Stephen Graham Jones, Kell Woods and Amal El-Mohtar Win at the 2026 British Fantasy Awards

Who won the 2026 British Fantasy Awards? The British Fantasy Society has published its winners list. The awards "were handed out as part of Fantasycon 2026 in Glasgow," the society says, and the top novel prizes went to Kell Woods for Upon a Starlit Tide and Stephen Graham Jones for The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, both published by Titan Books.

The society calls the British Fantasy Awards "the longest running fantasy awards in the UK." This year's shortlists covered 13 categories, and two further honours were announced alongside them.

The novel and short fiction winners

• Best Fantasy Novel (The Robert Holdstock Award): Upon a Starlit Tide, Kell Woods (Titan Books)
• Best Horror Novel (The August Derleth Award): The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Stephen Graham Jones (Titan Books)
• Best Novella: The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (Arcadia)
• Best Short Story: "Shadow Jack," CL Hellisen (Giganotosaurus)
• Best Collection: Call And Response, Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock Press)
• Best Anthology: Silk and Sinew: A Collection of Folk Horror from the Asian Diaspora, Kristy Park Kulski (Bad Hand Books)
• Best Newcomer: Annabel Campbell, for The Outcast Mage (Orbit)

The horror shortlist was a strong one. Jones beat a field that included Grady Hendrix's Witchcraft for Wayward Girls (Tor Nightfire), Kat Dunn's Hungerstone (Manilla Press) and Gretchen Felker-Martin's Black Flame (Titan Books).

CL Hellisen had a double night. Besides the short story award, Hellisen shares the Best Audio (Fiction) win for The Shape of Monsters with Omari Douglas, an Audible Originals production.

The rest of the winners

• Best Artist: Jenni Coutts
• Best Audio (Fiction): The Shape of Monsters, CL Hellisen and Omari Douglas (Audible Originals)
• Best Audio (Non-Fiction): The Folklore Podcast
• Best Independent Press: NewCon Press
• Best Magazine/Periodical: Remains
• Best Non-Fiction: Nigerian Speculative Fiction: Evolution, Chukwunonso Ezeiyoke (Routledge India)
• Karl Edward Wagner Award: Jane Johnson
• Legends of Fantasycon Award: Chloe Yates

NewCon Press had a good year beyond its own award. It published the anthology Blood in the Bricks, edited by Neil Williamson, which was on the anthology shortlist, and two other shortlisted works came from its list: Ana Sun's Futures to Live By for Best Newcomer and James Bennett's "Down Street," from Blood in the Bricks, for Best Short Story.

An indie book on the fantasy shortlist

One detail stands out for self-published writers. The Best Fantasy Novel shortlist included Magic, Maps, and Mischief by David Green, listed by the society as "Independently Published." It sat alongside books from Orbit, Titan Books and Flame Tree Press. It did not win, but it made a six-book shortlist for the UK's oldest fantasy award.

That is in line with the society's own rules. Its awards page says the novel awards are for fiction over 40,000 words "published for the first time in the English language, in any part of the world, in any format, during the relevant year."

How the awards work

According to the British Fantasy Society, anyone can suggest works for consideration, "but only BFS members and Fantasycon attendees may vote." To be eligible for the 2026 awards, titles had to be related to fantasy, science fiction or horror and "published/released for the first time in 2025."

The society's 2026 timeline ran in stages: a public suggestions list from March 22 to April 12, voting and juror applications from April 16 to May 3, juror selection in May, and jury deliberations through September 1, with winners announced at Fantasycon in October.

Why it matters for authors

Small presses and indies are in the room. Neon Hemlock Press, Bad Hand Books, NewCon Press and Giganotosaurus all took home awards, and an independently published novel made the fantasy shortlist. Big-publisher backing is not a requirement here.

The 2027 cycle starts with a public list. Based on this year's timeline, suggestions open in the spring and anyone can put a book forward. If you publish fantasy, science fiction or horror in 2026, mark your calendar and check the society's awards page early in the new year for the 2027 dates.

Format is not a barrier. The rules cover work "in any format," so ebook-first and print-on-demand titles qualify, as long as they meet the word counts and first-publication date.

Short fiction counts too. Best Short Story, Best Novella and Best Collection give writers who publish in magazines, online venues and anthologies their own path to an award.

Sources

• British Fantasy Society: Who Won The British Fantasy Awards 2026? (October 10, 2026)
• British Fantasy Society: The British Fantasy Awards (rules, eligibility and 2026 timeline)