Pegasus Award

The Pegasus Awards are filking awards given at the Ohio Valley Filk Fest each year since 1984Pegasus Awards homepage. and were founded "to recognize and honor excellence in filking". The name came from an art piece by F. Kelly Freas called "A Bridle For Pegasus" which featured a woman playing a guitar is riding a bucking pegasus and the awards adopted the name and the image of a pegasus, which appears on their branding.
== Format and Categories ==
The format is similar to the Hugo Awards, except that it is not necessary to be a paid member of the convention to nominate or vote. The votes are tabulated and the awards presented at the Pegasus Awards Banquet held on the Saturday evening of the convention.
There are four regular categories: 
* Best Song - any filk song which has not previously won a Pegasus Award; 
* Best Classic Filk Song (added in 2003 - before this date, there were only three regular categories) - any well known filk song that is at least 10 years old and has not previously won a Pegasus Award, and has not been on the final ballot in this category in both of the previous two years. 
* Best Performer - any performer in the filk community who has not won this Pegasus Award in the past 5 years. 
* Best Writer/Composer - any writer/composer of filk songs who has not won this Pegasus Award in the past 5 years.
There are also two topical categories that vary from year to year; this concept started in 1987. Some past topical categories have been Best Tragedy Song, Best Computer Song, Best Risque Song, and Best Eerie Song. For 2024's awards, the topical categories are: Best Magic Song for the best song about, involving, or driven by magic; and Best Risque Song which is returning for the first time since 1994.
== Winners and Nominees ==
=== 1984 ===
==== Best Original Filk Song ====
* Daddy's Little Girl by Julia Ecklar
* Darkness by Jordin Kare
* Hope Eyrie by Leslie Fish - winner
* The Horse-Tamer's Daughter by Leslie Fish
* Mary O'Meara by Poul Anderson & Anne Passovoy
==== Best Male Filk Singer ====
* Robin Bailey
* Clif Flynt
* Jordin Kare
* Bill Maraschiello - winner
* Bill Roper
==== Best Female Filk Singer ====
* Juanita Coulson
* Julia Ecklar - winner
* Leslie Fish
* Diana Gallagher
* Cynthia McQuillin
==== Best Parody ====
* The Bureaucrat's Hymn by Jordin Kare
* Fool to Feed the Drive by Jordin Kare and Cynthia McQuillin
* Memorandum by Anne Passovoy
* Nick Van Rijn by Robin Bailey & Lee
* Twelve Years at Worldcon by Frank Hayes - winner
==== Best Humorous Filksong ====
* Banned from Argo by Leslie Fish
* The Designer by Jordin Kare
* Beware of the Sentient Chili by Chris Weber
* Unreality Warp by Clif Flynt - winner
* A Reconsideration of Anatomical Docking Maneuvers in a Zero-G Environment by Diana Gallagher
=== 1985 ===
=== 1986 ===
==== Best Original Filk Song ====
* Horse of Silver Gold by Bill Roper
* Planet Called Melody by Bill Roper
* Starship & Haiku by Kathy Mar
* Time and Stars by Sharon Porath
* Witnesses Waltz by Leslie Fish - winner
==== Best Male Filk Singer ====
* Frank Hayes
* Murray Porath
* Bill Roper
* Joey Shoji
* Bill Sutton - winner
==== Best Female Filk Singer ====
* Leslie Fish - winner
* Diana Gallagher
* Kathy Mar
* Margaret Middleton
* Mary Ellen Wessels
==== Best Parody ====
* Daddy's Little Boy by Murray Porath - winner
* God Lives On Tully by Bill Maraschiello
* I'm Sorry Cathy It Just Popped Out by Jane Mailander
* Kinda Mediocre Actually by Clif Flynt and Bill Roper
* Starship in High Gear by Frank Hayes
==== Best Humorous Filksong ====
* Calm Down by Kathy Mar
* Do It Yourself by Bill Sutton
* It Ain't Easy Being Sauron by Bill Maraschiello
* A Reconsideration of Anatomical Docking Maneuvers in a Zero-G Environment by Diana Gallagher - winner
* Stray Dog Man by Bill Sutton
=== 1987 ===
==== Best Filk Song ====
* Crimson and Crystal by Cynthia McQuillin
* The Ferryman by Leslie Fish
* Harbors by Anne Passovoy - winner
* Ladyhawke! by Julia Ecklar
* Mommy Can I Have a Spaceship? by Joey Shoji
==== Best Performer ====
* Meg Davis
* Julia Ecklar - winner
* LA Filkharmonics
* Kathy Mar
* Joey Shoji
==== Best Writer/Composer ====
* Juanita Coulson
* Julia Ecklar
* Duane Elms
* Leslie Fish - winner
* Bill Roper
==== Best Ose, Ose, and More-Ose Song ====
* Bloodchild by Joey Shoji
* Darkness by Jordin Kare
* Ian The Grim by Clif Flynt - winner
* The Pilot's Eyes by Bill Sutton
* Su Madre by Murray Porath
==== Best Schtick ====
* Frank Hayes' Disease Telethons Everywhere! performed by Steve Schwartz and Bill Sutton 
* God's Own Drunk performed by Steve Simmons
* Have Some Madeira, My Dear performed by EVERYONE
* Thais (Wicked Alexandria) performed by Juanita Coulson, Bill Sutton, and Bill Roper
* Unreality Warp/Kinda Mediocre, Actually performed by Clif Flynt and Bill Roper - winner
=== 1988 ===
==== Best Filk Song ====
* Chess (Ad Astra) by Juanita Coulson
* Doppleganger by Kathy Mar
* Stray Dog Man by Bill Sutton
* Time & Stars by Sharon Porath
* Wind From Rainbow's End by Bill Roper - winner
==== Best Performer ====
* Barry and Sally Childs-Helton - winner
* Mitchell Clapp
* Kathy Mar
* Murray Porath
* Technical Difficulties
==== Best Writer/Composer ====
* Barry and Sally Childs-Helton
* Buck and Juanita Coulson
* Duane Elms
* Mercedes Lackey - winner
* Cynthia McQuillin
==== Best Historical Song ====
* Mattie Groves by Frank Hayes
* No Quarter (The Alamo) by Martha Keller and Juanita Coulson
* Quest (Grugan of the Regulars) by Martha Keller and Michael Longcor
* Song of the Shieldwall by Malkin Grey and Peregyn Wyndryder - winner
* The Thousandth Man by Leslie Fish and Rudyard Kipling
==== Best Media Song ====
* The Enterprise Trilogy (Homecoming, Enterprise, Fallen Angel) by Julia Ecklar (Star Trek: The Original Series)
* Hellraiser by Tom Smith (Hellraiser)
* J for Jedi by Bill Maraschiello (Star Wars/Original Trilogy)
* Ladyhawke! by Julia Ecklar (Ladyhawke)
* Superman's Sex Life Boogie by Tom Smith (Superman) - winner
=== 1989 ===
==== Best Filk Song ====
* Bloodchild by Joey Shoji
* Chess (Ad Astra) by Juanita Coulson
* Dawson's Christian by Duane Elms - winner
* Arafel's Song (Tree of Swords & Jewels) by Mercedes Lackey and Kathy Mar - winner
* Red Star Rising by Mitchell Clapp
==== Best Performer ====
* Juanita Coulson
* Murray Porath
* Tom Smith
* Bill Sutton
* Technical Difficulties - winner
==== Best Writer/Composer ====
* T.J. Burnside
* Mitchell Clapp
* Duane Elms - winner
* Kathy Mar
* Cynthia McQuillin
==== Best Fantasy Song ====
* Elf Glade by Meg Davis
* Magician's Wives by Peter Beagle
* Robin Hood by T.J. Burnside
* Shadow Harper by Cynthia McQuillin
* Wind's Four Quarters by Leslie Fish and Mercedes Lackey - winner
==== Best Techie Song ====
* Amphioxious by Juanita Coulson
* Do It Yourself by Bill Sutton - winner
* Drivel by Dr. Jane Robinson
* In The Blood (Flying Machine) by Brenda Sutton
* The S-100 Bus by Frank Hayes
==References==
Category:Filk Music
Category:1984 Awards
Category:1980s Awards