The shortlist for the 2013 Kitschie Awards have been announced. The Kitschie’s are given annually to books that fulfil the criteria of being progressive, intelligent as well as entertaining. They must also contain speculative and or fantastic elements. The award is well regarded by both the mainstream and independent aspects of the publishing industry and is judged by a panel of peers. Each award includes a sum of money, a hand crafted Tentacle trophy and a bottle of Kraken Rum.

The Red Tentacle Award is for the novel that best fits the Kitschie’s criteria. The cash prize is £1000.

The finalists are  Red Doc> by Anne Carson (Jonathan Cape),  A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (Canongate), Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon (Jonathan Cape), More Than This by Patrick Ness (Walker) and  The Machine by James Smythe (HarperCollins / Blue Door)

The Golden Tentacle Award is handed out for a debut novel that best fits the principles behind The Kitschies. The book must be the author’s first published work of novel-length fiction in any genre. The cash prize is £500.

The finalists are Stray by Monica Hesse (Hot Key),  A Calculated Life by Anne Charnock (47 North), Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Orbit), Nexus by Ramez Naam (Angry Robot) and Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan (Atlantic).

The judges for both the Red and Gold tentacle awards are journalist and technologist Anab Jain, urban fantasy novelist Kate Griffin, science fiction writer Nick Harkaway, Young Adult author Will Hill and Annabel Wright, a highly experienced and respected editor and publishing professional.

The Inky Tentacle Award is for best cover and has been judged by some of the finest artists and designers in the field, and the panel comprises of Craig Kennedy, Sarah Anne Langton, Hazel Thompson and Emma Vieceli.

The finalists are: Dreams and Shadows designed and illustrated by Sinem Erkas and written by C. Robert Cargill (Gollancz), The Age Atomic art by Will Staehle and written by Adam Christopher (Angry Robot),  Homeland and Pirate Cinema designed by Amazing15 and written by Cory Doctorow (Titan), Stray by Monica Hesse (Hot Key)  with art by Gianmarco Magnani and Apocalypse Now Now by Charlie Human (Century) with the art by Joey Hi-Fi.

Kitschies judge and author of the Department 19 series told Starburst Magazine “Judging this year’s Kitschies was a true labour of love – the standard was enormously high, and narrowing more than 230 submissions down to ten caused a number of sleepless nights. And arguments. Lots of them. But they were the best kind of arguments – debating great works of fiction, searching for the books that best expressed what The Kitschies stand for, the values that have made the awards so highly respected. I’m hugely proud of the shortlists we came up with. And nobody has (yet) angrily posted my address or phone number on Twitter, which is a definite bonus.”

The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at London’s Seven Dials Club on February 12th. More information can be found on www.thekitschies.com.

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