Comments: In 1983, the World Fantasy Awards stopped publishing the full slate of candidates nominated for the Lifetime Achievement Award, opting instead to merely announce that Roald Dahl had won. I'm not sure why the World Fantasy Awards made the decision to do this, but it is one of the few times I have seen an Award decide to give out less information about their process. There doesn't seem to have been any scandal or embarrassing result that would have prompted this choice. It just seems that the organizers of the World Fantasy Convention simply decided that they wouldn't bother telling anyone who else they had considered for a Lifetime Achievement Award any more.
Other than this change in reporting, the World Fantasy Awards seem to have been about what one might expect. The people you would expect to be nominated were nominated. The people you would expect to win did win. And women were mostly ignored. For the most part, it was business as usual for the World Fantasy Awards.
Best Novel
Nifft the Lean by Michael Shea
Other Nominees:
Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin
The Nestling by Charles L. Grant
Phantom by by Thomas Tessier
The Sword of the Lictor by Gene Wolfe
Best Novella
(tie) Beyond Any Measure by Karl Edward Wagner
(tie) Confess the Seasons by Charles L. Grant
Other Nominees:
The Breathing Method by Stephen King
Horrible Imaginings by Fritz Leiber
Night's Swift Dragons by Charles L. Grant
Best Short Fiction
The Gorgon by Tanith Lee
Other Nominees:
Deathtracks by Dennis Etchison
Firestorm by Steve Rasnic Tem
The Man Who Met Picasso by Michael Swanwick
Petra by Greg Bear
Best Anthology or Collection
Nightmare Seasons edited by Charles L. Grant
Other Nominees:
The Dark Country by Dennis Etchison
Different Seasons by Stephen King
Hecate's Cauldron edited by Susan M. Shwartz
Perpetual Light edited by Alan Ryan
Shadows 5 edited by Charles L. Grant
Lifetime Achievement
Roald Dahl
Other Nominees:
None
Best Artist
Michael Whelan
Other Nominees:
Jill Bauman
Tom Canty
R.J. Krupowicz
Don Maitz
Special Award, Professional
Donald M. Grant
Other Nominees:
Lester del Rey
David G. Hartwell
Pat LoBrutto
Douglas E. Winter
Special Award, Non-Professional
Stuart David Schiff
Other Nominees:
Francesco Cova
W. Paul Ganley
Robert T. Garcia
Stephen Jones and David Sutton
Ken Keller
Special Convention Award
Arkham House
Other Nominees:
None
Go to previous year's nominees: 1982
Go to subsequent year's nominees: 1984
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