Sidewise Award for Alternate History
さいどうわいずしょう（だいたいれきし）
Literary award recognizing short-form and long-form alternate history works. Established in 1995.
Alternate historyScience fictionLiterary award
- Established
- 1995
- Organizer
- Sidewise Award Steering Committee (Founders: Steven H. Silver, Evelyn C. Leeper, Robert B. Schmunk)
- Category
- Genre Fiction
- Selection Method
- Selection
- Target
- Professional
- Frequency
- 1 per year
- Status
- Active
Description
The Sidewise Award for Alternate History was established in 1995 to recognize the best alternate history short stories and long-form works of the year. There are typically two categories: short-form (under 60,000 words) and long-form (60,000 words or more), with winners often announced at WorldCon or NASFiC. The number of judges varies from 3 to 8 each year, and special achievement awards have been given irregularly in the past.
Prize
- Main Prize
- Long-Form Award and Short-Form Award are presented annually. Special Achievement Awards may be presented irregularly.
- Commemorative plaque
- Public announcement of the award and increased recognition
- Publication of award records (official site, Wikipedia, etc.)
Selection
Selection Process
| Stage | Judges | Pass Rate | Announcement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nominee Selection | Judges (typically 3-8, international) | — | Nominees selected by the judges. |
| Final Judging and Winner Determination | Judges (final vote) | — | Winners are announced at WorldCon/NASFiC conventions or on the official site. |
Nominee Selection
Judges
Judges (typically 3-8, international)
Announcement
Nominees selected by the judges.
Final Judging and Winner Determination
Judges
Judges (final vote)
Announcement
Winners are announced at WorldCon/NASFiC conventions or on the official site.
Criteria
- The work qualifies as alternate history
- Meets word count criteria (long-form: 60,000 words or more, short-form: under 60,000 words)
- Originality and quality of reinterpretation of actual history
- Literary quality (prose style, structure, character depiction, etc.)
- Published or released in the relevant year
Application Tips
Dos
- Clearly present the alternate history premise (what-if)
- Verify word count criteria (60,000 words) and fit into the appropriate category
- Confirm the work matches the target publication year (release year)
- Strengthen world-building consistency and persuasiveness of historical reinterpretation
Don''ts
- Submit works that merely recreate history without strong alternate history elements
- Apply in the wrong category ignoring word count criteria
- Use a vague premise that does not impact the overall story
From Judges
- Short-form works must clearly demonstrate the impact of the point of divergence due to their brevity
- Long-form works are evaluated on world-building consistency and depth of character portrayal
- Selection is based on publication year (release year), so confirm it is a work from the target year
- When applying (or nominating), emphasize the 'uniqueness as alternate history'
Related Awards
- Hugo Award
- Nebula Award
- Locus Award
- Philip K. Dick Award
- Arthur C. Clarke Award