Aurealis Award for best fantasy short story
The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
Since their creation in 1995, awards have been given in various categories of speculative fiction. Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction. The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy. The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.
The results are decided by a panel of judges from a list of submitted nominees; the long-list of nominees is reduced to a short-list of finalists. Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner. The judges may declare a "no award" if there is unanimous agreement that none of the nominees are worthy. The judges are selected from a public application process by the Award's management team.
This article lists all the short-list nominees and winners in the best fantasy short story category, as well as short stories that have received honourable mentions or have been highly commended. Since 2003, honourable mentions and high commendations have been awarded intermittently. Thoraiya Dyer holds the record for most wins, having won three times. Angela Slatter holds the record for most nominations, having been nominated seven times. Adam Browne, Kaaron Warren, and Suzanne J. Willis share the record for most nominations without winning, each having been losing finalists three times.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the story's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a blue background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list. If the short story was originally published in a book with other stories rather than by itself or in a magazine, the book title is included after the publisher's name.Winners and joint winners
Nominees on the shortlist
| Year | Author | Short story | Publisher or publication | Ref |
| * | Eidolon | |||
| Sybylla | ||||
| Aurealis | ||||
| Aurealis | ||||
| Eidolon | ||||
| * | Penguin | |||
| Viking | ||||
| UQP | ||||
| Eidolon | ||||
| Allen & Unwin | ||||
| * | Roc | |||
| Penguin | ||||
| Anchor | ||||
| Eidolon | ||||
| HarperCollins | ||||
| * | Voyager | |||
| Voyager | ||||
| Voyager | ||||
| Voyager | ||||
| Moonstone | ||||
| * | Aurealis | |||
| HQ Magazine | ||||
| HQ Magazine | ||||
| F&SF | ||||
| HQ Magazine | ||||
| * | Aurealis | |||
| Voyager | ||||
| Altair | ||||
| Allen & Unwin | ||||
| Orb | ||||
| * | Orb | |||
| Voyager | ||||
| Sci Fiction | ||||
| CSFG Publishing | ||||
| Orb | ||||
| * | Sandglass Enterprises | |||
| Fables and Reflections | ||||
| Dreamhaven Books | ||||
| Penguin Books | ||||
| * | Aurealis | |||
| * | Agog! | |||
| Orb | ||||
| Elastic Press | ||||
| Aurealis | ||||
| * | Agog! | |||
| * | Aqueduct Press ; Agog! | |||
| Lenox Avenue Ezine | ||||
| Neverary | ||||
| Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine | ||||
| * | Eidolon Books | |||
| Prime Books | ||||
| Fantasy Magazine | ||||
| Eidolon Books | ||||
| Agog! | ||||
| * | Jim Baen's Universe | |||
| Strange Horizons | ||||
| Orb | ||||
| Shimmer | ||||
| Orb | ||||
| * | Senses Five Press | |||
| Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine | ||||
| Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine | ||||
| Shimmer | ||||
| HarperVoyager | ||||
| * | Beneath Ceaseless Skies | |||
| * | Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine | |||
| Twelfth Planet Press | ||||
| Aurealis | ||||
| * | Twelfth Planet Press | |||
| and Angela Slatter* | Ticonderoga Publications | |||
| Strange Horizons | ||||
| Brimstone Press | ||||
| Tartarus Press | ||||
| * | FableCroft Publishing | |||
| HarperVoyager | ||||
| Allen & Unwin | ||||
| Overland | ||||
| Ticonderoga Publications | ||||
| * | Twelfth Planet Press | |||
| Ticonderoga Publications | ||||
| Random House | ||||
| Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine 55 | ||||
| Twelfth Planet Press | ||||
| * | Thomas Dunne Books | |||
| Dagan Books | ||||
| "Cold, Cold War" | Scott H. Andrews | |||
| "Short Circuit" | Oomph | |||
| Ticonderoga Publications | ||||
| * | "St Dymphna's School for Poison Girls" | Review of Australian Fiction, Volume 9, Issue 3 | ||
| Crossed Genres Publications | ||||
| "Teratogen" | Cemetery Dance 71 | |||
| FableCroft Publishing | ||||
| Tartarus Press | ||||
| * | Newcon Press | |||
| Review of Australian Fiction, Vol. 13, Issue 6 | ||||
| TDM Press | ||||
| "Almost Days" | FableCroft Publishing | |||
| "Blueblood" | Ticonderoga Publications | |||
| "Husk and Sheaf" | SQ Mag 22 | |||
| * | "Where the Pelican Builds Her Nest" | FableCroft Publishing | ||
| "Watercress Soup" | Andromeda Spaceways Magazine 65 | |||
| "Dune Time" | Tor.com | |||
| "Penny For a Match, Mister?" | Saga Press | |||
| "" | Aurealis 89 | |||
| "" | Mythic Delirium 3.1 | |||
| * | "" | self-published | ||
| "Hamelin's Graves" | Andromeda Spaceways Magazine 69 | |||
| "" | Review of Australian Fiction Vol 22 Issue 1 | |||
| "Duplicity" | coeur de lion | |||
| "The Rainmaker Goddess, Hallowed Shaz" | Feminartsy | |||
| "Oona Underground" | HarperCollins Publishers | |||
| * | "" | Bourbon Penn 15 | ||
| "Crying Demon" | Grey Matter Press | |||
| "Army Men" | Lancelot Schaubert | |||
| "Child of the Emptyness" | Grimdark Magazine 17 | |||
| "" | CSFG Publishing | |||
| "Heartwood, Sapwood, Spring" | Ate Bit Bear | |||
| "Loose Stones" | Brio Books | |||
| "1078 Reasons" | Translunar Travelers Lounge | |||
| "Pigshit and Gold" | Dimension6 18 | |||
| "CurioQueens" | Constellary Tales Magazine 4 | |||
| "Good Dog, Alice" | Titan Books | |||
| "Dragon By Subscription" |
Honourable mentions and high commendations
The honourable mentions and high commendations are announced alongside the list of finalists for their respected year of eligibility. In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a grey background have been noted as highly commended; those with a white background have received honourable mentions. If the short story was originally published in a book with other stories rather than by itself or in a magazine, the book title is included after the publisher's name.Highly commended
Honourable mentions
| Year | Author | Short story | Publisher or publication | Ref |
| 2003 | Agog! | |||
| 2003 | Agog! | |||
| 2004 | * | Wakefield Press | ||
| 2006 | Borderlands | |||
| 2006 | Eidolon Books |