Geffen Awards
See the list of nominees for Geffen 2004 (English translation at bottom of page)
The Geffen awards, named after Amos Geffen, one of the earliest and most important figures in Israeli science fiction, are given each year by the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy to the best publications in the genres.
The selection of winners and the award ceremony are both carried out during the yearly ICon festival. The voting is done by ICon visitors, and is conducted in a similar manner to the Hugo awards.
The Geffen awards were constituted in order to promote the publication of science fiction and fantasy in Israel, as well as to attract public attention to the genres. The recent addition of categories for original fiction -- novels and short stories originally written and published in Hebrew -- reflects the remarkable surge during the last few years in Israeli authors entering the speculative fiction field.
The awards are given in four categories:
The 2004 Geffen will be given in three categories -- best translated science fiction novel, best translated fantasy novel, and best original short story. The award for best original novel will next be given in 2005.
The first stage of voting, lasting from July 1 to August 31, 2004, is open to members of the Israeli Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy only. This stage determines the five finalists in each category out of all the novels and stories published in the country in the last year. The list of finalists will be available online by September 3.
The second and final stage of voting will be carried out during the ICon festival itself, and in that stage all the festival visitors will be able to have their say.
The Geffen committee wishes the nominees the best of luck.