thumbnail|2013 winner: Rober Wegner

thumbnail|2012 winners: Jakub Ćwiek and Maja Lidia Kossakowska

thumbnail|2011 winners: Jacek Dukaj and Anna Kańtoch

The Janusz A. Zajdel Award (Nagroda imienia Janusza A. Zajdla), often called just Zajdel,

is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year. It was established in 1984.

It is the most prestigious of several Polish awards for that genre of literature.

Categories

The winners are chosen in a vote by fans present at the annual Polcon convention from up to five nominations in each of two categories:

  • Novel: works longer than approximately 30,000 words
  • Short story: shorter works.

Instant-runoff voting with "No award" as one of the choices is the method used.

The Zajdel award was created in 1984 (to be awarded from 1985) under the name Sfinks (not to be confused with the , an award of the magazine). After the death of the first winner, Janusz A. Zajdel, in 1985, the name was changed in his memory. Zajdel's widow, Jadwiga Zajdel, has presented the award to the winners since then.

Until 1989, the award was given by Polish science fiction fan associations, voting as units; since 1990, all fans present at Polcon convention can vote. Since 1991 the system has been based on two-tier ballot, compared to the system used in the Hugo Award.

Until 1991, there was a single award given for the best story; since 1992, there are two categories: novel and short story. That volume contained the translations of Ewa Białołęcka's "Jestem Lamia", Anna Brzezińska's ('98 winner), Marek S. Huberath's "Kocia obecność", Tomasz Kołodziejczak's ' (excerpts from the novel; '96 winner), Feliks W. Kres's "Korona Shergardów", Andrzej Sapkowski's and Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz's "Dobra wróżka".

In 2014, a free online e-book of the stories nominated for year 2013 was made available.

Winners

The year given is the year of publication. Since 1992, novels and short stories have been judged separately. The winners of the award are:

{| class="wikitable"

!Year

!Novel

!Short story

|-

|1984

|Janusz Andrzej Zajdel, Paradyzja

|

|-

|1985

|Marek Baraniecki, '

|-

|1986

|colspan=2 style="text-align:center;letter-spacing: 0.25em"|no award

|-

|1987

|colspan=2 style="text-align:center;letter-spacing: 0.25em"|no award

|-

|1988

|Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński, Rozpad połowiczny

|

|-

|1989

|colspan=2 style="text-align:center;letter-spacing: 0.25em"|no award

|-

|1990

|

|Andrzej Sapkowski, Mniejsze zło

|-

|1991

|

|Marek S. Huberath, '

|-

|1992

|Feliks Wiktor Kres, '

|Andrzej Sapkowski, Miecz przeznaczenia

|-

|1993

|no award

|Andrzej Sapkowski, W leju po bombie

|-

|1994

|Andrzej Sapkowski, Krew elfów

|Ewa Białołęcka, '

|-

|1995

|Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz, Pieprzony los kataryniarza

|Konrad Tomasz Lewandowski, '

|-

|1996

|Tomasz Kołodziejczak, '

|Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz, '

|-

|1997

|Marek S. Huberath, '

|Ewa Białołęcka, Błękit Maga

|-

|1998

|Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz, Walc stulecia

|Anna Brzezińska, '

|-

|1999

|Marek S. Huberath, Gniazdo światów

|Antonina Liedtke, CyberJoly Drim

|-

|2000

|Anna Brzezińska, '

|Jacek Dukaj, Katedra

|-

|2001

|Jacek Dukaj, Czarne oceany

|Andrzej Ziemiański, '

|-

|2002

|Andrzej Sapkowski, Narrenturm

|Andrzej Pilipiuk, Kuzynki

|-

|2003

|Jacek Dukaj, Inne pieśni

|Andrzej Ziemiański, '

|-

|2004

|Jacek Dukaj, Perfekcyjna niedoskonałość

|Anna Brzezińska, '

|-

|2005

|Jarosław Grzędowicz, Pan Lodowego Ogrodu, volume 1

|Jarosław Grzędowicz, Wilcza zamieć

|-

|2006

|Jarosław Grzędowicz, '

|Maja Lidia Kossakowska, Smok tańczy dla Chung Fonga

|-

|2007

|Jacek Dukaj, Lód

|Wit Szostak, Miasto grobów. Uwertura

|-

|2008

|Rafał Kosik, '

|Anna Kańtoch, '

|-

|2009

|Anna Kańtoch, ', volume 1

|Robert M. Wegner, '

|-

|2010

|Jacek Dukaj, '

|Anna Kańtoch, '

|-

|2011

|Maja Lidia Kossakowska, '

|Jakub Ćwiek, Bajka o trybach i powrotach

|-

|2012

|Robert M. Wegner, '

|Robert M. Wegner, '

|-

|2013

|Krzysztof Piskorski, '

|Anna Kańtoch, '

|-

|2014

|Michał Cholewa, '

|Anna Kańtoch, '

|-

|2015

|Robert M. Wegner, '

|Robert M. Wegner, '

|-

|2016

|Krzysztof Piskorski, '

|Łukasz Orbitowski and , '

|-

|2017

|Rafał Kosik, '

|, '

|-

|2018

|Robert Wegner, '

|, '

|-

|2019

|Radek Rak, '<br /> [A Tale of the Serpent's Heart or the Second Word about Jakub Szela]

|Marta Potocka, "Chomik" ["Hamster"]

|-

|2020

|Agnieszka Hałas, Czerń nie zapomina

|Krzysztof Matkowski and Krzysztof Rewiuk, Święci z Vukovaru

|-

|2021

|, '

|Michał Cholewa, Ucieczka

|-

|2022

|Radek Rak, '

|Michał Cholewa, Na granicy

|-

|2023

|Istvan Vizvary, Lagrange. Listy z Ziemi

|Agnieszka Hałas, Świerszcze w soli

|-

|2024

| Andrzej Sapkowski, Crossroads of Ravens

| Aleksandra Janusz, Dlaczego nie ma klanu kruka

|}

Winner summaries

<!-- Not all of them have or notable to have en-wp pages, but of reasonable note in the context of this award -->

2019: Radek Rak, Baśń o wężowym sercu...

<!-- RAdek Rak passes WP:NBIO WP:NAUTHOR for an article -->

The novel is loosely based on the legends about Jakub Szela, the leader of a 1846 peasant uprising known as the Galician slaughter. It gained several other literary awards. Chomik is available online.

References

  • The Award homepage (in Polish)
  • Janusz A. Zajdel Award Winners at Goodreads