British Fantasy Award

The British Fantasy Awards (BFA) are awarded annually by the British Fantasy Society (BFS), first in 1976. Prior to that they were known as The August Derleth Fantasy Awards (see August Derleth Award). First awarded in 1972 (to The Knight of Swords by Michael Moorcock) only for novels, the number of award categories increased and in 1976 the BFS renamed them collectively to the British Fantasy Awards. As of 2023 the award categories are:
 * Best Fantasy Novel (the Robert Holdstock Award)
 * Best Horror Novel (the August Derleth Award)
 * Best Novella
 * Best Short Fiction
 * Best Anthology
 * Best Collection
 * Magazine/Periodical
 * Best Independent Press
 * Best Artist
 * Best Audio
 * Best Non-Fiction
 * Best Newcomer (the Sydney J. Bounds Award)
 * The Karl Edward Wagner Award for "important contribution to the genre or the Society" is given at the discretion of the BFS committee.

The membership of the BFS vote to determine the shortlists of the awards, the winners being decided by juries.

Conventional Fiction Writing
1Previously "Best Short Story", before 2008.

2Was originally presented as a single award known as "Best Novel", the August Derleth Fantasy Award, until split in 2012.

Anthology, Collection, Magazine, and Press
1Provided as "Small Press" until 2015, when that was ended and replace with "Independent"

Multimedia
1Was initially conferred 1973-1980 as "Best Comic"; it was revived in 2009 as "Best Comic / Graphic Novel". The category was removed at the 2022 AGM

2Awarded only to films from 1973 to 1990, this honor was renewed 2009–2011, (though split into two separate categories), and again starting in 2014 as "Best Film / Television Episode", and then "Best Film / Television Production" from 2016 onward. In the two years 2012–2013, the BFS decided to present for extraordinary contributions to screenplay literature to Woody Allen for Midnight in Paris (2012) and co-writers Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon for Cabin in the Woods (2013). The category was again removed following the 2022 AGM.

Award controversy of 2011
In 2011, British writer Sam Stone won the British Fantasy Award but returned it three days later after editor and anthologist Stephen Jones posted a blog entry pointing out that three of the winning entries (and many of the shortlisted works) were published by Telos Publishing, a company owned by David Howe. At the time, Howe was also chair of the British Fantasy Society, British Fantasy Award coordinator, and partner of Stone.