2009 Ursa Major Awards voting now underway

Voting for the Ursa Major Awards for the Best Anthropomorphic Literature and Art of 2009 is now open, and takes place until April 18. Anyone may vote, and you are encouraged to ask your friends to vote also. Visit the Ursa Major Awards web site for details on how to vote.

There are five nominees in each of the ten categories, except where there was a tie for fifth place, or fewer than five eligible nominees. To be eligible, a work must have been released during the calendar year 2009; must include a non-human being given human attributes (anthropomorphic), which can be mental and/or physical (for example the intelligent dogs in Up for the former, and Fantastic Mr. Fox for the latter); and must receive more than one nomination.

And the nominees are...

Best Motion Picture

Live-action or animated feature-length movies.

• Avatar
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• The Princess and the Frog
• Up
• Where the Wild Things Are

Best Dramatic Short Work or Series

TV series or one-shots, advertisements or short videos.

• The Cat Piano
• Partly Cloudy
• The Penguins of Madagascar
• Prep and Landing
• The Secret Saturdays

Best Novel

Written works of 40,000 words or more. Serialized novels qualify only for the year that the final chapter is published.

• Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs
• Cheetah's Win by Phil Geusz
• Jazmyn by Bernard Doove
• Out of Position by Kyell Gold
• Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
• The Unscratchables by Cornelius Kane

Best Short Fiction

Stories less than 40,000 words, poetry and other short written works.

• Drifting by Kyell Gold
• Moonthief by Not Tube
• Stop the World by Kyell Gold
• Thou Shalt Not Make Wrongful Use Of The Name Of Thy Lord by Whyte Yote
• Trading Wishes by Kevin Frane

Best Other Literary Work

Story collections, comic collections, graphic novels, non-fiction works, and convention program books.

• Bloom County – The Complete Library, Volume 1 By Berke Breathed
• Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges
• The First Book of Lapism by Phil Geusz
• Who Are The Furries? by Denise Winterman
• X edited by Kyell Gold

Best Graphic Story

Includes comic books and serialised online stories.

• Concession by Immelman
• Furthia High by QuetzaDrake
• Jack by David Hopkins (withdrawn April 9)
• Lackadaisy by Tracy J. Butler
• Twokinds by Tom Fischbach

Best Comic Strip

Newspaper-style strips, including those with ongoing arcs.

• Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures by Amber M. Williams
• Doc Rat by Jenner
• Freefall by Mark Stanley
• Housepets! by Rick Griffin
• Kevin and Kell by Bill Holbrook

Best Magazine

Professional magazines, amateur zines, fanzines, internet-only magazines.

• ANTHRO edited by Quentin Long
• Heat published by Sofawolf
• New Fables edited by Tim Susman
• South Fur Lands edited by Bernard Doove
• Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe edited by Gene Breshears

Best Published Illustration

Illustrations for books, magazines, convention program books, cover art for such, coffee table portfolios.

• Gaia's Strange Seedlike Brood (Homage to Lynn Margulis) by Patrick Farley
• It's Beautiful by Jailbird
• Jazmyn by Sara Palmer
• New Coyote by Kenket
• Out of Position by Blotch

Best Game

Computer or console games, role-playing games, board games.

• Earth Eternal
• G-Force: The Video Game
• Predation: The Board Game
• Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time

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More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Awards, the Ursa Major Awards are presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. They are intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalent of the Hugo Awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom's Anthony Awards, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth.

The Ursa Major Awards are administered by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA), a membership organization dedicated to promoting anthropomorphic literature and arts. Discussions are ongoing to improve their effectiveness and expand their presence throughout furry fandom. All suggestions are invited via the Ursa Major Awards web site.