Chesley Awards

The Chesley Awards are the "pinnacle award" for art in the science fiction and fantasy genre.^[1] Established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, the awards recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later renamed to honor famed astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell following his death in 1986.^[2][3] The awards are presented annually, typically at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).^[4]

Chesley Award categories

• Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Hardcover
• Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Paperback/Ebook
• Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Magazine
• Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration
• Chesley Award for Best Three-Dimensional Art
• Chesley Award for Best Color Work – Unpublished
• Chesley Award for Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished
• Chesley Award for Best Product Illustration
• Chesley Award for Best Gaming-Related Illustration
• Chesley Award for Best Art Director
• Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement
• Chesley Award for Contribution to ASFA (through 2006)

Chesley Award results

Award Winners are listed on the ASFA website here: https://asfa-art.com/the-chesley-awards/past-winners/

Chesley Award Winners & Nominees for 2014^[5]

The following are the winners and finalists for works done in 2013 for the 2014 Awards.

Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book

• Winner: Todd Lockwood – A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan; Tor, Feb. 2013

Other Nominees:

• Jason Chan – Lost Covenant: A Widdershins Adventure by Ari Marmell; Pyr, Dec. 2013
• Kekai Kotaki – Quintessence by David Walton; Tor, March 2013
• Maurizio Manzieri – Book of Iron by Elizabeth Bear; Subterranean Press, Sept. 2013
• Michael Whelan – A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson; Tor, Jan. 2013
• Allen Williams – Light Reading, Queen Victoria's Book of Spells, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; Tor, March 2013

Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book

• Winner: Kerem Beyit – The Scroll of Years by Chris Willrich; Pyr, Sept. 2013

Other Nominees:

• Jason Chan – Harbinger by Phillippa Ballantine; Ace, July 2013
• Julie Dillon – Ancient Discovery; Crossed Genres Magazine 2.0 Book One; Crossed Genres Publications, April 2013
• Justin Gerard – Power Under Pressure (The Society of Steam) by Andrew P. Mayer; Pyr, Jan. 2013
• Dehong He – Shield of Sea and Space by Erin Hoffman; Pyr, May 2013

Best Cover Illustration: Magazine

• Winner: Dan Dos Santos – Fables #136 Vertigo, Dec. 2013

Other Nominees:

• Julie Dillon – Elliptic, Clarkesworld, December 2013
• Maurizio Manzieri – The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March/April 2013
• Cynthia Sheppard – Bull Spec, Spring 2013

Best Interior Illustration

• Winner: Brian Kesinger – Walking Your Octopus, July 2013; Baby Tattoo Books

Other Nominees:

• Robert Hunt – “Fire Above, Fire Below” by Garth Nix; Tor.com, May 2013
• John Jude Palencar – “A Terror” by Jeffrey Ford; Tor.com, July 2013
• John Picacio – “The Button Man and the Murder Tree” by Cherie Priest; Tor.com, May 2013)
• John Picacio – The Good Life; Popular Science Magazine, June 2013
• Greg Ruth – “Dragonkin” by Lavie Tidhar; Tor.com, July 2013
• Greg Ruth – The Running of the Bulls, The Running of the Bulls by Harry Turtledove; Tor.com, March 2013

Best Three-Dimensional Art

• Winner: Devon Dorrity – Cecaelia, Queen of the Ocean, clay

Other Nominees:

• Thomas Kuebler – Krampus the Yule Lord, mixed
• David Meng – Leatherback, resin
• Michael Parkes – Goddess of the Hunt, 1/2 life-size bronze
• Forest Rogers – Goblin Spider, Kato polyclay
• Vincent Villafranca – Star Smith, bronze

Best Unpublished: Color Work

• Winner: Donato Giancola – Huor and Hurin Approaching Gondolin, oil on linen

Other Nominees:

• Rhea Ewing – Ancestor Series – Neanderthal
• Stephanie Pui-Mun Law – Ships Passing in the Night, watercolor
• Dave Leri – Death Squealer, oil on masonite
• Annie Stegg – Lilaia the Naiad, oil on paper

Best Unpublished: Monochrome Work

• Winner: Ruth Sanderson – The Descent or Persephone, scratchboard

Other Nominees:

• Justin Gerard – The Fox Princess, pencil
• Rebecca Guay – Tender Morsels, graphite
• John Picacio – La Luna
• Travis Lewis – Bone Collector, graphite

Best Product Illustration

• Winner: Julie Bell & Boris Vallejo – Jeannie's Kitten, IlluXCon 6 promotional art

Other Nominees:

• Mitchell Bentley – 2014 Space Art Calendar; Atomic Fly Studios and Alban Lake Publishing, December 2013
• Julie Dillon – 2014 Llewellyn's Astrology Calendar June 2013
• Justin Gerrard – “Morzag! Lord of Destruction” poster
• Iain McCaig – Call of the Muse, Spectrum 20 Call for Entries poster
• John Picacio – El Arpa (Loteria Card Illustration from Lone Boy)

Best Gaming-Related Illustration

• Winner: Lucas Graciano – The Last Stand of Thorin Oakenshield for The Battle of Five Armies Board Game Ares Games
• Winner: Ryan Yee – Fruit of the First Tree for Fate Reforged Magic the Gathering WoTC 2016

Other Nominees:

• Tyler Jacobson – Ruric: Thar the Unbowed (2014 Core Set Magic card) WotC, July 2013
• Todd Lockwood – Observant Alseid (“Theros” Magic card) WotC, Sept. 2013
• David Palumbo – Serene Remembrance (“Gatecrash” Magic card) WotC, Feb. 2013
• Steve Prescott – Prognostic Sphinx (“Theros” Magic card) WotC, Sept. 2013
• Chris Rahn – Ashen Rider (“Theros” Magic card) WotC, Sept. 2013

Best Art Director

• Winner: Irene Gallo – Tor & Tor.com

Other Nominees:

• Lou Anders – Pyr
• Lauren Panepinto – Orbit Books
• William Schafer – Subterranean Press
• Jon Schindehette – Wizards of the Coast

Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award

• Winner: Jim Burns

Other Nominees:

• Kinukyo Craft
• Diane Dillon
• Drew Struzan

Further reading

• The Chesley Awards: A Retrospective, John Grant and Elizabeth Humphrey. Artists' and Photographers' Press Ltd. 2003 ( It won a Hugo Award in 2004).

References

1. "Critic’s Choice—Reviewing the 2021 Chesley Awards Nominations" by Donny Caltrider, Hipsters of the Coast, November 26, 2021.
2. The Chesley Awards for Science Fiction & Fantasy Art: A Retrospective by John Grant, AAPPL Artists' and Photographers' Press, Windsor Books, 2003, page 9.
3. "Chesley Awards". Science Fiction Chronicle. Vol. 21, no. 1. December 1999. p. 4.
4. "People in Business". The Tennessean. Nashville, TN. September 24, 2006. p. E5. Retrieved August 28, 2012. The Chesley Awards, established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists, are annual international awards presented during the World Science Fiction Convention and on some occasions when WSFC is on another continent, the North American Science Fiction Convention.^{[permanent dead link]}
5. . Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014.

External links

• ASFA Homepage
• Chesley past winners: https://asfa-art.com/the-chesley-awards/past-winners/
• . ASFA– Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
• . ASFA– Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists. Archived from the original on 2015-02-02. Retrieved 1 September 2015.