Not All Awards Wear Medals
- Connor Drew
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 12
You already know the Hugos. You've seen the Nebulas. But what about the awards that slip under the radar—quirky, local, global, or wildly specific? This edition of D&S is all about the unsung heroes of the sci-f and fantasy award circuit. From libertarian intergalactic tales to Finnish-translated fantasy epics, we're spotlighting the niche honors shaping the genre in surprising ways. Because we're not just a source to share the bright and beautiful, but also for the under-appreciated and soft-spoken.
Awards | Focus & Scope | Unique Angle |
Prometheus | Libertarian-Themed Sci-Fi/Fantasy | Political/Philosophical lens |
Wellman | North Carolina Authored Genre Fiction | Regional Literary Spotlight |
Dayton Peace Prize | Peace Promoting Literature | Social Impact Emphasis |
Tähtifantasia | Translated Fantasy to Finnish | Translation & Global Fantasy |
2025 Prometheus Award Winner:
In The Belly of the Whale
by
Michael Flynn
Genres: Hard Sci-Fi - Political Allegory - Space Adventure
Flynn’s posthumous sci‐fi thriller explores human agency against
cosmic forces, threading libertarian ideals into a vast, speculative space opera.
What is the Prometheus Award?
Presented by the Libertarian Futurist Society each July, the Prometheus Award honors novels that explore freedom, individual rights, and small‐government themes—standing apart from more technology‐oriented or character‐driven accolades.
2025 Manly Wade Wellman Award:
The Crypt of the Moon Spider
by
Nathan Ballingrud
Genres: Gothic Fantasy - Horror - Lunar Speculative Fiction
This gothic lunar tale (set in 1923) weaves horror and speculative
fantasy, centered on moon‐silk mind manipulation and psychological dread.
What is the Wellman Award?
Named after N.C. writer Manly Wade Wellman, this regional award celebrates genre fiction by North Carolina authors. Winners, revealed annually in July at ConGregate, highlight the state’s unique “strain of the weird and the fantastic.
2025 Dayton Literary Peace Prize:
Winner: To Be Announced!
Every July, the Dayton Prize honors books that “promote peace.” It
focuses on social impact, conflict transformation, and cross-cultural
empathy—separate from conventional genre-based awards.
Notable Finalists:
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris
The Women by Kristin Hannah
2025 Tähtifantasia Award:
Winner: Anna in maailman hautakammiossa
(Anna in the Tombs of the World)
by
Olga Tokarczul
Translated into Finnish by Tapani Kärkkäinen
Genres: Literary fantasy - Psychological surrealism - Magical Realism
A literary fantasy that melds psychological introspection with the mythic
and surreal—the unconscious surfaces in dreamlike, haunting
landscapes.
What is the Tähtifantasia award?
Awarded each July by the Helsinki Science Fiction Society since 2007,
Tähtifantasia celebrates the best translated fantasy published in
Finland—a spotlight on global voices often overlooked in anglophone
circles.
Which Book Are you Adding to your Collection?
Anna in the Tombs of the World
The Crypt of the Moon Spider
In the Belly of the Whale
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