The 2025 World Fantasy Awards finalists have been announced. They are as below:
Lifetime achievement awards:
Winners: Juliet Marillier (author) and Michael Whelan (artist)
Best Novel:
Winner: The Tainted Cup, Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape)
The Fox Wife, Yangsze Choo (Holt; Quercus UK)
The Bog Wife, Kay Chronister (Counterpoint; Titan UK)
The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman (Viking; Del Rey UK)
The Wings Upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (Tachyon)
Best Novella:
Winner: Yoke of Stars, R.B. Lemberg (Tachyon)
Crypt of the Moon Spider, Nathan Ballingrud (Nightfire; Titan UK)
In the Shadow of Their Dying, Michael F. Fletcher & Anna Smith Spark (Grimdark Magazine)
The Woods All Black, Lee Mandelo (Tordotcom)
The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom; Titan UK)
Best Short Fiction:
Winner: “Raptor”, Maura McHugh (Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology)
“Our Best Selves”, Hiron Ennes (Weird Horror Fall ’24)
“Godskin”, CL Hellisen (Strange Horizons 3/4/24)
“The V*mpire,”, PH Lee (Reactor 10/23/24)
“Everything in the Garden is Lovely”, Hannah Yang (Apex 3/12/24)
Best Anthology:
Winner: Heartwood, Dan Coxon, ed. (Drugstore Indian)
Discontinue If Death Ensues, Carol Gyzander & Anna Taborska, eds. (Flame Tree)
Northern Nights, Michael Kelly, ed. (Undertow)
The Dagon Collection, Nate Pedersen, ed. (PS Publishing)
The Crawling Moon: Queer Tales of Inescapable Dread, Dave Ring, ed. (Neon Hemlock)
Best Collection:
Winner: A Sunny Place for Shady People, Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell (Hogarth US; Granta)
Ghostroots, ’Pemi Aguda (Norton; Virago)
Good Night, Sleep Tight, Brian Evenson (Coffee House)
Kindling: Stories, Kathleen Jennings (Small Beer)
Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil, Ananda Lima (Tor)
Best Artist:
Winner: Liv Rainey-Smith
Jenni Coutts
Nico Delort
Manzi Jackson
Tran Nguyen
Special Award – Professional:
Winner: Sydney Paige Guerrero, Gabriela Lee & Anna Felicia Sanchez, for Mapping New Stars: A Sourcebook on Philippine Speculative Fiction (The University of the Philippines Press)
Hildur Knútsdóttir & Mary Robinette Kowal, for The Night Guest audiobook (Nightfire)
David Thomas Moore, for editorial work with Solaris/Rebellion
Sheree Renée Thomas, for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Jacob Weisman, for Tachyon Publications
Special Award – Non-Professional:
Winner: Steve J Shaw, for Black Shuck Books
Andy Duncan, for “It Is Always Time to Think about These Things” (Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts Vol. 35 No. 1)
Gavin J. Grant & Kelly Link, for Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet
Michael Kelly, for Undertow Publications and Weird Horror
DaVaun Sanders, for Fiyah
Patrick Swenson, for Fairwood Press
Leanbh Pearson 