(Image of the 2015 Chesley Award design by Joy Alyssa Day and B.E. Johnson)

Thursday, August 18th, 2016 saw the announcement of the 31st annual Chesley Awards, and I had the privilege of being there to see it happen live at the 74th WorldCon held in Kansas City, Missouri at MidAmeriCon II.

The Chesley Awards, named after famed artist Chelsey Bonestell, are bestowed annually by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, ASFA, to “recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year”.

I truly appreciate that these awards are focused solely on the artists and artistic works that bring so much beauty, inspiration, and imagination to the science fiction and fantasy community. I also welcome the fact that the short list in each of the art categories is comprised of specific works of art published in the previous year, rather than judging the artist’s overall body of work.

The unfortunate side of that method of artist recognition is that each category is filled with the kind of impressive artwork that makes you want to see everyone win. The 2016 nominees were no exception.

(2016 Chesley winners and presenters, photo by Mike Zipser)

It was so much fun to watch Sara Felix, President of ASFA, and her board present these awards.

So with no further ado, the winners are:

Best Cover Illustration / Hardcover
Todd Lockwood, Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan (Tor, March 2015)

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Richard Anderson for The Dinosaur Lords, Victor Milán (Tor)
Lius Lasahido for Hannu Rajaniemi: Collected Fiction, Hannu Rajaniemi (Tachyon)
Cynthia Sheppard for Karen Memory, Elizabeth Bear (Tor)
Sam Weber for Dune, Frank Herbert (The Folio Society)

Best Cover Illustration – Paperback
Tyler Jacobson, Beyond the Pool of Stars by Howard Andrew Jones (Tor, October 2015)

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Julie Dillon for The Very Best of Kate Elliott, Kate Elliott (Tachyon)
Jeffrey Alan Love for Wolfhound Century, Peter Higgins (Gollancz)
David Palumbo for Binti, Nnedi Okorafor (Tor.com)
John Picacio for Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Jack Finney (Simon & Schuster)

Best Cover Illustration – Magazine
Tran Nguyen, Uncanny #4, May/June 2015

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Maurizio Manzieri for Asimov’s (10-11/15)
Reiko Murakami for Lightspeed #63 (8/15)
Greg Ruth for Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird #1 (Dark Horse Comics 12/15)
shichigoro-shingo for Clarkesworld #109 (10/15)

Best Interior Illustration
Peter Mohrbacher, Angelarium: Book of Emanations by Peter Mohrbacher & Eli Minaya

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Galen Dara for “Tuesdays with Molakesh the Destroyer”, Megan Grey (Fireside 1/15)
Marcel Mercado for Southlands Bestiary (Pathfinder RPG) (Kobold Press)
Tran Nguyen for “Transition Management Survey” (Chief Investment Officer 9/15)
Sam Weber for Dune, Frank Herbert (The Folio Society)

Best Color Work – Unpublished
Donato Giancola, Beron and Luthien in the Court of Thingal and Melian, Oil

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Joseph Bellofatto for “Star Ship” (oil)
Wayne Haag for “Desert Wreck” (oil)
Jessica TC Lee for “Enchanted” (digital)
Elizabeth Leggett for “After Hours” (digital)
Mark Poole for “Memories” (oil)
Eric Velhagen for “Felines” (oil)

Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished
Travis Lewis, Symbiosis, Graphite

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Rovina Cai for “Cold Wind”
Jeremy Enecio for “Progeny” (graphite on moleskin)
Mark Molchan for “The Return” (graphite)
Ruth Sanderson for “Invoking the Dragon” (ink & scratchboard)
Chris Seaman for “Family Portraithausen” (acrylic)
Allen Williams for “Bound” (graphite & gold leaf accent)

Best Three-Dimensional Art
Forest Rogers, The Morrigan, Mixed

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Devon Dorrity for “Flight of the Merrow” (clay & bronze)
Thomas Kuebler for “Adelpha and Her Sister” (mixed)
Stelios Mousarris for “Inception Coffee Table” (wood)
Virginie Ropars for “Okunoshima” (mixed)
Vincent Villafranca for “Dark Day for the Metal Heads” (bronze)

Best Gaming Related Illustration
Ryan Yee, Fruit of the First Tree – Fate Reforged Magic Card, WotC

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Clint Cearley for “Mind Rot” (Wizards of the Coast)
Vincent Proce for “Guardian Automaton” (Wizards of the Coast)
Anna Steinbauer for “Blessed Spirits” (Wizards of the Coast)
Min Yum for “Sandblast” (Wizards of the Coast)

Best Product Illustration
John Picacio, El Arbol – Loteria card, Lone Boy

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Linda Adair for “Adolescence” (IlluXcon 8 promo art)
Mitchell Bentley for Mitchell Davidson Bentley 2015 Calendar (Albon Lake & Atomic Fly Studios)
Rovina Cai for “Black Hole” (Cosmos Tarot & Oracle Deck illustration from The Light Grey Art Lab)
Jacob Murray for A Game of Thrones: The Card Game (2nd ed. box art, Fantasy Flight Games)
Magali Villeneuve for George R.R. Martin: Song of Ice and Fire 2016 Calendar (Bantam)

Best Art Director
Neil Clarke, Clarkesworld magazine

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

Irene Gallo for Tor
Jeremy Jarvis for Wizards of the Coast
Elizabeth Leggett for Lightspeed
Lauren Panepinto for Orbit & Muddy Colors
Betsy Wollheim & Sheila Gilbert for DAW

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award
Kinuko Y. Craft

Additional nominees (click on the name/title to see the art):

David A. Hardy
Gregory Manchess
Iain McCaig
Wendy Pini
Drew Struzan

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There you have it folks, your nominees and your winners of the 2016 Chesley Awards. Congratulations to all the winners and also to the nominees, each category has a strong set of contenders.

As I sit here nearly a week later it seems unreal that I was finally able to experience a WorldCon and all the things that go along with that, like the Chesley Awards.

It was a pleasure to see John Picacio win for his El Arbol piece, which is part of his ongoing Loteria project. Of the two awards he was up for, I know this one had the most personal connection for him because this piece was created as a tribute to author Jay Lake, who was losing his battle with cancer when John started the piece and passed away before it was complete. El Arbol honors Jay and his family and I know it was a special win for John.

It was also nice to see artist Kinuko Y. Craft win the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award. I became aware of her work when she started doing covers for Patricia A. McKillip’s lyrical fantasy novels, and it was a perfect marriage of words and pictures.

If you get a chance to attend a WorldCon, be sure to schedule in time to attend the Chesley Awards, and in the meantime consider supporting ASFA. They do much to support the artistic community and they have some ambitious plans for the future.