Announcing the longlist for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award

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Announcing the longlist for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award

Posted on 2026-06-15 at 10:00 by admin

Monday, June 15, 2026, Durham, NC: The North Carolina Speculative Fiction Foundation is proud to announce this list of 34 quarter-finalists for the 2026 Manly Wade Wellman Award for North Carolina Science Fiction and Fantasy, presented in alphabetical order by author last name:

  • The Unseen by Ania Ahlborn
  • Cathedral of the Drowned by Nathan Ballingrud
  • Queen of Mercy by Natania Barron
  • The Viscount St. Albans by Natania Barron
  • Bloody Bones by Garrett Boatman
  • Equalizer by Morgan Brice
  • Reawakening by Orson Scott Card
  • Where Dark Things Rise by Andrew K. Clark
  • Cursed in Love by Emily Colin
  • Halo: Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay
  • Lovers’ Leap by Rikki Goodwin
  • The Blood of the Bull by Jo Graham
  • Across an Ocean of Stars by Robert E. Hampson
  • Hideki Smith and the Omukada by A.J. Hartley
  • Reaper by John G. Hartness
  • Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry
  • Infinite Archive by Mur Lafferty
  • Transmentation: Transience by Darkly Lem
  • Cloaked by John P. Logdson and Christopher P. Young
  • The Coming Dark by D.J. Molles
  • Blue Ridge Calling by Olivia Neal
  • A Burning in the Bones by Scott Reintgen
  • Last Chance to Save the World by Beth Revis
  • The Crimson Throne by Beth Revis (and Sara Raasch)
  • Labyrinth by A.G. Riddle
  • Shadows Upon Time by Christopher Ruocchio
  • Point of Hearts by Melissa Scott
  • Hour of the Pumpkin Queen by Megan Shepherd
  • Beyond Darkness by Geraud Staton
  • Intent Magic by William C. Tracy
  • Dark Little Worlds by Rysa Walker
  • Children of Solitude by Michael G. Williams
  • Closing Time at the Sunny-Side-Up by David Niall Wilson
  • Fallen City by Adrienne Young

The winner(s) will be announced at ConGregate 12 on Friday, July 17, 2026 in Greensboro, NC as part of the convention’s opening ceremonies.

The Manly Wade Wellman Award was founded in 2013 to recognize outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy novels written by North Carolina authors. The 2026 award covers novels published in 2025. The award is named for long-time North Carolina author Manly Wade Wellman with the permission of his estate.

Posted in The Manly Wade Wellman Award