"The Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (CSFFA)"
The Auroras - Canada's Science Fiction & Fantasy Awards since 1980
About CSFFA & The Awards
Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“the Auroras”) have been presented annually since 1980 with the exception of 1984. The name Aurora has been officially in use since 1991. The primary function of Canvention is the presentation of the annual Canadian Science Fiction & Fantasy Association Awards (Prix AURORA Awards). The other function is to hold the CSFFA AGM. When the Canadian SF and Fantasy Association was started in 1980 there was only one award given out. Since 1991 awards have been presented in 10 categories.
Starting in 2011 there will be 10 professional awards (5 english and 5 french), 4 fan awards, and the artistic achievement award (open to both pros & fans).
In 2011, through an agreement between CSFFA and SFSF Boréal the French-language Auroras were combined with the Prix Boréal (in the Professional categories only) to make the Prix Aurora Boréal and the administration of the the Prix Aurora Boréal will be handled by SFSF Boréal on behalf of CSFFA. Not all of the items in the agreement can be observed in 2011, the first year of the agreement, so, for instance, voting will be done on-site at the Boréal convention this year only, instead of on-line as it will be in following years.
The Aurora awards are somewhat similar, in the method by which they are selected, to the style of the Hugo awards (which are presented at the SF Worldcon).  First there is a nomination phase to select a short list. Then a voting phase to pick the winner from the short list using the preferential voting method (this method has the voter rank their choices in each category).
Each year a different convention or group has hosted the awards. The awards are financed by voting fees, donations and by the host convention. There is no permanent funding. It is the objective of the CSFFA Board of Directors to correct this.
About Canvention
CSFFA AGM
Held: Saturday November 19, 2011 from 9 am – 11 am SFContario2 (Gardenview Room)
While the Awards (and the Awards Ceremony) get all the excitement, long-time Aurora fans know that there’s some interesting stuff to be found at the AGM (formerly the Business Meeting).
Aurora Winners
THE WINNERS:
PROFESSIONAL AWARDS
Best English Novel
- WWW: Watch, Robert J. Sawyer (Penguin Canada)
- Black Bottle Man, Craig Russell (Great Plains Publications)
- Destiny’s Blood, Marie Bilodeau (Dragon Moon Press)
- Stealing Home, Hayden Trenholm (Bundoran Press)
- Under Heaven, Guy Gavriel Kay (Viking Canada)
Best English Short Story
- “The Burden of Fire”, Hayden Trenholm (Neo-Opsis #19)
- “Destiny Lives in the Tattoo’s Needle”, Suzanne Church (Tesseracts Fourteen)
- “The Envoy”, Al Onia (Warrior Wisewoman 3)
- “Touch the Sky, They Say”, Matt Moore (AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review, 11/10)
- “Your Beating Heart”, M. G. Gillett (Rigor Amortis)
Best English Poem / Song
- “The ABCs of the End of the World”, Carolyn Clink (A Verdant Green)
- “Let the Night In”, Sandra Kasturi (Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead)
- “Of the Corn: Kore’s Innocence”, Colleen Anderson (Witches & Pagans #21)
- “The Transformed Man”, Robert J. Sawyer (Tesseracts Fourteen)
- “Waiting for the Harrowing”, Helen Marshall (ChiZine 45)
Best English Graphic Novel
- Goblins, Tarol Hunt (goblinscomic.com)
- Looking For Group, Vol. 3, Ryan Sohmer & Lar DeSouza (lfgcomic.com)
- Stargazer, Volume 1, by Von Allan (Von Allan Studio)
- Tomboy Tara, Emily Ragozzino (tomboytara.com)
Best English Related Work
- The Dragon and the Stars, Derwin Mak & Eric Choi, eds. (DAW)
- Chimerascope, Douglas Smith (ChiZine)
- Evolve: Vampire Stories of the New Undead, Nancy Kilpatrick, ed. (EDGE)
- On Spec, Diane Walton, ed. (Copper Pig Writers Society)
- Tesseracts Fourteen, John Robert Colombo & Brett Alexander Savory, eds. (EDGE)
Best Artist (Professional and Amateur)
- Erik Mohr, cover art for ChiZine Publications
- Lynne Taylor Fahnestalk, “Brekky” cover art (On Spec Fall)
- Christina Molendyk, Girls of Geekdom Calendar for Argent Dawn Photography
- Dan O’Driscoll, cover art for Stealing Home (Bundoran)
- Aaron Paquette, “A New Season” cover art (On Spec Spring)
FAN/AMATEUR AWARDS
Best Fan Publications
No award will be given out. We received insufficient nominations for this category to be eligible.
Best Fan Filk
- Dave Clement and Tom Jeffers of Dandelion Wine for “Face on Mars” CD
- Karen Linsley; concert as SFContario Guest of Honour
- Phil Mills, for “Time Traveller†(song writing)
Best Fan Organizational
- Helen Marshall and Sandra Kasturi, chairs of Toronto SpecFic Colloquium (Toronto)
- Andrew Gurudata, organizing the Constellation Awards
- Brent M. Jans, chair of Pure Speculation (Edmonton)
- Liana Kerzner, chair of Futurecon (Toronto)
- Alex Von Thorn, chair of SFContario (Toronto)
Best Fan Other
- John and Linda Ross Mansfield, Conception of the Aurora Nominee pins
- Tom Jeffers, Fundraising, FilKONtario
- Lloyd Penney, Articles, columns and letters of comment – fanzines