Pulp Ark, the Convention/Creators’ Conference scheduled in Batesville, Arkansas, May 13-15, 2011 will be presenting the First Annual Pulp Ark awards. According to Tommy Hancock, Pulp Ark Coordinator and Pro Se Productions (the company sponsoring Pulp Ark) Editor in Chief, there will be ten awards given at the event in May, 2011 recognizing excellence in various areas within the pulp field. A local Arkansas businessman,” Hancock reported, “wanted to contribute something to this singular event being brought to the state. We discussed what he might want to do and he mentioned recognizing the work done by the creators (The word 'present' was in the previous article. Creators do not have to be present to be nominated or receive the award.). Being a fan himself, he wanted to let writers and artists know of his appreciation for what they do. So, he’s funding the design and manufacture of ten awards.”
Nominations for nine of the ten areas will open November 1, 2010 and close January 31, 2011. The only works eligible are those produced between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2010. Anyone can make a nomination and anyone that makes a nomination will receive a ballot. The only people voting in these nine awards will be those who made a minimum of one nomination. Also, each individual is allowed only ONE NOMINATION PER CATEGORY. A person may nominate someone in all nine categories, but may only nominate once in each category. All nominations are confidential and sources of nominations will not be revealed. All nominations should be mailed to Tommy Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net.
The categories open for nomination are (in no particular order):
1. Best Book (this includes prose novels, short story collections, anthologies. It includes ebooks as well as traditionally printed works)
2. Best short story (this includes stories that appear in short story collections, anthologies, magazines, and e magazines. If from an e-mag, the story must appear on a site identified as an e-magazine, not simply be posted on a site or blog. It includes epublications as well as traditionally printed works.
3. Best Cover Art (This is restricted to prose book publications, including ebooks)
4. Best Interior Art (This is restricted to prose book publications, including ebooks)
5. Best Pulp Related Comic (This refers to a series, complete run, one shot, etc. This award is for art, writing, and all other work associated with the nominated comics and the winner. This includes epublications as well. )
6. Best Pulp Magazine (This award is for art, writing, and all other work associated with the nominated comics and the winner. This includes epublications as well, but the epublication must be identified as an emagazine on the site supporting it. )
7. Best Pulp Revival (The Revival nominated must be published within the calendar year of 2010. This includes epublications as well.)
8. Best Author (This reward refers to the author and any published author is eligible, including novels, short stories, etc. This includes epublications as well).
9. Best New Writer (To be nominated, a writer must have been published for the first time in the pulp field in the calendar year of 2010. This includes epublications as well).
A ballot will be sent out the first week of February, 2011 after close of nominations and will be open for one month from the date the ballot is issued. All ballots must be returned to Hancock at proseproductions@earthlink.net.
The tenth category is a Lifetime Achievement Award and how this will be decided will be announced within the next two weeks, according to Hancock. When asked about how the Pulp Ark awards compare to other awards in both categories and how they are awarded, Hancock commented, “This is not a competition with other awards. This is further recognition of all the great work going on in pulp today. People will comment, maybe even complain that the way we’re doing voting could be better or maybe we should have different categories or whatever it may be. There’s always room for growth, but for this year, this is how the Pulp Ark Awards will be handled.”
Stay tuned to ALL PULP for all your first run Pulp Ark news and check out http://www.proseproductions.com/Press/pulpark.html for everything Pulp Ark!
