Ursa Major Awards

The 2014 Ursa Major Awards

The 2014 Ursa Major Awards, for the Best Anthropomorphic Literature and Art of the calendar year in eleven categories, were announced and presented at an awards ceremony at the Morphicon 2015 convention, in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, May 1 from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. EST.

The Ursa Major Awards are a popular-vote award. 2,851 ballots were cast in eleven categories between March 15 and April 15, 2015. Not everyone voted in all categories, although there were fewer single-category votes than usual. All voters were required to state what country they were voting from, and about 90 countries were named. Some such as Care-A-Lot were obviously fictitious, but those that appeared to be genuine by e-mail domain names included Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Taiwan (Republic of China), Ukraine, United Kingdom, and United States of America. The most votes came from the United States, followed by Taiwan (the Republic of China).

The winners and runners-up are as follows:

Best Motion Picture

Guardians of the Galaxy (Directed by James Gunn; Marvel Studios; July 31)

Runners-up

2. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Directed by Dean DeBlois; DreamWorks Animation; June 5)
3. The Lego Movie (Directed by Phil Lord & Chris Miller; Warner Animation Group; February 7)
4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Directed by Matt Reeves; 20th Century Fox; July 11)
5. Mr. Peabody and Sherman (Directed by Rob Minkoff; DreamWorks Animation; March 7)

Best Dramatic Short Work or Series

Furry Force (CollegeHumor; Part 1, January 22; and Part 2, April 11)

Runners-up

2. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Directed by James Thiessen & Jim Miller; Season 4, Episode 8 - Season 4, Episode 26)
3. Bojack Horseman (Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg for Netflix, 12 episodes on August 22, Xmas Special on December 19)
4. Littlest Pet Shop (Directed by Joel Dickie, Season 2, Episode 11 - Season 3, Episode 16)
5. The Beach Bears (by MaxGoof, "The Trip to Alberta", Chapters 137 - 170)

Best Novel

Off the Beaten Path, by Rukis (FurPlanet Productions; July 4)

Runners-up

2. Huntress, by Renee Carter Hall (in Five Fortunes, edited by Fred Patten; FurPlanet Productions; January 16)
3. Chakat in the Alley, by James R. Jordan (CreateSpace; June 17)
4. The Forges of Dawn, by E. M. Kinsey (CreateSpace; September 15)
5. Impossible Magic, by J. F. R. Coates (Jaffa Books; August 18)

Best Short Fiction

When a Cat Loves a Dog, by Mary E. Lowd (in Five Fortunes, edited by Fred Patten; FurPlanet Productions; January 16)

Runners-up

2. A Real Stand-Up Guy, by Mary E. Lowd (in Allasso volume 3: Storge, edited by Brian Lee Cook; Pink Fox Publications; April 23)
3. The Best Puppy Ever, by Mary E. Lowd (in AE: The Canadian Science Fiction Review; May 5)
4. The Wharf Cat's Mermaid, by Mary E. Lowd (in ROAR volume 5, edited by Buck C. Turner; Bad Dog Books; July 3)
5. The Carousel of Spirits, by Mary E. Lowd (in Sorcerous Signals, February-April)

Best Other Literary Work

Blacksad, volume 5: Amarillo, by Juan Diaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido (English translation; Dark Horse Books; October 28)

Runners-up

2. Abandoned Places, edited by Tarl Hoch (FurPlanet Productions; December 4)
3. The Sakai Project: Artists Celebrate Thirty Years of Usagi Yojimbo, by various (Dark Horse Books; July 23)
4. Five Fortunes, edited by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions, January 16)
5. Tales From the Guild: Music To Your Ears, edited by AnthroAquatic (Rabbit Valley Books, September 25)

Best Graphic Story

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (comic book), by various (IDWPublishing; #15 - #26)

Runners-up

2. TwoKinds, by Tom Fischbach (Internet; January 8 - December 23)
3. Slightly Damned, by Sarah "Chu" Wilson (Internet; #626 - #674)
4. Furthia High, by QuetzaDrake (Internet; #364 - #381)
5. Endtown, by Aaron Neathery (Internet; January 1 - December 31)

Best Comic Strip

Housepets!, by Rick Griffn (Internet; January 1 - December 31)

Runners-up

2. Freefall, by Mark Stanley (Internet; January 1 - December 31)
3. Savestate, by Tim Weeks (Internet; February 5 - December 31)
4. Carry On, by K. Garrison (a.k.a. Kathy Kellogg) (Internet; July 1 - December 31)
5. Doc Rat, by Jenner (Internet; January 1 - December 31)

Best Magazine

In-Fur-Nation, edited by Rod O'Riley (Internet; January 1 - December 30)

Runners-up

2. Flayrah, edited by Larence "GreenReaper" Parry, and later Brendan "crossaffliction" Kachel (Internet; January 2 - December 31)
3. Fursday, edited by Stuart F. Otterson (Internet; January 2 - December 18)
4. Dogpatch Press, edited by Patch Packrat (Internet; April 11 - December 31)
5. Allasso, volume 3: Storge, edited by Brian Lee Cook (Pink Fox Publications; April 23)

Best Published Illustration

Midwest Furfest 2014 convention book wraparound cover, by Sabretoothed Ermine (December 4)

Runners-up

2. Off the Beaten Path wraparound cover, by Rukis (FurPlanet Productions; July 4)
3. Chakat in the Alley wraparound cover, by ABlueDeer (CreateSpace; July 17)
4. I Won't Die Here animated drawing, by WhiteMantis (FurAffinity; May 8)
5. Five Fortunes wraparound cover, by Terrie Smith (FurPlanet Productions; January 16)

Best Game

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire (Developer: Game Freak; Publishers: Nintendo and The Pokémon Company; November 21)

Runners-up

2. Five Nights at Freddy's (Developer: Scott Cawthorn; Publisher: Steam; August 8)
3. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (Developer: Scott Cawthorn; Publisher: Steam; November 11)
4. Octodad: Dadliest Catch (Developer: Young Horses; Publisher: Young Horses; January 30)
5. Freedom Planet (Developer: GalaxyTrail; Publisher: GalaxyTrail; July 21)

Best Website

FurAffinity

Runners-up

2. Equestria Daily
3. WikiFur
4. Inkbunny
5. Furry Writers' Guild

Best wishes;

Fred Patten
Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association Secretary

Voting for the Ursa Major Awards for 2012 will be closing on May 15, so if you wish to have your say and have yet to cast a ballot, may I suggest that you get over to the website at http://www.ursamajorawards.org/Voting.htm to register and vote. This is a major community event, and it's important that we get as many participants as possible. Remember that it's people like you and I who choose the winners, not a judging panel, so the fandom will know who are truly the most popular choices for 2012.

The voting for the Ursa Major Awards for the best in anthropomorphics for 2012 has opened, and will run until May 15. Go to http://www.ursamajorawards.org/voting2012/ to login and place your votes!

Wondering about the Lackadaisy characters webpage.
http://lackadaisy.foxprints.com/characters.php
(all that pretty art)

Which Ursa's "2012 Recommended Anthropomorphics List" categories would that characters webpage be eligible for?

Doubt characters page would be eligible for an Ursa award (based on the categories of the 2011 Ursa awards) ... although I suppose individual piece would be eligible for "Best Published Illustration" when there's enough Lackaidaisy comic pages for a published book two.

Voting for the Ursa Major Awards for the Best Anthropomorphic Literature and Art of 2011 is now open, and takes place until May 4. The winners will be announced at a presentation ceremony at CaliFur VIII in Irvine, CA on June 2. Anyone may vote, and you are encouraged to ask your friends to vote also -- please help spread the word! To vote, go to http://www.ursamajorawards.org/Voting.htm .

There are five nominees in each of eleven categories, except where there was a tie for fifth place.

To be eligible, a work must have been released during the calendar year 2011; must include a non-human being given human attributes (anthropomorphic), which can be mental and/or physical; and must receive more than one nomination.
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More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Awards, the Ursa Major Awards are presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. They are intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalent of the Hugo Awards presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom's Anthony Awards, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth.

The Ursa Major Awards are administered by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA), a membership organization dedicated to promoting anthropomorphic literature and arts. Discussions are ongoing to improve their effectiveness and expand their presence throughout furry fandom. All suggestions are invited via the Ursa Major Awards website.

The Ursa Major Awards are now on Facebook.

Nominations for the 2011 Ursa Major Awards are now closed. Over 2,020 nominations from 316 nominators were received and are now being tallied.

The final ballot, with the top five nominees in each category, will be announced when voting begins on March 15.

Voting will continue until May 4. The results will be announced and the Awards presented at a ceremony at Califur VIII, at the Irvine Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California on June 2.

Nominations for the 2011 Ursa Major Awards, intended to recognize the best works published in the field of anthropomorphics last year, close in just two weeks, on February 29. Nominate now at http://www.ursamajorawards.org/nominations.htm or lose your chance to pick the five finalists in each category.

Voting starts March 15 and closes May 4 (to allow last-minute voting from Morphicon 2012).

The 2011 Awards will be announced and presented in a ceremony at CaliFur VIII in Irvine, CA, June 1–3.

Available awards include Best Motion Picture, Dramatic Short Work or Series, Novel, Short Fiction, Other Literary Work, Graphic Story, Comic Strip, Magazine, Website, Published Illustration, and Game.

If you cannot think of five worthwhile nominees in each category, see the 2011 Recommended Anthropomorphics List at http://www.ursamajorawards.org/ReadList.htm for suggestions. Find us now on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UrsaMajorAwards !

Nominations are now open for the 2011 Ursa Major Awards, intended to recognize the best works published in the field of anthropomorphics last year. http://www.ursamajorawards.org/nominations.htm

Nominations close on February 29; voting starts March 15 and closes May 4 (to allow last-minute online voting from Morphicon). Furry fans may nominate up to five works in each category.  The 2011 Awards will be announced and presented in a ceremony at CaliFur VIII in Irvine, CA, June 1 – 3, 2012.

Available awards include Best Motion Picture, Dramatic Short Work or Series, Novel, Short Fiction, Other Literary Work, Graphic Story, Comic Strip, Magazine, Website, Published Illustration, and Game.

If you cannot think of five worthwhile nominees in each category, see the 2011 Recommended Anthropomorphics List on the Ursa Major Awards website for suggestions. http://www.ursamajorawards.org/ReadList.htm

The 2011 Anthropomorphic Reading List has just been updated to include the titles recommended by furry fans through the beginning of December. This list is often used by fans to nominate in the next year's Ursa Major Awards.

All fans are invited to recommend worthwhile anthropomorphic works in eleven categories (motion pictures, dramatic short films or broadcasts, novels, short fiction, other literary works, graphic stories, comic strips, magazines, published illustrations, websites, and games) first published during 2011, if they are not already on the list.

Send in your recommendations and read the List to see what other fans have recommended this year. Have you read all sixteen comic strips, for example? What have you been missing?

Don't miss your chance to recommend anything anthropomorphic first appearing in 2011! The List will accept recommendations to January 15, 2012 to give people time to consider anything that came out at the very end of 2011. Furry websites are now included in a separate category, so if you have any favorite websites that were not previously eligible, please recommend them now.

Nominations for the 2011 Ursa Major Awards, in the same eleven categories, will open on January 12 (the first day of Further Confusion 2012) and will be accepted until February 29. You'll be able to nominate the titles that you felt have been the best anthropomorphic movies, novels, comic strips and books, websites, games, etc. of 2011 for the Awards. And be ready to vote when the polls open on March 15!

Remember, the Ursa Major Awards are a popular vote award, controlled by what the fans nominate and vote for! If you were disappointed that the motion picture Avatar won over Fantastic Mr. Fox, be sure to nominate and vote yourself this year!

Possible addition for 2011 recommended list.

Wandered across feature film (95 minutes) that I thought might qualify for 2011 Recommended Anthropomorphics List.

The main character in the film is a teddy bear (who walks and talks).

Originally released in 2010, but the English dub seems to have been released in 2011.

Kooky website says “This "original home-made English version" will be available for worldwide acquisition at the forthcoming Berlin Film Festival Market.” which would be the February 2011 Berlin film festival.
(Same announcement on Facebook is dated Tuesday, January 4, 2011.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/kooky-movie/kooky-english-version/168783713166489 )

(and the Vancouver International Film Festival dates it as 2011
http://filmguide.viff.org/tixSYS/2011/xslguide/eventnote.php?EventNumber=1728 )

Website: http://www.kookymovie.com/ -> http://www.kukysevraci.cz/en/index.html

English trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBQbkbnj780