Dragon Awards
The Dragon Awards are a set of literary and media awards voted on by fandom and presented annually since 2016 by Dragon Con for excellence in various categories of science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, movies, television, and games.
History
The Dragon Awards were first presented in 2016, created on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Dragon Con to "recognize excellence in all things Science Fiction and Fantasy." In 2018, 11,000 voters cast a ballot. They are given out annually at Dragon Con in Atlanta, Georgia.The finalist shortlist for the first Dragon Awards was announced on August 11, 2016, and the winners were announced on September 4 that year.
A unique feature of the Awards is that it runs a diverse set of subgenera.
In 2017, nominated authors Allison Littlewood, John Scalzi, and N.K. Jemisin asked Dragon Con to remove their names from the ballot. John Scalzi then reconsidered and kept his name on the ballot. The coordinators of the Dragon Awards initially refused to remove authors names, then changed their minds after receiving criticism across blogs and science fiction related publications.
Nomination and voting processes
The nominations and votes are collected electronically. Participation is available to everyone, requiring only an e-mail address, but no membership or other fees, to vote. The Dragon Awards website states that they " the right to invalidate suspect or questionable ballots without notice," and that "All decisions regarding the voting process and selection of winners shall be made by DRAGON CON in its sole discretion, shall be final, and shall not be subject to challenge or appeal." Language describing the review of nominations does not state that nominations are counted numerically but are "gathered and reviewed to create a final ballot." Neither counts of nominations nor votes have ever been made public.The award process consists of two steps:
- a nomination step where each voter nominates one work of choice in each category. The nominations are "gathered and reviewed to create a final ballot."
- a voting step where the finalists selected from the nominated works are voted on by each voter.
Reception
Winners
The full list of nominees can be found at List of Dragon Award nominees.Best Science Fiction Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Somewhither: Being the First Part of A Tale of the Unwithering Realm | John C. Wright | Castalia House | |
| 2017 | Babylon's Ashes | James S. A. Corey | Orbit Books | |
| 2018 | Artemis | Andy Weir | Crown Publishing Group | |
| 2019 | A Star-Wheeled Sky | Brad R. Torgersen | Baen Books |
Best Fantasy Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Son of the Black Sword | Larry Correia | Baen Books | |
| 2017 | Larry Correia, John Ringo | Baen Books | ||
| 2018 | Oathbringer | Brandon Sanderson | Tor Books | |
| 2019 | House of Assassins | Larry Correia | Baen Books |
Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | The Shepherd's Crown | Terry Pratchett | Doubleday | |
| 2017 | The Hammer of Thor | Rick Riordan | Disney-Hyperion Books | |
| 2018 | Children of Blood and Bone | Tomi Adeyemi | Henry Holt | |
| 2019 | Bloodwitch | Susan Dennard | Tor Books |
Best Military Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Hell's Foundations Quiver | David Weber | Tor Books | |
| 2017 | Iron Dragoons | Richard Fox | Triplane Press | |
| 2018 | A Call to Vengeance | Timothy Zahn, David Weber and Thomas Pope | Baen Books | |
| 2019 | Uncompromising Honor | David Weber | Baen Books |
Best Alternate History Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | League of Dragons | Naomi Novik | Del Rey Books | |
| 2017 | Fallout | Harry Turtledove | Del Rey Books | |
| 2018 | Uncharted | Kevin J. Anderson and Sarah A. Hoyt | Baen Books | |
| 2019 | Black Chamber | S. M. Stirling | Baen Books |
Best Apocalyptic Novel
The category "Best Apocalyptic Novel" was removed from the awards in 2018.| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Ctrl Alt Revolt! | Nick Cole | self-published | |
| 2017 | Walkaway | Cory Doctorow | Tor Books |
Best Media Tie-In Novel
The category "Best Media Tie-In Novel" was first introduced in 2018.| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2018 | ' | Claudia Gray | Disney-Lucasfilm | |
| 2019 | ' | Timothy Zahn | Penguin Random House |
Best Horror Novel
| Year | Work | Author | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Souldancer | Brian Niemeier | self-published | |
| 2017 | The Changeling | Victor LaValle | Spiegel & Grau | |
| 2018 | Sleeping Beauties | Stephen King and Owen King | Scribner | |
| 2019 | Little Darlings | Melanie Golding | Crooked Lane Books |
Best Comic Book
| Year | Work | Author/ Artist | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Ms. Marvel | Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona | Marvel Comics | |
| 2017 | Jim Butcher, Mark Powers | Dynamite Entertainment | ||
| 2018 | Mighty Thor | Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman | Marvel Comics | |
| 2019 | Saga | Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples | Image Comics |
Best Graphic Novel
| Year | Work | Author/ Artist | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | ' | Neil Gaiman, J. H. Williams III | Vertigo Comics | |
| 2017 | ' | Jim Butcher, Carlos Gomez | Dynamite Entertainment | |
| 2018 | White Sand, Volume 1 | Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin and Julius M. Gopez | Dynamite Entertainment | |
| 2019 | X-Men: Grand Design – Second Genesis | Ed Piskor | Marvel Comics |
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series
| Year | Work | Creator | Released on | Ref. |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones | David Benioff, D. B. Weiss | HBO | |
| 2017 | Stranger Things | The Duffer Brothers | Netflix | |
| 2018 | Game of Thrones | David Benioff, D. B. Weiss | HBO | |
| 2019 | Good Omens | Neil Gaiman | Prime Video |
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie
| Year | Work | Creator | Studio | Ref. |
| 2016 | The Martian | Ridley Scott, Drew Goddard | Scott Free Productions, Kinberg Genre, TSG Entertainment | |
| 2017 | Wonder Woman | Patty Jenkins, Allan Heinberg, Zack Snyder, Jason Fuchs | RatPac-Dune Entertainment, DC Films, Tencent Pictures, Wanda Pictures, Atlas Entertainment, Cruel and Unusual Films | |
| 2018 | Black Panther | Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole | Marvel Studios | |
| 2019 | Russo brothers | Marvel Studios |
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy PC/Console Game
| Year | Work | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Fallout 4 | Bethesda Softworks | |
| 2017 | ' | Nintendo | |
| 2019 | ' | Monolith Productions | |
| 2019 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | Rockstar Games |
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Mobile Game
| Year | Work | Developers | Ref. |
| 2016 | Fallout Shelter | Bethesda Softworks | |
| 2017 | Pokémon Go | Niantic | |
| 2018 | ' | Jam City | |
| 2019 | ' | Niantic, WB Games San Francisco |
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Board Game
| Year | Work | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Pandemic: Legacy | Z-Man Games | |
| 2017 | Betrayal at House on the Hill: Widow’s Walk | Avalon Hill | |
| 2018 | Red Dragon Inn 6: Villains | Slugfest Games | |
| 2019 | The Betrayal Legacy | Avalon Hill Games |
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Miniatures / Collectible Card / Role-Playing Game
| Year | Work | Publisher | Ref. |
| 2016 | Call of Cthulhu Roleplaying Game | Chaosium Inc. | |
| 2017 | Magic: The Gathering: Eldritch Moon | Wizards of the Coast | |
| 2018 | Wizards of the Coast | ||
| 2019 | Call of Cthulhu: Masks of Nyarlathotep Slipcase Set | Chaosium Inc. |