Ursa Major Awards Announced

The winners of the third annual Ursa Major Awards (formally the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts Awards), for the Best in
anthropomorphic/"funny animal" literature and art first published during the calendar year 2003, were announced at a presentation ceremony on Saturday, June 5 at the Canadian Anthro & Cartooning Expo (C-ACE) 2004, held at the Chimo Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario on June 4 - 6, 2004.

The Ursa Major Awards are Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalents of s-f fandom's Hugo Awards, mystery fandom's Anthony Awards, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth. The Ursa Majors are administered and presented by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA), an organization dedicated to promoting anthropomorphic literature and arts both within and outside of the fandom. Nominations and voting for the awards are open to the public. The physical award consists of an illustrated trophy certificate or plaque, designed by the artist Heather Bruton.

Eligibility in ten categories is for works featuring intelligent &/or
talking animals first published during the calendar year 2003. This can include new compilations of older works, such as a new collection of previously-published separate works. The winners are chosen by popular vote among those participating in Anthropomorphic Fandom who, first, submitted their nominations for the winners, and then voted upon a final ballot consisting of the five finalists (those receiving the most nominations) in each category.

Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture: Finding Nemo (Disney/Pixar, released May 30, 2003)

Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Series: Gary the Rat (Grammnet Productions for TNN/Spike TV; 2003 episodes, Season One, #1 (June 26) through #13 (December 11)

Best Anthropomorphic Novel: Between Darkness and Light, by Lisanne Norman. (DAW Books, January 2003)

Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction: "In the Line of Duty", by M. C. A. Hogarth, in Anthrolations #7, November 2003.

Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work: Best in Show: Fifteen Years of Outstanding Furry Fiction, edited by Fred Patten. (Sofawolf Press, July 2003; short story anthology)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book: Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai. (Dark Horse, monthly, 2003 issues from v. III #63, January to #71, November)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip: Kevin & Kell, by Bill Holbrook.
(Internet, daily, 2003 strips from January 1 to December 31)

Best Anthropomorphic Fanzine: Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe (2003 issues from #32, March, to #34, November)

Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration: the cover painting by Ursula Vernon of Best in Show: Fifteen Years of Outstanding Furry Fiction, by Fred Patten. (Sofawolf Press, July 2003)

Best Anthropomorphic Game: Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo. (Developer: Frontier Developments, Ltd.; Publisher: BAM! Entertainment Inc.; released October 8, 2003)

For futher information, see the Ursa Major Awards website at
http://www.ursamajorawards.org/; or contact Awards Committee Chairman Fred Patten at fredpatten[AT]earthlink[DOT]net