# Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel

The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers". To qualify, a work must have been first published by an Australian citizen or permanent resident between 1 January and 31 December of the corresponding year; the presentation ceremony is held the following year. It has grown from a small function of around 20 people to a two-day event attended by over 200 people.
Since their creation in 1995, awards have been given in various categories of speculative fiction. Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction. The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy. The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.
The results are decided by a panel of judges from a list of submitted nominees; the long-list of nominees is reduced to a short-list of finalists. Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner. The judges are selected from a public application process by the Award's management team.
This article lists all the short-list nominees and winners in the best fantasy novel category, as well as novels that have received honourable mentions or have been highly commended. Since 2003, honourable mentions and high commendations have been awarded intermittently. Juliet Marillier, Garth Nix hold the record for most wins with 4. Marillier holds the record for most nominations with 12, and Glenda Larke has the most nominations without winning, having been a losing finalist ten times.

## Winners and nominees

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a blue background have won the award; those with a white background are the nominees on the short-list.
* Winners and joint winners  * Nominees on the shortlist
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher |
| 1995 | Garth Nix* | Sabriel | Moonstone |
| 1995 | David Brooks | The House of Balthus | Allen & Unwin |
| 1995 | Sara Douglass | Battleaxe | Voyager Books |
| 1995 | Paul Kidd | Mus of Kerbridge | TSR |
| 1995 | Tony Shillitoe | The Last Wizard | Pan Macmillan |
| 1996 | Jack Dann* | The Memory Cathedral | Bantam Books |
| 1996 | Sara Douglass* | Enchanter | Voyager Books |
| 1996 | Sara Douglass* | StarMan | Voyager Books |
| 1996 | Shannah Jay | The Price of Wisdom | Pan Macmillan |
| 1996 | Geoffrey McSkimming | Cairo Jim and the Alabastron of Forgotten Gods | Hachette Children's Books Australia |
| 1996 | Dirk Strasser | Equinox | Pan Macmillan |
| 1997 | Kim Wilkins* | The Infernal | Random House |
| 1997 | Isobelle Carmody | Darkfall | Penguin Books |
| 1997 | Sara Douglass | Sinner | Voyager Books |
| 1997 | Kate Forsyth | Dragonclaw | Random House |
| 1997 | Lucy Sussex | Black Ice | Hodder Headline |
| 1998 | Dave Luckett* | A Dark Winter | Omnibus Books |
| 1998 | Jane Routley* | Fire Angels | Avon Eos |
| 1998 | Sara Douglass | Pilgrim | Voyager Books |
| 1998 | Ian Irvine | A Shadow on the Glass | Penguin Books |
| 1998 | Sophie Masson | Cold Iron | Hodder |
| 1999 | Jane Routley* | Aramaya | Avon Eos |
| 1999 | Sara Douglass | Crusader | Voyager Books |
| 1999 | Kate Forsyth | The Cursed Towers | Random House |
| 1999 | Dave Luckett | A Dark Journey/A Dark Victory | Omnibus Books |
| 1999 | Juliet Marillier | Daughter of the Forest | Pan Macmillan |
| 2000 | Juliet Marillier* | Son of the Shadows | Pan Macmillan |
| 2000 | Sara Douglass | The Nameless Day | Voyager Books |
| 2000 | Anthony Eaton | The Darkness | UQP |
| 2000 | Jennifer Fallon | Medalon | Voyager Books |
| 2000 | Hoa Pham | Vixen | Sceptre |
| 2001 | Sara Douglass* | The Wounded Hawk | Voyager Books |
| 2001 | Juliet Marillier | Child of the Prophecy | Pan Macmillan |
| 2001 | Garth Nix | Lirael | Allen & Unwin |
| 2001 | Cameron Rogers | The Music of Razors | Penguin Books |
| 2001 | Sean Williams | The Stone Mage and the Sea | Voyager Books |
| 2002 | Sean Williams* | The Storm Weaver and the Sand | Voyager Books |
| 2002 | Trudi Canavan | The Novice | Voyager Books |
| 2002 | Alison Croggon | The Gift | Penguin Books |
| 2002 | Sara Douglass | Hades' Daughter | Voyager Books |
| 2002 | Sara Douglass | The Crippled Angel | Voyager Books |
| 2002 | Tony Shillitoe | Blood | Voyager Books |
| 2003 | Garth Nix* | Abhorsen | Allen & Unwin |
| 2003 | K. J. Bishop | The Etched City | Prime Books |
| 2003 | Lian Hearn | Grass for His Pillow | Hodder |
| 2003 | Glenda Larke | The Aware | Voyager Books |
| 2003 | Sean McMullen | Voyage of the Shadowmoon | Tor Books |
| 2004 | Sean Williams* | The Crooked Letter | Voyager Books |
| 2004 | Lian Hearn | Brilliance of the Moon | Hodder |
| 2004 | Glenda Larke | The Tainted | Voyager Books |
| 2004 | Sophie Masson | Snow, Fire, Sword | Random House |
| 2004 | Kim Wilkins | Giants of the Frost | Voyager Books |
| 2005 | Juliet Marillier* | Blade of Fortriu | Pan Macmillan |
| 2005 | Sara Douglass | Darkwitch Rising | Voyager Books |
| 2005 | Anthony Eaton | Nightpeople | UQP |
| 2005 | Sonya Hartnett | Surrender | Penguin Books |
| 2005 | Karen Miller | The Innocent Mage | Voyager Books |
| 2006 | Juliet Marillier* | Wildwood Dancing | Pan Macmillan |
| 2006 | Grace Dugan | The Silver Road | Penguin Books |
| 2006 | Glenda Larke | Heart of the Mirage | Voyager Books |
| 2006 | Sean McMullen | Voidfarer | Tor Books |
| 2006 | Michael Pryor | Blaze of Glory | Random House |
| 2007 | Lian Hearn* | Heaven's Net Is Wide | Hachette |
| 2007 | Jennifer Fallon | Gods of Amyrantha | Voyager Books |
| 2007 | Sylvia Kelso | The Moving Water | Five Star Publishing |
| 2007 | Glenda Larke | Song of the Shiver Barrens | Voyager Books |
| 2007 | Michael Pryor | Heart of Gold | Random House |
| 2008 | Alison Goodman* | The Two Pearls of Wisdom | HarperCollins |
| 2008 | Sylvia Kelso | Amberlight | Juno Books |
| 2008 | Margo Lanagan | Tender Morsels | Allen & Unwin |
| 2008 | Juliet Marillier | Heir to Sevenwaters | Pan Macmillan |
| 2008 | Karen Miller | The Riven Kingdom | HarperVoyager |
| 2009 | Trudi Canavan* | Magician's Apprentice | Orbit Books |
| 2009 | Peter M. Ball | Horn | Twelfth Planet Press |
| 2009 | Glenda Larke | The Last Stormlord | HarperVoyager |
| 2009 | K. E. Mills | Witches Incorporated | HarperVoyager |
| 2009 | K. J. Taylor | The Dark Griffin | HarperVoyager |
| 2010 | Tansy Rayner Roberts* | Power and Majesty | HarperVoyager |
| 2010 | Andrea K Höst | The Silence of Medair | Andrea K Hösth |
| 2010 | Trent Jamieson | Death Most Definite | Orbit Books |
| 2010 | Glenda Larke | Stormlord Rising | HarperVoyager |
| 2010 | Juliet Marillier | Heart's Blood | Pan Macmillan |
| 2011 | Pamela Freeman* | Ember and Ash | Hachette |
| 2011 | Jennifer Fallon | The Undivided | HarperVoyager |
| 2011 | Glenda Larke | Stormlord's Exile | HarperVoyager |
| 2011 | Jo Anderton | Debris | Angry Robot |
| 2011 | Tansy Rayner Roberts | The Shattered City | HarperVoyager |
| 2012 | Margo Lanagan* | Sea Hearts | Allen & Unwin |
| 2012 | Kate Forsyth | Bitter Greens | Random House Australia |
| 2012 | Jay Kristoff | Stormdancer | Tor UK |
| 2012 | Juliet Marillier | Flame of Sevenwaters | Pan Macmillan Australia |
| 2012 | Jo Spurrier | Winter Be My Shield | HarperVoyager |
| 2013 | Mitchell Hogan* | A Crucible of Souls | Mitchell Hogan |
| 2013 | Max Barry | Lexicon | Hachette Australia |
| 2013 | Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner | These Broken Stars | Allen & Unwin |
| 2013 | Garth Nix | Newt's Emerald | Jill Grinberg Literary Management |
| 2013 | Tansy Rayner Roberts | Ink Black Magic | FableCroft Publishing |
| 2014 | Juliet Marillier* | Dreamer's Pool | Pan Macmillan Australia |
| 2014 | Keri Arthur | Fireborn | Hachette Australia |
| 2014 | Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner | This Shattered World | Allen & Unwin |
| 2014 | Glenda Larke | The Lascar's Dagger | Hachette Australia |
| 2014 | Scott Westerfeld | Afterworlds | Penguin Books Australia |
| 2014 | Kim Wilkins | Daughters of the Storm | Harlequin Enterprises Australia |
| 2015 | Trent Jamieson* | Day Boy | Text Publishing |
| 2015 | Kathryn Barker | In the Skin of a Monster | Allen & Unwin |
| 2015 | Alison Goodman | Lady Helen and the Dark Days Club | HarperCollins |
| 2015 | Glenda Larke | The Dagger's Path | HarperVoyager |
| 2015 | Juliet Marillier | Tower of Thorns | Pan Macmillan Australia |
| 2015 | Ilka Tampke | Skin | Text Publishing |
| 2016 | Jay Kristoff* | Nevernight | HarperVoyager |
| 2016 | Glenda Larke | The Fall of the Dagger | Hachette Australia |
| 2016 | Juliet Marillier | Den of Wolves | Pan Macmillan Australia |
| 2016 | Angela Slatter | Vigil | Jo Fletcher Books |
| 2016 | Mark Smith | Road to Winter | Text Publishing |
| 2016 | Kim Wilkins | Sisters of the Fire | Harlequin Australia |
| 2017 | Jay Kristoff* | Godsgrave | HarperCollins Publishers |
| 2017 | Thoraiya Dyer | Crossroads of Canopy | Tor Books |
| 2017 | Goldie Goldbloom | Gwen | Fremantle Press |
| 2017 | Kathryn Gossow | Cassandra | Odyssey Books |
| 2017 | Michael Pryor | Gap Year in Ghost Town | Allen & Unwin |
| 2017 | Robin Shortt | Wellside | Candlemark & Gleam |
| 2018 | Sam Hawke* | City of Lies | Penguin Random House |
| 2018 | Maria Lewis* | The Witch Who Courted Death | Hachette Australia |
| 2018 | Alan Baxter | Devouring Dark | Grey Matter Press |
| 2018 | Alison Goodman | Lady Helen and the Dark Days Deceit | HarperCollins Publishers |
| 2018 | Aletha Kinsela | Lightning Tracks | Plainspeak Publishing |
| 2018 | Devin Madson | We Ride the Storm | (self-published) |
| 2019 | Garth Nix* | Angel Mage | Allen & Unwin |
| 2019 | Jay Kristoff | Darkdawn | HarperCollins Publishers |
| 2019 | Maria Lewis | The Wailing Woman | Piatkus |
| 2019 | Juliet Marillier | The Harp of Kings | Macmillan |
| 2019 | P. M. Freestone | The Darkest Bloom | Scholastic |
| 2019 | Michael Pryor | Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Garth Nix* | The Left-Handed Booksellers of London | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Sam Hawke* | Hollow Empire | Bantam Press |
| 2020 | Claire McKenna | Monstrous Heart | HarperVoyager |
| 2020 | Astrid Scholte | The Vanishing Deep | Allen & Unwin |
| 2020 | Dirk Strasser | Conquist | Chimaera Publications |
| 2020 | Bonnie Wynne | The Ninth Sorceress | Talem Press |
| 2021 | C. S. Pacat* | Dark Rise | Allen & Unwin |
| 2021 | Angela Slatter | All the Murmuring Bones | Titan Publishing |
| 2021 | Freya Marske | A Marvellous Light | Tor |
| 2021 | Maria Lewis | The Rose Daughter | Piatkus |
| 2021 | Shelley Parker-Chan | She Who Became the Sun | Mantle |
| 2021 | Meg Grace | Supermums: And So It Begins | (self-published) |
| 2022 | Kate Emery | The Not So Chosen One | Text |
| 2022 | Trent Jamieson | The Stone Road | Erewhon |
| 2022 | Freya Marske | A Restless Truth | Tor |
| 2022 | Daniel O'Malley | Blitz | HarperCollins |
| 2022 | Angela Slatter | Path of Thorns | Titan |
| 2022 | Sean Williams | Honour Among Ghosts | Allen & Unwon |

## Statistics

Multiple wins (as of 2022, after the 2021 winner announced):
* Juliet Marillier (4)
* Garth Nix (4)
* Sara Douglass (3)
* Jay Kristoff (3)
* Jane Routley (2)
* Sean Williams (2)
Most nominations:
* Juliet Marillier (12)
* Sara Douglass (11)
* Glenda Larke (10)
* Garth Nix (6)
* Jay Kristoff (4)
* Michael Pryor (4)
* Kim Wilkins (4)
* Jennifer Fallon (3)
* Kate Forsyth (3)
* Alison Goodman (3)
* Lian Hearn (3)
* Maria Lewis (3)
* Tansy Rayner Roberts (3)
* Sean Williams (3)

## Honourable mentions and highly commended novels

In the following table, the years correspond to the year of the book's eligibility; the ceremonies are always held the following year. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature" article. Entries with a grey background have been noted as highly commended; those with a white background have received honourable mentions.
* Highly commended  * Honourable mentions
| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher |
| 2003 | Ian Irvine | Scrutator | Viking Press |
| 2003 | Anthony O'Neil | Lamplighter | HarperCollins |
| 2005 | Trudi Canavan* | Priestess of the White | Voyager Books |
| 2006 | Kylie Chan | White Tiger | Voyager Books |
| 2006 | Lian Hearn | The Harsh Cry of the Heron | Hachette Livre |
| 2007 | Pamela Freeman | Blood Ties | Hachette Australia |
| 2007 | Karen Miller | Empress of Mijak | Voyager Books |