Gandalf Award facts for kids
The Gandalf Awards were special prizes given out every year from 1974 to 1981. They celebrated amazing achievements in fantasy books and stories. These awards were named after Gandalf, the wise wizard from J. R. R. Tolkien's famous Middle-earth stories.
The awards were created by Lin Carter and a group of fantasy writers called the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA). People who attended the World Science Fiction Conventions voted for the winners, similar to how the Hugo Awards are chosen.
Most of the time, the Gandalf Award was for a writer's whole career, celebrating their "life achievement." This is a bit like the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement that started later. In 1978 and 1979, there was also an award for a specific fantasy novel published that year.
Gandalf Grand Master Award
The Gandalf Grand Master Award was given to celebrate a writer's entire career in fantasy writing. This award was given out every year from 1974 to 1981.
The very first winner in 1974 was J. R. R. Tolkien, who had passed away in 1973.
- 1974: J. R. R. Tolkien
- 1975: Fritz Leiber
- 1976: L. Sprague de Camp
- 1977: Andre Norton
- 1978: Poul Anderson
- 1979: Ursula K. Le Guin
- 1980: Ray Bradbury
- 1981: C. L. Moore
In 1981, there was no voting process for this award. All the winners after J. R. R. Tolkien had been finalists for the award in previous years. Other famous writers who were nominated included C. S. Lewis, Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Anne McCaffrey, and Patricia McKillip.
Gandalf Award for Book-Length Fantasy
The Gandalf Award for Book-Length Fantasy was only given out twice, in 1978 and 1979. This award recognized a single, outstanding fantasy novel.
- 1978: The Silmarillion, by J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
- 1979: The White Dragon, by Anne McCaffrey
See also
- Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America
- World Fantasy Award
