Kitschies


The Kitschies are British literary prizes presented annually for "the year’s most progressive, intelligent and entertaining works that contain elements of the speculative or fantastic." Works that were published in the United Kingdom in the year of the award are eligible.

Awards and criteria

The Kitschies are administered by a non-profit association with the stated mission of "encouraging and elevating the tone of the discussion of genre literature in its many forms". The founders, Anne C. Perry and Jared Shurin, said that they sought to bring attention to works with a fantastic or speculative element that are progressive in terms of content and composition.
The award is a juried prize that selects those books which "best elevate the tone of genre literature". Qualifying books must contain "an element of the fantastic or speculative" and have been published in the UK. Winners receive a sum of prize money and a textile tentacle trophy.
The Kitschies are governed by an advisory board of members and an award director, Glen Mehn. The Kitschies were initially established in 2009 by the website pornokitsch.com. The Kraken Rum was the sponsor between 2010 and 2013. For 2014 and 2015, Fallen London, was the sponsor. The award did not run in 2016. From 2017 the sponsor is Blackwell's Bookshop.
, the Kitschies are awarded in five categories:
The judging panels change annually. The judges for each year are as follows:
;2011
;2012
;2013
;2014
;2015
2017
;2018

Red Tentacle (best novel)

;2019
;2018
;2017
;2015:
;2014:
;2013:
;2012:
;2011:
;2010:
;2009:
;2019
;2018
;2017
;2015:
;2014:
;2013:
;2012:
;2011:
;2010: King Maker by Maurice Broaddus

Inky Tentacle (best cover art)

;2019
;2018
Winner: Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami, cover by Suzanne Dean
;2017
;2014:
;2013:
;2012:
;2011:
;2015:
;2014: