ESFS Awards 2025

During Archipelacon 2, the 2025 Eurocon in Mariehamn – Åland, the winners of the ESFS Awards 2025 were announced.

Congratulations to the winners.

HALL OF FAME

Hall of Fame – Best Artist
Johan Egerkrans from Sweden

Hall of Fame – Best Author
Aliette de Bodard from France

Hall of Fame – Best Publisher
Artline Studios from Bulgaria

Hall of Fame – Best Promoter
Ivan Kranjčević from Croatia
Tomasz Kołodziejczak from Poland

Hall of Fame – Best Magazine
Queer*Welten from Germany

Hall of Fame – Best Translator
Elena Pavlova from Bulgaria
Mladen Martić from Croatia

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Achievement Award – Best Work of Art
Joanna Karpowicz – Anubis series from Poland

Achievement Award – Best Written Work of Fiction
Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan from Ireland

Achievement Award – Best Dramatic Presentation
“The Children of Sudra” family musical from Bulgaria
Flow from Latvia, nominated by Estonia and Germany

Achievement Award – Best Fanzine
Parsek 146 from Croatia
Potencjalny Mimik 4 from Poland
Brev från Cosmos 15 from Sweden

Achievement Award – Best Work for Children
The Slug and the Snail by Oein DeBhairduin and illustrated by Olya Anima from Ireland

Achievement Award – Best Internet Publication
UAGeek from Ukraine

Achievement Award – Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel
Fractured Realms from Ireland

Achievement Award – Best Event, Festival or Convention organised by Fans
Glasgow Worldcon from United Kingdom, nominated by Ireland

GRAND MASTER
Joëlle Wintrebert

CHRYSALIS AWARDS
Antea Benzon, Croatia
Gabi Gabrinov, Romania
Hypathie Aswang, France
Justyna Hankus, Poland
Kateryna Pekur (Катерина Пекур), Ukraine
Kathryn Di for “Moonflower”, Bulgaria
Lena Richter, Germany
Robin Rozendal, Netherlands
Shauna Lawless, Ireland

New guest: Johan Klein Haneveld

Johan Klein Haneveld made his debut in 2001 with sci-fi novel ‘Neptunus’. By now, he has published thirty books, the latest of them being mosaic novel ‘De handjeklapmachine’. He has also edited several short story collections, among which ‘Voorbij de storm’ and ‘Welkom in de broeikaswereld’, both anthologies of stories about climate change written by Dutch-language sci-fi authors. His short stories are published regularly in magazines and anthologies and he writes reviews of Dutch-language sci-fi for Fantastische Vertellingen magazine. At the moment Johan is working on new books, such as a collection of dystopian stories entitled ‘Ontsnappingspoging’, and a sci-fi novel in collaboration with Jasper Polane. He is also editing an antholohy of detective stories set in SF/Fantasy worlds, under the title ‘Vreemde zaken & Bijzondere speurders’. This last book is set to appear in late 2025. For his day job, Johan works as the editor for the Dutch Veterinary Journal. Apart from reading and writing, he spends his free time on taking care of his five aquariums and his ever-growing collection of cacti and carnivorous plants. He also enjoys visiting botanical gardens and museums. He lives in Delft with his wife.

New Guest: Pam Hage

Pam Hage is a multi-talented creator from the Netherlands who has a passion for fantasy. She is an author, illustrator and cosplayer. Her debut novel ‘Sterrenduister’ won Uitgeverij Zilverspoor’s manuscript contest and was published early this year.

While fantasy plays a major part in her hobbies, hard science is at the heart of her professional life. Pam did research into the Dutch coast during her PhD and is now employed as a geodata analyst at an environmental consultancy firm, where she spends a large part of her time making maps.

www.pamhage.com

mail@pamhage.com

Nominations ESFS Awards

The Dutch nominations for the ESFS Awards have been submitted. Congratulations to the nominees.

Chrysalis Award Netherlands
– Robin Rozendal

Achievement awards
– Best written work of fiction: All evil comes in two, Chris Hoksbergen
– Best comic book or graphic novel: The Shadow Prophet, Marissa Delbressine and Anne Delseit
– Best Fanzine: Fantastic Stories (Remco Meisner) – Stichting Fantastische Vertellingen
– Best work for children: Sterre en de Bijnanaut, Anaid Haen & Django Mathijssen
– Best event, festival or cosplay convention organised by fans: Eurocon 2024, Erasmuscon

Hall of fame
– Best artist: Danielle Futselaar
– Best author: Tais Teng
– Best promoter of science fiction: Martijn Lindeboom and Heidi van der Vloet

The winners of the ESFS Awards will be announced this year on Archipelacon 2 – The Nordic SF and Fantasy Convention,

Guest of honor: Sophia Drenth

While Sophia herself is a cheerful person with an overdeveloped sense of humour, most of her stories are marked by a sense of darkness. A cosy ‘happy ever after’ is not usually on the cards.

When she was about sixteen years old the ambition to write first made itself felt. A chronic health condition meant that she was confined to her home with not a lot in the way of future prospects. As if by miracle she discovered genre literature. Especially Michael Moorcock’s books about Elric of Melniboné struck a chord for her. She recognised herself in this eternally ailing albino prince and the books about him made her realise that in genre literature you could talk about serious emotions while disguising them with lots of cool fantasy trappings.

Editors were quick to embrace her as an author, but were not necessarily enthusiastic about the books she was working on. She gave up writing for a few years out of frustration, but then a nightmare made her pick up a pen again in 2014. That was the start of her series ‘De Bloedwetten’.

Over the years she won multiple awards, among which the Millennium Award, two Indie Awards, two Bastaard Fantasy Awards, Edge.Zero and recently a Harland Award.

Even though it’s been nearly forty years since she first put pen to paper she feels like her adventures in writing have only just begun.

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Sophia Drenth loves to write about misfits, because she recognises herself in them. Her stories are usually marked by a sense of darkness, but even in the darkest night there’s always a glimmer of hope.

Photographer: Riske de Vries

HSFCon edition 3: On to Maastricht!

The third edition of HSFCon will be held on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November 2025 in the ever-bustling Maastricht. We found the beautiful Hotel De l’Empereur as a good place for a weekend full of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.

After two editions in the hospitable north of the country, it is now the turn of the south. Nice and central in the BeNeLux!

During HSFCon you will follow lectures, workshops and panels for and by the fans and the writers and ‘makers’ in our genre. You will have ample opportunity to meet new people and reconnect with old acquaintances. There will be a cozy SF/F/H market with a varied offer.

And: did we already mention that there is a swimming pool?!

Ticket sales are already open!

Would you like to help with the organization, make suggestions for the program or distribute flyers? Send an email to info@hsfcon.nl and we will contact you. See you at HSFCon3!

Guest of honor: Marieke Frankema

Like a spider in a web, Marieke weaves all aspects of her life together: singing, acting, voice-acting, she does it all. But writing is the most powerful thread in her web. Story lines shoot out like silvery threads, curling and twisting through the web of her life. The books, musicals, novellas and short stories she’s written can no longer be counted on the fingers of two hands and the toes of two feet, and the next books are on the way. One thing is sure: they will have a little glimmer of magic in them, because Marieke loves to grab the tiny moments of magic in everyday life and make them shine in her stories.

Photo: Anne-Claire Philippo