For many years, the Libertarian Futurist Society has distributed a quarterly paper newsletter, Prometheus, which featured book reviews, essays, interviews and news about our doings, sending it out using the U.S. mail system that according to legend was begun by Benjamin Franklin.
As much as we admire Ben and enjoyed our newsletter, we have decided that it is time to enter the digital age, and turn our publication into a website. This will allow wider access for our news and views, and allow members of the Libertarian Futurist Society to share pieces they enjoy with a wider audience, posting links via social media or using their own blogs.
If you came across this blog by accident, let me explain that it is part of a larger website run by the Libertarian Futurist Society, which presents two awards for science fiction exploring the importance of individual liberty: The Prometheus Award (for a science fiction novel published in the previous year) and the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (for classic science fiction).
We also give out special awards for works that fall outside of our usual award categories.
The Prometheus Award dates back to 1979, when it was created by author L. Neil Smith, and became a regular award in 1982 with the founding of the Libertarian Futurist Society. While we are not as venerable as the Hugos or the Nebulas, we have been around for more than 35 years and are one of the older science fiction awards.
During that time, we are proud to have brought recognition to many fine works of science fiction. Many of our award winning authors identify as “libertarian,” but many of them do not, evidence that we have stressed literary excellence and attempted to avoid political sectarianism.
We welcome new recruits to our organization. If you are a science fiction fan interested in individual liberty, we invite you to explore the rest of our website and learn more about us.
ABOUT THE LFS AND PROMETHEUS AWARDS:
* Join us! To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, join the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf/fantasy fans.
Libertarian futurists believe that culture matters. We understand that the arts and literature can be vital in envisioning a freer and better future – and in some ways can be even more powerful than politics in the long run, by imagining better visions of the future incorporating peace, prosperity, progress, tolerance, justice, positive social change, and mutual respect for each other’s rights, human dignity, individuality and peaceful choices.
* Prometheus winners: For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees – including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards – visit the enhanced Prometheus Awards page on the LFS website, which now includes convenient links to all published essay-reviews in our Appreciation series explaining why each of more than 100 past winners since 1979 fits the awards’ distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.
* Watch videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog’s Video page.
* Read “The Libertarian History of Science Fiction,” an essay in the international|magazine Quillette that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.
* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Facebook page for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.
How does a writer submit their novel for the Award? What are the requirements?
Thanks