Gandalf Award facts for kids
The Gandalf Awards were special prizes given out every year from 1974 to 1981. They celebrated amazing writers in the world of fantasy stories. These awards were named after Gandalf, the wise wizard from J. R. R. Tolkien's famous Middle-earth books.
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. The Gandalf Awards were similar to the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, which started a year later. For two years, in 1978 and 1979, there was also an award for the best new fantasy novel.
Gandalf Grand Master Award
The Gandalf Grand Master Award was given to writers for their lifetime achievements in fantasy writing. This award was given out every year from 1974 to 1981. The very first winner was J. R. R. Tolkien, who had recently 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 for this award. All the winners after Tolkien had been finalists 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 Best Book
The Gandalf Award for Book-Length Fantasy was only given out twice, in 1978 and 1979. This award recognized a great fantasy novel published in the year before.
- 1978: The Silmarillion, written by J. R. R. Tolkien and put together by Christopher Tolkien
- 1979: The White Dragon, by Anne McCaffrey
See also
- Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America
- World Fantasy Award
