# Balrog Awards

The Balrog Awards were a set of awards given annually from 1979 to 1985 for the best works and achievements of speculative fiction in the previous year. The awards were named after the balrog, a fictional creature from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth legendarium. The awards were originally announced by editor Jonathan Bacon in Issue #15 of Fantasy Crossroads and presented at the Fool-Con II convention on April Fool's Day, 1979 at Johnson County Community College, Kansas. The awards were never taken seriously and are often referred to, tongue-in-cheek, as the "coveted Balrog Awards".

## Awards (by year)
### 1979

* Best Novel: Blind Voices, Tom Reamy
* Best Short Fiction: "Death from Exposure", Pat Cadigan
* Best Collection/Anthology: Born to Exile, Phyllis Eisenstein
* Best Poet: Ray Bradbury
* Best Artist: Tim Kirk
* Best Amateur Publication: Shayol
* Best Professional Publication: Age of Dreams, Alicia Austin
* Best Amateur Achievement: Paul C. Allen (for Fantasy Newsletter and "Of Swords & Sorcery")
* Best Professional Achievement: J. R. R. Tolkien and Donald M. Grant (tie)
* Judges' Choice: Jonathan Bacon (for Fantasy Crossroads)
* Judges' Choice: Andre Norton (for lifetime achievement)

### 1980

* Best Novel: Dragondrums, Anne McCaffrey
* Best Short Fiction: "The Last Defender of Camelot", Roger Zelazny
* Best Collection/Anthology: Night Shift, Stephen King
* Best Poet: H. Warner Munn
* Best Artist: Michael Whelan
* Best Amateur Publication: Fantasy Newsletter
* Best Professional Publication: Omni
* Best Amateur Achievement: Paul Allen (for Fantasy Newsletter and "Of Swords and Sorcery")
* Best Professional Achievement: Anne McCaffrey
* SF Film Hall of Fame: 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars (tie)
* Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Fantasia
* Special Award: Ian Ballantine & Betty Ballantine

### 1981

* Best Novel: The Wounded Land, Stephen R. Donaldson
* Best Short Fiction: "The Web of the Magi", Richard Cowper
* Best Collection/Anthology: Unfinished Tales, J. R. R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
* Best Poet: H. Warner Munn
* Best Artist: Frank Frazetta
* Best Amateur Publication: Fantasy Newsletter
* Best Professional Publication: F&SF
* Best Amateur Achievement: Paul C. Allen & Susan Allen (for Fantasy Newsletter)
* Best Professional Achievement: George Lucas (for contributions, including the Star Wars saga)
* SF Film Hall of Fame: The Empire Strikes Back
* Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: The Wizard of Oz
* Special Award: Jorge Luis Borges
* Special Award: Fritz Leiber

### 1982

* Best Novel: Camber the Heretic, Katherine Kurtz
* Best Short Fiction: "A Thief in Korianth", C. J. Cherryh
* Best Collection/Anthology: Shadows of Sanctuary, Robert Lynn Asprin, ed.
* Best Poet: Frederick Mayer
* Best Artist: Real Musgrave
* Best Amateur Publication: Eldritch Tales
* Best Professional Publication: Omni
* Best Amateur Achievement: Robert A. Collins (for saving Fantasy Newsletter)
* Best Professional Achievement: George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (tie)
* SF Film Hall of Fame: Forbidden Planet
* Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: King Kong
* Judges' Choice: Leo & Diane Dillon

### 1983

* Best Novel: The One Tree, Stephen R. Donaldson
* Best Short Fiction: "All of Us Are Dying", George Clayton Johnson
* Best Collection/Anthology: Storm Season, Robert Lynn Asprin, ed.
* Best Poet: Frederick J. Mayer
* Best Artist: Tim Hildebrandt
* Best Amateur Publication: Shayol
* Best Professional Publication: F&SF
* Best Amateur Achievement: Allan Bechtold (for SF workshops)
* Best Professional Achievement: Ben Bova (for writing and editing Omni and Analog)
* SF Film Hall of Fame: The Day the Earth Stood Still
* Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: The Dark Crystal
* Special Award: Kirby McCauley

### 1984

* Best Novel: The Armageddon Rag, George R. R. Martin
* Best Short Story: "Wizard Goes A-Courtin'", John Morressy
* Best Collection/Anthology: Unicorn Variations, Roger Zelazny
* Best Poet: Frederick J. Mayer
* Best Artist: Real Musgrave
* Best Amateur Publication: Fantasy Newsletter
* Best Professional Publication: F&SF
* Best Amateur Achievement: Stan Gardner (for saving the Balrogs)
* Best Professional Achievement: Pendragon Gallery (for promoting fantasy artwork)
* SF Film Hall of Fame: Blade Runner
* Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Bambi
* Judges' Choice: Mercer Mayer (for educating children in fantasy art)

### 1985

* Best Novel: The Practice Effect, David Brin
* Best Short Story: "A Troll and Two Roses", Patricia A. McKillip
* Best Collection/Anthology: Daughter of Regals and Other Tales, Stephen R. Donaldson
* Best Poet: Ardath Mayhar
* Best Artist: Richard Pini & Wendy Pini
* Best Amateur Publication: Eldritch Tales
* Best Professional Publication: Masques, J. N. Williamson, ed.
* Best Amateur Achievement: David B. Silva (for The Horror Show)
* Best Professional Achievement: Hap Henriksen (for the National SF/Fantasy Hall of Fame)
* SF Film Hall of Fame: Starman
* SF Film Hall of Fame: E.T. The Extraterrestrial
* Fantasy Film Hall of Fame: Raiders of the Lost Ark
* Special Award: Lester del Rey