Ditmar Award/Fan Winners

Only the fannish/amatuer award results appear here. For a full list, see the Ditmar Results page on Wikipedia.

1969: Eighth Australian Science Fiction Convention, Melbourne

Best Australian Amateur Science Fiction Publication or Fanzine

• Australian Science Fiction Review, John Bangsund

1970: Ninth Australian Science Fiction Convention, Melbourne

Best Australian Fanzine

• The Journal of Omphalistic Epistemology, John Foyster

1971: Tenth Australian Science Fiction Convention, Melbourne

Best Australian Fanzine

• The Somerset Gazette, Noel Kerr

1972: Syncon 2, Sydney

Best Australian Fanzine

• S.F. Commentary, Bruce Gillespie

1973: Advention 2, Adelaide

Best Dramatic Presentation

• Aussiefan (film made for Australia's 1975 WorldCon bid)

Best Australian Fanzine

• S.F. Commentary, Bruce Gillespie

1974 - Ozcon, Melbourne

No awards presented.

1975: Syncon '75, Sydney

Best Australian Fanzine

• Osiris, Del Stocks & Dennis Stocks

1976: Bofcon, Melbourne

Best Australian Fanzine

• Fanew Sletter, Leigh Edmonds

William Atheling Jr Award

• George Turner, "Paradigm and Pattern; Form and Meaning in "The Dispossessed""

1977: A-Con 7, Adelaide

Best Australian Fanzine

• S.F. Commentary, Bruce Gillespie

William Atheling Award

• George Turner, "The Jonah Kit"

1978: Unicon IV, Melbourne

Best Amateur Australian Publication (Fanzine)

• Enigma, Van Ikin

William Atheling Jr Award

• Andrew Whitmore, "The Novels of D.G. Compton", SF Commentary, No 52.

1979: Syncon '79, Sydney

Best Australian Fanzine

• Chunder!, John Foyster

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Marc Ortlieb

William Atheling Jr Award

• Susan Wood, "Women and Science Fiction", Algol 33, 1978

1980: Swancon 5, Perth

Best Australian Fanzine

• S.F. Commentary, Bruce Gillespie

Best Australian Fan Writer

• Leanne Frahm

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Marilyn Pride

William Atheling Award for Criticism in SF or Fantasy

• Jack R. Herman, "Paradox as a Paradigm: A Review of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson", Forerunner, May 1979

1981: Advention '81, Adelaide

Best Australian Fanzine

• Q36, Marc Ortlieb

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Marc Ortlieb

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Marilyn Pride

William Atheling Award for Criticism in SF or Fantasy

• George Turner, "Frederik Pohl as a Creator of Future Societies", and "Samuel Delany: Victim of Great Applause"

1982: Tschaicon, Melbourne

There was an award from the committee, in the form of a miniature Ditmar Award, to Marc Ortlieb for Best Toastmastering.

Best Australasian Fanzine

• Q36, ed. Marc Ortlieb

Best Australasian Fan Writer

• Marc Ortlieb

Best Australasian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Marilyn Pride

William Atheling Award

• Bruce Gillespie, "Sing a Song of Daniel", S.F. Commentary 62–66

1983: Syncon '83, Sydney

Best Australian Fanzine

• Q36, Marc Ortlieb

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Marc Ortlieb

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Marilyn Pride

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Cartoonist

• John Packer

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Editor

• Van Ikin

William Atheling Award (for critical writings)

• Terry Dowling, "Kirth Gersen: The Other Demon Prince", Science Fiction 11

Special Award

• Robin Johnson, Contribution to Fandom

1984: Eureka!con, Melbourne

The William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review was withdrawn due to insufficient nominations.

Best Australian Fanzine

• Rataplan/Ornithopter, Leigh Edmonds

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Leigh Edmonds

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Nick Stathopoulos

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Cartoonist

• John Packer

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Editor

• Van Ikin

1985: Advention '85, Adelaide

The awards ceremony included three special awards to Damien Broderick, for Transmitters; John Foyster, for past work in fandom; and the Nova Mob, for going on for a long time.

Best Australian Fanzine

• Australian SF News, Merv Binns

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Leigh Edmonds

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist, Cartoonist or Illustrator

• Nick Stathopoulos

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Editor

• Bruce Gillespie

William Atheling Jr Award

• George Turner, In The Heart or in the Head

1986: Swancon XI, Perth

Best Australian Fanzine

• The Metaphysical Review, Bruce Gillespie

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Leigh Edmonds

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Nick Stathopoulos

William Atheling Jr Award

• George Turner, "Neuromancer et al."

1987: Capcon, Canberra

Best Australian Fanzine

• Thyme, Roger Weddall and Peter Burns

Best Australian SF or Fantasy Artist

• Craig Hilton

Outstanding Contribution to Australian Fandom

• Carey Handfield, T.R.O. (The Real Official.)

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Russell Blackford, "Debased and Lascivious", article on Samuel R. Delany's novel Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand; Australian Science Fiction Review 2nd series, Vol. 1, no. 4 (1986).

1988: Conviction, Sydney

Best Australian Fanzine

• Science Fiction, Van Ikin

Best Australian Fan Writer

• Perry Middlemiss

Best Fan Artist

• Lewis Morley

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Van Ikin, "Mirror Reversals and the Tolkien Writing Game", Science Fiction #25

1989: Swancon 14, Perth

Best Australian Fanzine

• Get Stuffed, Jacob Blake

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Bruce Gillespie

Best Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn (Get Stuffed, Australian Playbeing, etc.)

William Atheling Jr Award

• Russell Blackford, ASFR articles

1990: Danse Macabre, Melbourne

The William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review was withdrawn due to insufficient nominations.

Best Australian Fanzine

• Melbourne Science Fiction Club, Ethel The Aardvark (ed. Alan Stewart)

Best Australian Fanwriter

• Bruce Gillespie
• Ian Gunn

Best Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn

1991: Suncon, Brisbane

Best Fannish Cat

• Typo, human: Roger Weddall

Best Fanzine[edit]

• Australian Science Fiction Review, (Second series), edited by the Science Fiction Collective

Best Australian Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn

Best Australian Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

William Atheling Jr Award

• Bruce Gillespie, "The Non-SF Novels of Philip K. Dick", ANZAPA 136, October 1990

1992: Syncon, Sydney

The awards ceremony included presentation of five special awards from the Syncon committee to Jack R. Herman, Eric B. Lindsay, Ron Clarke, Sue Clarke, and Shayne McCormack.

Best Fanzine

• Eidolon, ed Jonathan Strahan, Richard Scriven and Jeremy Byrne

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

Best Artist

• Nick Stathopoulos

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• "Going Commercial", Sean McMullen (Eidolon 6)

1993: Swancon 18, Perth

Best Periodical

• Eidolon, ed Jonathan Strahan, Richard Scriven and Jeremy Byrne

Best Fan Writer

• Robin Pen

Best Artwork

• Cover art for Blue Tyson, Nick Stathopoulos

William Atheling Jr Award

• "Australian SF Art Turns 50", Sean McMullen (Eidolon 7)

1994: Constantinople, Melbourne

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

Best Fan Artist

• Kerri Valkova

Best Fanzine[edit]

• Ethel the Aardvark, Paul Ewins

William Atheling Jr Award[edit]

• "SF Sucks", James Allen, Get Stuffed #6

1995: Thylacon, Hobart

Best Fanzine

• Thyme, Alan Stewart

Best Fan Writer

• Terry Frost

Best Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn

Special Committee Award

• Peter Nicholls

1996: Swancon 21, Perth

Best Publication/Fanzine (Periodical)

• Eidolon, ed Jonathan Strahan, Richard Scriven and Jeremy Byrne

Best Non-Professional/Fan Writer

• Ian Gunn

Best Non-Professional/Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn

William Atheling Jnr Award

• "The Hunt for Australian Horror Fiction", Bill Congreve, Sean McMullen & Steven Paulsen, The Scream Factory #16, November 1995

1997: Basicon 2, Melbourne

Best Fanzine

• Thyme, Alan Stewart

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

Best Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn

William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Alan Stewart, for reviews in Thyme

1998: Thylacon II, Hobart

Best Artwork/Artist

• Nick Stathopoulos

Best Fanzine

• Eidolon ed Jonathan Strahan, Richard Scriven and Jeremy Byrne

Best Fan Writer

• Leanne Frahm

William Atheling Jr Award

• Sean McMullen and Steven Paulsen, "Australia": Australian Contemporary Fantasy, Encyclopedia of Fantasy (Orbit)

1999: Spawncon II, Melbourne

Presented as part of Aussiecon Three

Best Australian Fanzine

• Metaphysical Review, Bruce Gillespie

Best Australian Fan Artist

• Ian Gunn

William Atheling Jr. Award

• Paul Collins, MUP Encyclopaedia of Australian Science Fiction

2000: Swancon 2000, Perth

An awards ceremony was held 16 Dec 2000; the actual trophies were presented later at Swancon 2001.

Second Round Nominations and Winners

Best Fan Writer

• Robin Pen

Best Fan Artist

• Catriona Sparks

Best Fan Production

• Danny Heap, Aussiecon 3 Opening Ceremony Video

William Atheling Jr. Award

• Tess Williams and Helen Merrick, Women of Other Worlds
• Russell Blackford, Van Ikin and Sean McMullen, Strange Constellations: A History Of Australian Science Fiction

2001: Swancon 2001: Masquerade, Perth

Best Fan Writer

• Robin Pen

Best Fan Artist

• Grant Watson

Best Fan Production

• "The Angriest Video Store Clerk in the World", Grant Watson

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism and Review

• Waking Henson: A Jim Henson Retrospective, Grant Watson and Simon Oxwell

2002: Convergence, Melbourne

William Atheling Jr. removed for insufficient nominees

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

Best Fan Artist

• Dick Jenssen

Best Australian Fan Production, Fanzine

• SF Commentary, Bruce Gillespie

Best Australian Fan Production, Other

• Mitch? 2, Tarts of the New Millennium, Anthony Mitchell
• Spaced Out website (www.vicnet.net.au/~spaceout/), Geoff & Miriam

2003: Swancon 2003, Perth

Best Australian Fan Writer

• Robin Pen

Best Australian Fan Artist

• Cat Sparks

Best Australian Fanzine[edit]

• Fables & Reflections, ed. Lily Chrywenstrom

Best Australian Fan Achievement[

• Borderlands: That which scares us..., ed. Simon Oxwell, Grant Watson and Anna Hepworth

The William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Jonathan Strahan

2004: Conflux, Canberra

Best Fan Production

• Elsewhere Book Launch - Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild

Best Fanzine

• The Australian SF Bullsheet - Edwina Harvey & Edwin Scribner (ed.)

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

Best Fan Artist

• Les Petersen - for "Battle Elf" (Conflux) poster

William Atheling Jr. Award

• Bruce Gillespie

2005: Thylacon 2005, Hobart

Best Fan Achievement

• Conflux convention committee

Best Fan Artist

• Sarah Xu

Best Fan Website/Zine

• Australian Science Fiction Bullsheet - ed Edwina Harvey & Ted Scribner

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie

William Atheling Jnr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Robert Hood - review of Weight of Water at HoodReviews, asking "is this film a ghost story?"
• Jason Nahrung - "Why are publishers afraid of horror?", BAM, Courier-Mail, 20 March 2004

2006: Conjure, Brisbane

Best Fan Production

• Edwina Harvey and Ted Scribner - The Australian Science Fiction Bullsheet website and newsletter

Best Fan Artist

• Shane Parker - Conflux Poster Art, Conflux

Best Fanzine/website

• Ticonderoga Online - Russell B. Farr et al.

Best Fan Writer

• Shane Jiraiya Cummings - Writer/reviewer, Horror Scope

The William Atheling Jr. Award

• "Divided Kingdom: King Kong vs Godzilla", in King Kong is Back (Benbella Books) - Robert Hood

2007: Convergence 2, Melbourne

Best Fan Writer

• Danny Oz

Best Fan Artist

• Jon Swabey

Best Fan Production

• ASif website, Alisa Krasnostein – Executive Editor

Best Fanzine

• HorrorScope, editor Shane Jiraiya Cummings

Best Fan Achievement

• Alisa Krasnostein for establishing Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus (ASif)

William Atheling Jr Award

• Justine Larbalestier for Daughters of Earth: Feminist Science Fiction in the Twentieth Century

2008: State of the Art: Swancon 2008, Perth

Best Fan Writer

• Rob Hood for film reviews on his website

Best Fan Art

• "Exterminate!" Dalek Postcards - Kathryn Linge

Best Fan Production[edit]

• 2007 Snap Shot Project - interviews with influential members of the Australian speculative fiction scene conducted by Alisa Krasnostein, Ben Payne, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Katherine Linge, Kaaron Warren and Rosie Clark

Best Fanzine

• Not If You Were the Last Short Story on Earth, Alisa Krasnostein, Ben Payne, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts (eds.)

Best Fan Achievement

• Alisa Krasnostein for ASiF! Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus

William Atheling Jr Award

• Grant Watson for "The Bad Film Diaries" (Published in Borderlands #9)

2009: Conjecture, Adelaide

Best Fan Writer

• Robert Hood, for work in Undead Backbrain

Best Fan Artist

• Cat Sparks, for Scary Food Cookbook

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• ASif! (Australian Specfic in Focus), edited by Alisa Krasnostein and Gene Melzack

William Atheling Jr Award

• Kim Wilkins, for "Popular genres and the Australian literary community: the case of fantasy fiction"

2010: Dudcon III, Melbourne

Best Fannish Cat

• Peri Peri Canavan, human: Trudi Canavan

Best Fan Writer

• Robert Hood for Undead Backbrain (roberthood.net/blog)

Best Fan Artist

• Dick Jenssen for body of work

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Steam Engine Time, edited by Bruce Gillespie and Janine Stinson

Best Achievement

• Gillian Polack et al. for the Southern Gothic banquet at Conflux

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Helen Merrick for The Secret Feminist Cabal: a cultural history of science fiction feminisms (Aqueduct Press)

2011: Swancon Thirty Six | Natcon Fifty, Perth

Best Fan Writer

• Alexandra Pierce, for body of work including reviews at Australian Speculative Fiction in Focus

Best Fan Artist

• Amanda Rainey, for Swancon 36 logo

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Galactic Suburbia podcast, Alisa Krasnostein, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Alex Pierce

Best Achievement

• Alisa Krasnostein, Kathryn Linge, Rachel Holkner, Alexandra Pierce, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Tehani Wessely, Snapshot 2010

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Tansy Rayner Roberts, for "A Modern Woman's Guide to Classic Who"

2012, Continuum 8: Craftonomicon, Melbourne

Best Fan Writer

• Robin Pen, for "The Ballad of the Unrequited Ditmar"

Best Fan Artist

• Kathleen Jennings, for work in Errantry, including "The Dalek Game"

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• The Writer and the Critic podcast, Kirstyn McDermott & Ian Mond

William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Alexandra Pierce & Tehani Wessely, for reviews of Vorkosigan Saga, in Randomly Yours, Alex

2013, Conflux 9, Canberra

Best Fan Writer

• Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work including reviews in Not If You Were The Last Short Story On Earth

Best Fan Artist

• Kathleen Jennings, for body of work including "The Dalek Game" and "The Tamsyn Webb Sketchbook"

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• The Writer and the Critic, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review[edit]

• Tansy Rayner Roberts, for "Historically Authentic Sexism in Fantasy. Let's Unpack That.", in tor.com

2014, Continuum X, Melbourne

Best Fan Writer

• Sean Wright, for body of work, including reviews in Adventures of a Bookonaut

Best Fan Artist

• Kathleen Jennings, for body of work, including "Illustration Friday"

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Galactic Chat Podcast, Sean Wright, Alex Pierce, Helen Stubbs, David McDonald, and Mark Webb

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Galactic Suburbia "Episode 87: Saga Spoilerific Book Club", Alisa Krasnostein, Alex Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts
• The Reviewing New Who series, David McDonald, Tansy Rayner Roberts, and Tehani Wessely

2015, Swancon 40, Perth

Best Fan Writer

• Tansy Rayner Roberts, for body of work

Best Fan Artist

• Kathleen Jennings, for body of work, including Fakecon art and Illustration Friday series

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• The Writer and the Critic, Kirstyn McDermott and Ian Mond

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• "Does Sex Make Science Fiction Soft?", in Uncanny Magazine 1, Tansy Rayner Roberts

2016, Contact 2016, Brisbane

Best Fan Publication in any Medium

• Galactic Suburbia, Alisa Krasnostein, Alexandra Pierce, and Tansy Rayner Roberts

Best Fan Writer

• Grant Watson, for body of work, including reviews in The Angriest

Best Fan Artist

• Kathleen Jennings, for body of work, including Illustration Friday

William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Letters to Tiptree, Alexandra Pierce and Alisa Krasnostein (Twelfth Planet Press)

2017: Continuum 13, Melbourne

Best Fan Writer

• Foz Meadows, for body of work.

Best Fan Artist

• No award presented

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• 2016 Australian SF Snapshot, Greg Chapman, Tehani Croft, Tsana Dolichva, Marisol Dunham, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Stephanie Gunn, Ju Landéesse, David McDonald, Belle McQuattie, Matthew Morrison, Alex Pierce, Rivqa Rafael, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Helen Stubbs, Katharine Stubbs and Matthew Summers.

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review

• Kate Forsyth, for The Rebirth of Rapunzel: a mythic biography of the maiden in the tower, FableCroft Publishing.

2018: Swancon 2018, Perth

Best Fan Publication in any Medium

• SF Commentary, edited by Bruce Gillespie.

Best Fan Writer

• Stephanie Lai, for writing at No Award.

Best Fan Artist

• Shauna O'Meara, for "How to Bee" (based on the novel by Bren MacDibble).

William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Ambelin Kwaymullina, for "Reflecting on Indigenous Worlds, Indigenous Futurisms and Artificial Intelligence", Twelfth Planet Press.

2019: Continuum 15, Melbourne

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Earl Grey Editing, Elizabeth Fitzgerald.

Best Fan Writer

• Liz Barr, for writing in squiddishly.

William Atheling Jr Award for Criticism or Review[edit]

• Cat Sparks, for "The 21st Century Catastrophe: Hyper-capitalism and Severe Climate Change in Science Fiction" PhD exegesis.

2020: Swancon 2020, Perth

(The convention was cancelled due to COVID.) There were insufficient nominations for the Best Artwork and Best Fan Artist categories.

There was a preliminary ballot on which Bruce Gillespie was nominated for Best Fan Writer "for writing in SF Commentary and ANZAPA articles".

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Be The Serpent podcast, Alexandra Rowland, Jennifer Mace and Freya Marske.
• SF Commentary, Bruce Gillespie.

Best Fan Writer

• Elizabeth Fitzgerald, for reviews in Skiffy and Fanty.

William Atheling Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Grant Watson, for reviews in FictionMachine.

2021:

(The convention was cancelled due to COVID)

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• The Coode Street Podcast, Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe

Best Fan Writer

• Bruce Gillespie for writing in SF Commentary

Best Fan Artist

• Lyss Wickramasinghe for fanart on Tumblr including Elsie, Hold On, The Gem and the Other, and Vesuvia Pride

William Atheling, Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Terry Frost for reviews in Terry Talks Movies

2022: Conflux 16, Canberra

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Earl Grey Editing, Elizabeth Fitzgerald

Best Fan Writer

• Kat Clay, for interviews and reviews on YouTube and katclay.com

Best Fan Artist

• C.H. Pearce, for fanart on Instagram', including "Em and Gyre", "Lysande", "Cruelty Free", and "Rocket Launch Good"

William Atheling, Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Ian Mond, for reviews in Locus

2023: Conflux 17, Canberra

Best Fan Publication in Any Medium

• Pratchat Podcast, Ben McKenzie & Elizabeth Flux

Best Fan Writer

• Kat Clay

Best Fan Artist

• C.H. Pearce

William Atheling, Jr. Award for Criticism or Review

• Ian Mond, for reviews in Locus