{"id":7692,"date":"2024-06-06T00:02:24","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T05:02:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/?p=7692"},"modified":"2025-06-19T20:04:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T01:04:00","slug":"did-you-know-that-fantasy-is-just-as-eligible-as-science-fiction-for-prometheus-awards-recognition-and-that-shouldnt-be-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/did-you-know-that-fantasy-is-just-as-eligible-as-science-fiction-for-prometheus-awards-recognition-and-that-shouldnt-be-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Did you know that fantasy is just as eligible as science fiction for Prometheus Awards recognition? (And that shouldn\u2019t be news!)"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Michael Grossberg<\/a><\/p>\n

Works of fantasy are eligible to consider for the Prometheus Awards, along with science fiction.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Lord of the Rings, inducted in 2009 into the Prometheus Hall of Fame<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fantasy has always been eligible for nomination \u2013 which might be news to some.<\/p>\n

Many falsely assume that the Prometheus Awards are exclusively focused on \u201clibertarian science fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

And many continue to do so, even though several notable works of fantasy have been selected this year as finalists in both annual categories for Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (the Prometheus Hall of Fame.)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Surprisingly, at least to me, many people (even some long-time Libertarian Futurist Society members) haven\u2019t fully appreciated the broad range of speculative and fantastical fiction that can be considered for a Prometheus Award, so long as it also in some ways explores the virtues and benefits of liberty and\/or the dangers and evils of tyranny and other forms of unchecked and abusive State power.<\/p>\n

PROMETHEAN MISCONCEPTIONS
\n<\/strong>
\nI consider that misperception to rank high among the biggest false beliefs commonly held about the Prometheus Awards \u2013 which admittedly aren\u2019t the easiest of literary or sf\/fantasy awards to comprehend, partly because of their dual focus on both liberty and quality within the speculative genres.<\/p>\n

Yet, unlike many other misconceptions that tend to be based on limited understanding of or false beliefs about libertarianism and that mostly arise from sf\/fantasy fans outside the Libertarian Futurist Society, the assumption that the Prometheus Awards focuses only on libertarian science fiction tends to arise within the LFS membership itself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And somehow, that belief has persisted for decades, despite quite a few works of fantasy being nominated for a Prometheus Award over the decades \u2013 and in all three categories to boot.<\/p>\n

THIS YEAR\u2019S FANTASY FINALISTS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only that, quite a few fantasy works have become Prometheus finalists \u2013 including this year!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nIn fact, three of the four 2024 Prometheus Hall of Fame finalists are works of fantasy: Terry Pratchett\u2019s comic novel The Truth<\/em>, the Rush song \u201cThe Trees,\u201d<\/a> and the Harry Turtledove novel Between the Rivers. <\/em><\/p>\n

(Poul Anderson\u2019s Orion Shall Rise,<\/em> the other Hall of Fame finalist, is science fiction.)<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Howard Andrew Jones\u2019 Lord of a Shattered Land,<\/em><\/a> an epic sword-and-sorcery novel, is one of five Best Novel finalists this year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>(The other four finalists are science fiction, though one of them, God\u2019s Girlfriend,<\/em> <\/a>incorporates some fantasy and supernatural tropes.)<\/p>\n

THE LORDS OF FANTASY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only that, but quite a few works of fantasy have become Prometheus finalists in various categories over the decades, and several outstanding works of fantasy have actually won our award.<\/p>\n

One might go so far as to argue that one of the greatest works to be recognized by the Prometheus Awards is clearly fantasy, not to mention the masterwork and \u201cur-text\u201d of modern fantasy: J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s classic trilogy The Lord of the Rings<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Among the other fantasy-themed classics that have been inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame: Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s fable The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em><\/a> (the 2000 winner) and George Orwell\u2019s parable Animal Farm<\/em><\/a> (the 2011 winner).<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Plus, arguably, Patrick McGoohan\u2019s TV series The Prisoner<\/em> <\/a>incorporates fantasy and fantastical elements into its saga of individualism and resistance that were never fully explained via science fiction.<\/p>\n

Moreover, one of the most appropriate Special Prometheus Awards ever presented, in my opinion, recognized writer-filksinger Leslie Fish for her fantasy novella \u201cTower of Horses\u201d and related song<\/a> \u201cThe Horsetamer\u2019s Daughter\u201d \u2013 which proves that genuine and lasting libertarian issues can arise plausibly and powerfully even within a primitive medieval-monarchy fantasy setting.<\/p>\n

FANTASY NOMINEES FOR BEST NOVEL<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>
\nBy my rough count, about 22 fantasy novels have been nominated over the decades for the Prometheus Award for Best Novel \u2013 including several that went on to become Best Novel finalists.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most notable is Terry Pratchett\u2019s Night Watch<\/em>,<\/a> a satirical work within his Discworld series that ingeniously and wittily retells and illuminates key aspects of human history and progress toward modern civilization. Night Watch<\/em> deservedly won the 2003 Best Novel award.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Among other Best Novel-nominated fantasy novels: Larry Correia and Sarah Hoyt\u2019s fantasy-horror-themed Monster Hunter Guardian,<\/em> David Friedman\u2019s Harald,<\/em> Terry Goodkind\u2019s Chainfire<\/em>, Raymond Khoury\u2019s Empire of Lies<\/em>, and Karen Michalson\u2019s Enemy Glory<\/em> and Hecate\u2019s Glory.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em>Also, Terry Pratchett\u2019s Raising Steam,<\/em> J. Neil Schulman\u2019s Escape from Heaven<\/em>, Thomas Sipos\u2019 Vampire Nation,<\/em> Charles Stross\u2019 The Clan Corporate<\/em>, The Hidden Family<\/em> and The Revolution Business<\/em>, F. Paul Wilson\u2019s ghost-filled The Haunted Air<\/em> and John Wright\u2019s Last Guardian of Everness.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Admittedly, since the first Prometheus Award was presented in 1979, science fiction has been recognized far more often than fantasy.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, as mentioned above, while several fantasy classics have been inducted into the Prometheus Hall of Fame for Best Classic Fiction over the decades, only one fantasy novel (Night Watch)<\/em> has ever won for Best Novel.<\/p>\n

Why has that pattern emerged? And why has science fiction continued to dominate the Prometheus Awards?<\/p>\n

Several theories might help to explain that conundrum \u2013 but perhaps that\u2019s the proper subject of another blog post. So stay tuned.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROMETHEUS AWARDS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

* Prometheus winners:\u00a0<\/strong>For the full list of Prometheus winners, finalists and nominees \u2013 including the annual Best Novel and Best Classic Fiction (Hall of Fame) categories and occasional Special Awards \u2013 visit the enhanced\u00a0Prometheus Awards page<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>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\u2019 distinctive dual focus on both quality and liberty.<\/p>\n

* Read \u201cThe Libertarian History of Science Fiction,\u201d<\/strong><\/a> an essay in the international magazine\u00a0Quillette<\/em>\u00a0that favorably highlights the Prometheus Awards, the Libertarian Futurist Society and the significant element of libertarian sf\/fantasy in the evolution of the modern genre.<\/p>\n

*\u00a0Watch <\/strong>videos of past Prometheus Awards ceremonies (including the recent 2023 ceremony<\/a> with inspiring and amusing speeches by Prometheus-winning authors Dave Freer<\/a> and Sarah Hoyt)<\/a>, Libertarian Futurist Society panel discussions with noted sf authors and leading libertarian writers, and other LFS programs on the Prometheus Blog\u2019s\u00a0Video page.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

* Check out the Libertarian Futurist Society\u2019s Facebook page<\/a><\/strong> \u00a0for comments, updates and links to Prometheus Blog posts.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>* Join us! <\/em><\/strong>To help sustain the Prometheus Awards and support a cultural and literary strategy to appreciate and honor freedom-loving fiction, join<\/a> the Libertarian Futurist Society, a non-profit all-volunteer association of freedom-loving sf\/fantasy fans.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s rights, individuality and human dignity.<\/p>\n

Through recognizing the literature of liberty and the many different but complementary visions of a free future via the Prometheus Awards, the LFS hopes to help spread ideas and ethical principles that help humanity overcome tyranny, end slavery, reduce the threat of war, repeal or constrain other abuses of coercive power and achieve universal liberty, respect for human rights and a better world (perhaps ultimately, worlds) for all.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Michael Grossberg Works of fantasy are eligible to consider for the Prometheus Awards, along with science fiction. Fantasy has always been eligible for nomination \u2013 which might be news to some. Many falsely assume that the Prometheus Awards are exclusively focused on \u201clibertarian science fiction.\u201d And many continue to do so, even though several … Continue reading Did you know that fantasy is just as eligible as science fiction for Prometheus Awards recognition? (And that shouldn\u2019t be news!)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[38,249,9,2423,2666],"tags":[1386,437,1396,59,2017,1385,342,46,175,341,879,1594,825,1350],"class_list":["post-7692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-award-standards","category-awards-history","category-essay","category-fantasy","category-terry-pratchett","tag-tower-of-horses","tag-animal-farm","tag-fantasy","tag-george-orwell","tag-hans-christian-andersen","tag-leslie-fish","tag-night-watch","tag-prometheus-awards","tag-science-fiction","tag-terry-pratchett","tag-the-emperors-new-clothes","tag-the-horsetamers-daughter","tag-the-lord-of-the-rings","tag-tolkien"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pe8nGl-204","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7692"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7738,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7692\/revisions\/7738"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lfs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}