If you are a devotee of audio drama you will know there are only just so many awards in the medium. Most awards in audio drama are generic, i.e., they are awards for specific genres of audio drama. The Parsec Awards, given annually at Dragon*Con since 2006, are one of the premier awards in sci-fi and speculative fiction audio, second only to the Mark Time Awards founded by Firesign Theatre’s David Ossman (along with Jerry Stearns and Richard Fish).
The 2013 Parsec Awards were announced this weekend at Dragon*Con. The winners are as follows:
Best Speculative Fiction Story, Large Cast: “The Road to Utopia Plain” by Rick Kennett, from The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine
Best Speculative Fiction Story: Small Cast (Short Form): “Now Cydonia” by Rick Kennett from Cast of Wonders
Best Speculative Fiction Story, Small Cast (Novella Form): “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” by H.P. Lovecraft, produced by Mike Bennett
Best Speculative Fiction Story, Small Cast (Long Form): Underwood and Flinch by Mike Bennett
Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Short Form): The Minister of Chance by Radio Static
Best Speculative Fiction Audio Drama (Long Form): Star Trek: Outpost by Tony Raymond and Daniel McIntosh
Best Speculative Fiction Video Story: “I Have Your Heart” by Molly Crabapple, Kim Boekbinder, & Jim Batt
Best Speculative Fiction Comedy/Parody Podcast: Blastropodcast by Mark Soloff
Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster/Team: The NoSleep Podcast by David Cummings
Best Fact Behind the Fiction Podcast: Hubblecast by Oli Usher & Joe Liske
Best Speculative Fiction Music Podcast: The Funny Music Project by Devo Spice
Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (General): Nights at the Round Table by Ash Farbrother
Best Speculative Fiction Magazine or Anthology Podcast: Tales from the Archives, Vol 2 by Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine
Best Speculative Fiction Fan or News Podcast (Specific): RebelForce Radio by Jimmy Mac and Jason Swank
Best Podcast about Speculative Fiction Content Creation: StoryForward by J.C Hutchins and Steve Peters
If you are interested in sci-fi audio drama, this is probably a good place to start discovering what has been happening in the field over the year. It’s certainly nice to see The Minister of Chance folks rewarded for their spectacular efforts, as well as the work of the seemingly tireless Mike Bennett. Take a look and see if you find anything to your liking. I’m sure you will.
