science Fiction Poems • Jane Yolen (Shoreline of Infinity, 2021
2022
Can You Sign My Tentacle? • Brandon O’Brien (Interstellar Flight Press, 2021)
Field Guide to Invasive Species of Minnesota • Amelia Gorman (Interstellar Flight Press, 2021)
2021
The Sign of the Dragon • Mary Soon Lee (JABberwocky Literary Agency, 2020)
Otherwheres • Akua Lezli Hope (ArtFarm Press, 2020)
2020
Soft Science • Franny Choi (Alice James Books, 2019)
The Book of Fly • John Philip Johnson (Graphic Poetry Press, 2019)
2019
War • Marge Simon & Alessandro Manzetti (Crystal Lake Publishing, 2018)
Glimmerglass Girl • Holly Lyn Walrath (Finishing Line Press, 2018)
2018
Liberating the Astronauts • Christina M. Rau (Aqueduct Press, 2017)
A Catalogue of the Further Suns • F. J. Bergmann (Gold Line Press, 2017)
2017
Field Guide to the End of the World • Jeannine Hall Gailey (Moon City Press, 2016)
Leviathan • Neil Aitken (Hyacinth Girl Press, 2016)
2016
Crowned: The Sign Of The Dragon Book 1 • Mary Soon Lee (Dark Renaissance Books, 2015)
Undoing Winter • Shannon Connor Winward (Finishing Line Press, 2014)
2015
Sweet Poison • Marge Simon & Mary Turzillo (Dark Renaissance Books, 2014)
Wolf Skin • Mary McMyne (Dancing Girl Press, 2014)
2014
Demonstra • Bryan Thao Worra (Innsmouth Free Press, 2013)
The Sex Lives of Monsters • Helen Marshall (Kelp Queen Press, 2013)
2013
Lovers & Killers • Mary Turzillo (Dark Regions Press)
Out of the Black Forest • F. J. Bergmann (Centennial Press)
Some of you may find it helpful to have the complete list of Elgin Award-winning authors to date in alphabetical order with their primary websites: Neil Aitken, F.J. Bergmann, Franny Choi, Shannon Connor Winward, Amelia Gorman, Jeannine Hall Gailey, Akua Lezli Hope, John Philip Johnson, David C. Kopaska-Merkel, Alessandro Manzetti, Helen Marshall, Mary McMyne, Brandon O’Brien, Christina M. Rau, Marge Simon, Mary Soon Lee, Bryan Thao Worra, Mary Turzillo, Holly Lyn Walrath, and Jane Yolen. Congratulations to all of the recipients and nominees over the years, and we look forward to so many great collections ahead.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association was established in 1978 by Suzette Haden-Elgin and has an international membership of over 400 poets representing over 19 nations and cultures including United States, Italy, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania, Poland, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Israel, South Africa, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, the Hmong, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Poetry Association publishes two journals: Star*Line and Eye to the Telescope. It oversees three major literary awards for poetry: The Rhyslings, the Dwarf Stars, and the Elgin Awards. They also conduct an annual science fiction poetry contest and other special events and gatherings. They provide resources for emerging and established poets seeking professional publication and networking opportunities.
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