July 2026 SFnal news

From "Across the Fandomension" website, last updated June 30, 2026

NOTE: I am always looking for corrections, additions and updates; if you spot errors and omissions below, please contact me at [email protected] so that I can update this page. – G.S.

Department of Aurora Award News
(Which You Might Have Read Before)

2026 Aurora Awards – Voting Form and Voters’ Package of Stories and Nominees

Voting: The Aurora Awards voting period has been open since June 6, and closes on July 18. CSFFA members can vote in this period for the creators and works shortlisted during the nomination period. Purchasing a CSFFA membership for 2026 (see csffa.ca website) closes on July 11. The voters’ package lists nominees in different categories, and including links to written and fan activity works. The package can be downloaded from the link at https://www.csffa.ca/2025/05/voters-package-is-now-available/. A copy of the voting ballot should be attached to this edition of The Obdurate Eye.
Hall of Fame: The 2026 CSFFA Hall of Fame Inductees are announced on July 1. The latest inductees to the Hall of Fame are:
• Clint Budd in British Columbia, who was heavily involved with the Vancouver convention scene, working on numerous VCONs and other fannish activities;
• The late Charles R. Saunders (1946 – 2020), who was a black Canadian author and journalist, and the founder of the “sword and soul” literary genre with his Imaro novels;
• Diane L. Walton, one of the founding members of On Spec: The Canadian Magazine of the Fantastic. On Spec will now be an SF anthology produced by ShadowPaw Press.
The Aurora Awards ceremony: The awards ceremony is held online on Sunday, August 9th. Winning creators and works will be revealed during the online Aurora Awards ceremony, and live-streamed on YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Professional Development Grants: There are two application periods for CSFFA writers’ development grants. The second period began June 1 and ends August 31. For full details about these grants, go to: A HREF="https://www.csffa.ca/csffa-professional-developmental-grant/"> csffa.ca

Department of More News for Fans and Writers

The Prix Boreal

Criteria: The exact details still need to be finalized. For now, in general, the criteria will be as follows:
• a work falling within the genres of science fiction, fantasy, the fantastic, or all their variations
• a work of the type novel, short story, novella or novelette
• a work published in the previous year at the price
• must be a first publication; reissues do not count.
• in French
• in Canada
• by a Canadian citizen
Current procedure:
1. Voting is conducted by members of SFSF Boréal Inc. From a preliminary list published beforehand, members cast an initial vote for the finalists. Annual registration is all that is required for membership.
2. During the Boreal Congress, an on-site vote takes place to determine the winners at the very end of the event. Attending the Boreal Congress itself includes membership and the right to vote in the final awards.
3. If the votes separating one work from the others are statistically insufficient , we reserve the right to temporarily cancel the category.

Novels
A. PAUL, Victor, The Ogre of PENTA, Éditions Nébuleuses
ASSELIN, Pierre-Marc and RAYMOND, Ianick, Extension, The Wick
AUBRY, Suzanne, All That Remains, Stanké
BÉLIL, Michel, Who Didn't Find the Phoney War Funny, The Apotheosis
BELLAVANCE, Dominic, In tenebris mundi – Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, AdA
BENEDICT, Lou, Luna the Invisible Thread, Locus Production
BÉRUBÉ, Jérome, North of the Impossible, Rebel Planet
BLANCHARD, JL, The Labyrinth of Chronos, Fides
BLANCHETTE, Paule, Dissonance, Lux&Nox
BLANCHETTE, Richard, Alsafi, The Ring Road
BOISVERT, Lili, The Warrior, VLB
BOULÉ, Sylvain, The Hanged Man, Self-published
BOULÉ, Sylvain, Drowned (The), Essor-Livres
BOURDAGES DUCLOT, Jérémie, The Age of Dying (The), AdA
BOURDEAU, Paul, Nyril's Plan (The), Self-published
BROUSSEAU, Simon, The Alchemy of Flesh (The) – Frankenstein, AdA
CHARBONNEAU, Elyse, Sinner, Carnage
COULOMBE, Isabelle, Between Two Worlds, Enoya
CROTEAU, Olivier, Forgotten Island: Extension – Flesh and Blood (The), The Apotheosis
DEMERS, Rosalie, Under the Waters, Head First
DEMEULE, Fanie, From the Belly of the Mountains, Québec Amérique
DESCOTEAUX, William, Eliminations, Lo-Ély
DESROCHES, Stéphane, The Lighthouse of Jezebel Island (The), Self-published
DION, Marie-Ève, Beneath Appearances, A publisher
DIONNE GOUGEON, Sandrine, The Curse of the Crab, The Apotheosis
DONAIS, Océane, The Four Elements – Hiraeth, The Apotheosis
DROUIN, Jean Sébastien, The Last Song, Lux&Nox
DROUIN, Véronique, Vicious Circle, The Cunning Ones
DUFRESNE, Kyle, Hades, Essor-Livres
DULAC, Louve, Smile Maker, Carnage
ÉMOND, Louis, The Shadow in My Room, The Car
ETHIER, Marilou, The Night of Vices, From the Park Across the Street
FINZI, Clara, The Charmer of Malhela, Essor-Livres
FINZI, Clara, The Liar of Malhela, Essor-Livres
FORTIN, Mathieu, The Secret of Monsters, Andara
GAUTHIER, Noémie, Inexhaustible, From the Shield
GERVAIS CÔTÉ, Ariane, Premonitions, Lux&Nox
GIGNAC, Izabelle, Unicorns Without Horns, Lo-Ély
GIRARD, Edith, Legacies, Québec Amérique
GIRARD, Edith, Echoes of Darkness, Québec Amérique
GOSSELIN, Mel, The Scorpion's Grip, Michel Quintin
GOYETTE, JP, Blood for Blood, Hugo
GROLEAU, Etienne, Taking One's Place: Project Eidolon, Volume 1, Éditions Nébuleuses
GUAY, Daniel, Update, Les éditeurs réunis
GUIRADO, Valérie, Adam, The Apotheosis
JEANNE, SP, In the Crow's Clutches, Lo-Ély
KAWCZAK, Paul, Happiness, The People
LABERGE, Janick, Forbidden Fusion, The Apotheosis
LAFOND, Alain, You'll Think You're God, Carnage
LAFOND, Alain, The Steel Forest, Schooner
LAFOND, Denis, The Mysterious Asteroid, Essor-Livres
LAFOREST, Hélène, We May Be Reborn, Head First
LAGARDE, Lydia, The Rebels of the Capital, Lo-Ély
LAHAIE, Daniel, The Exile, Essor-Livres
LAMBERT RACINE, Sophy, The Secret of the Exiles - Volume 1: The Call of the Flames, Éditions Nébuleuses
LARIVIÈRE, Marie-Eve, Profession: Witch (Pocket Edition) – Samhain, Éditions Nébuleuses
LEBLANC, Daniel, Everything for a Future, The Apotheosis
LEVESQUE, Patrick, Bad Idea!, Nebula Editions
LUCY, Rachel, Midnight Magic, Red Luzerne
LUCY, Rachel, Luna Alpha, Red Luzerne
MARCOUX CHABOT, Gabriel, Godpèle, The People
MARTIN, Marie-Josée, Bellies, Speaking Out
MASSÉ, Bruno, The Black Space Between the Stars, Fides
MILLAIRE, Pierre, Outside the Walls, Kata
MORIN, Alexie, The House on Lynch's Range, The Quartermaster
MORY, Christian, At the End of the Horizon, De Mortagne
MUIR, Mathieu, The Errors of Expansion, David
NADEAU, Roxane, An Absent Woman, The Interline
NOËL, Camille, The Hunter's Moon, Scarab
OUELLETTE, Emilie, The Blue Curse, Bayard Canada
PAGÉ, Simon, The Fourth King Arthur, De la Lance
PAQUIN, Carine, The Travelers, Michel Quintin
PATALANO, Louis, Altazar and the Arcane Valley, Gladius
PATALANO, Louis, Zenora and the Forgotten Crypts, Gladius
PFEIFFER, Nell, The Cities of Dust, Hachette
PITRE, Sébastien, Luna, The Apotheosis
PITRE, Sébastien, The Fabric of the Heart, The Apotheosis
PLONQUET, Odile, The Glory of a Dynasty, The Apotheosis
POIRIER, Priska, Second Mission, De Mortagne
POULIN, Maxim, The Color of Shadow, Red Luzerne
REYNOLDS, Jonathan, Luna, Alire
RICARD, Émilie, The Queen of Winter, Self-published
RIOUX, Marie-Jeanne, Wing Dust, A publisher
ROBILLARD, Anne, Abrahee, Wellan
ROBILLARD, Anne, Adriel, Wellan
ROBILLARD, Anne, Case No. 5: The Décarie Affair, Wellan
ROBILLARD, Anne, Case No. 6: The Bruch Affair, Wellan
ROBILLARD, Anne, Case No. 7: The Tessier Affair, Wellan
ROBILLARD, Anne, Kalyaelle, Wellan
ROBILLARD, Ariane, The Black Widow, Lo-Ély
ROCHON, Esther, The Naive Grass, Alire
SICARD, LP, The Song of the Slaughtered – The Phantom of the Opera, AdA
ST-PIERRE, Louis, Kafka's Republic, VLB
TANGUAY, Benoît, You Will Profane Me, Carnage
THÉRIAULT, Éric, Until Death Do Us Part, Lo-Ély
TOUPIN, Louis, Refounding, The Interline
TROTTIER, Yves, He Who Sleeps Forever Will Never Die, The Cunning Ones
VADNAIS, Christiane, Natural Resources, Alto
VANIER, Lyne, All for One, Michel Quintin
VERDIER, Vic, Sinbad the 7th Voyage, AdA
VILL, Jean Louis, The Inflection, Self-published
VILL, Jean Louis, The Promise, Self-published
WILLAN, Pierre, Destination Proxior, Fire Horse
(From https://congresboreal.ca/prix/)

The 3-Day Novel Contest is Back!

1. Registration: The deadline for early registration is July 31st, 11:59 p.m. PDT. Normal registration must be made by Friday, September 4, 2026, 11:59 p.m. Early entry fee is $45; normal entry fee is $50.
2. Preparation: You are allowed, though not required, to develop ideas and an outline prior to the contest. You do not have to submit your outline, and you can change and adapt your novel as you see fit. Keep your outline brief – the shorter it is, the more rewarding the creative experience.
3. Location: Novels may be written using any method, and in any location, anywhere in the world. Yes, the honour system still exists! (You’d only be cheating yourself out of the experience! Seriously. We can tell if you didn’t commit to the contest.)
4. Writing: The actual writing must begin no earlier than 12:01 a.m., on the Saturday of the Labour Day weekend, and must stop by 11:59 on the following Monday. Novels may not be edited outside the contest time frame beyond proofreading.
5. Form: The contest exists to help you write the novel you want, so you may write in any genre, on any subject you wish. There are no limits to the novel’s length, but entries average 100 typed pages, double-spaced. Thereabouts. Length is a factor in judging, but it is only one of many. You may use whichever font type and size you’d like as long as it is clear and readable. Times New Roman or Arial in size 11 or 12 are good starting points.
6. Submitting: You are not required to submit your manuscript for judging, but we suggest you do. It completes the experience – and it’s the only way to get your certificate. You may submit your novel online. Once you have paid your registration and submitted this form, you will be sent a link and instructions for uploading your finished manuscript. You may also submit in print. If printing, mail your completed novel to us as soon as possible after the weekend is over. If you handwrote your novel, you have a few days to type it up…otherwise just send it in right away. Novels must be postmarked on or before Monday, September 16th to qualify.
7. Witness statement: Include a statement, signed by a witness, confirming the novel’s completion over the Labour Day long weekend with your novel. This can be uploaded to Submittable in the same way you upload your manuscript (just as a separate document), or if mailing you can include it with your mailed manuscript. If your witness isn't physically with you, they can also email an attestation to your character. There are no rules or templates for this statement, just make sure it affirms that you followed the rules.
8. Writing: All work submitted must be written by yourself during the contest days. That means no submitting work written by AI.
9. Other rules: Manuscripts will NOT be returned so keep a copy. If you plan to revise it, please save a copy of the work in its original form. Entrants retain all copyright for their work, however, publishing an entry in any form (including self-publishing, chapbooks or web publishing) before the winner is announced will disqualify the author from winning. After the announcement, we will present the winning author with a publishing contract. All other entrants may develop, publish, dissect or ignore their novels as they wish. Each entrant holds the copyright to his or her own novel.
Mailing Instructions: Send typed, double-spaced novels, printed on standard white paper with pages numbered (no folders, clips or staples please), to the following address before Wednesday, September 9th, 2026. (Long-time entrants: please note our new mailing address!)

3-Day Novel Contest
Anvil Press
PO Box 3008, Stn. Terminal
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6B 3X5
Send novels using regular mail – the date you send it is what counts, not the date it arrives, so you don’t need to spend extra money on couriers or special packaging. SASEs and IRCs are no longer necessary. Our team of judges spend the fall and winter reading and rereading your entries. Winners will be announced the following spring. Then we distribute the prizes and send all successful entrants a list of the winners and a fancy e-certificate to prove that you really did it! (From http://www.3daynovel.com)

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