The Chesley Awards were established in 1985 by the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists to recognize individual artistic works and achievements during a given year. The Chesleys were initially called the ASFA Awards, but were later renamed to honor famed astronomical artist Chesley Bonestell following his death in 1986. The awards are presented annually, typically at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon).
Chesley Award categories
Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Hardcover
Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Paperback/Ebook
Chesley Award for Best Cover Illustration – Magazine
Chesley Award for Best Interior Illustration
Chesley Award for Best Three-Dimensional Art
Chesley Award for Best Color Work – Unpublished
Chesley Award for Best Monochrome Work – Unpublished
Chesley Award for Best Product Illustration
Chesley Award for Best Gaming-Related Illustration
Chesley Award for Best Art Director
Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement
Chesley Award for Contribution to ASFA (through 2006)
Chesley Award results
Award Winners are listed on the ASFA website here: https://asfa-art.com/the-chesley-awards/past-winners/
Chesley Award Winners & Nominees for 2014
The following are the winners and finalists for works done in 2013 for the 2014 Awards.
Best Cover Illustration: Hardback Book
Winner: Todd Lockwood – A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan; Tor, Feb. 2013 Other Nominees: Jason Chan – Lost Covenant: A Widdershins Adventure by Ari Marmell; Pyr, Dec. 2013 Kekai Kotaki – Quintessence by David Walton; Tor, March 2013 Maurizio Manzieri – Book of Iron by Elizabeth Bear; Subterranean Press, Sept. 2013 Michael Whelan – A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson; Tor, Jan. 2013 Allen Williams – Light Reading, Queen Victoria's Book of Spells, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling; Tor, March 2013
Best Cover Illustration: Paperback Book
Winner: Kerem Beyit – The Scroll of Years by Chris Willrich; Pyr, Sept. 2013
Other Nominees: Jason Chan – Harbinger by Phillippa Ballantine; Ace, July 2013 Julie Dillon – Ancient Discovery; Crossed Genres Magazine 2.0 Book One; Crossed Genres Publications, April 2013 Justin Gerard – Power Under Pressure (The Society of Steam) by Andrew P. Mayer; Pyr, Jan. 2013 Dehong He – Shield of Sea and Space by Erin Hoffman; Pyr, May 2013
Best Cover Illustration: Magazine
Winner: Dan Dos Santos – Fables #136 Vertigo, Dec. 2013
Other Nominees: Julie Dillon – Elliptic, Clarkesworld, December 2013 Maurizio Manzieri – The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, March/April 2013 Cynthia Sheppard – Bull Spec, Spring 2013
Best Interior Illustration
Winner: Brian Kesinger – Walking Your Octopus, July 2013; Baby Tattoo Books
Other Nominees: Robert Hunt – “Fire Above, Fire Below” by Garth Nix; Tor.com, May 2013 John Jude Palencar – “A Terror” by Jeffrey Ford; Tor.com, July 2013 John Picacio – “The Button Man and the Murder Tree” by Cherie Priest; Tor.com, May 2013) John Picacio – The Good Life; Popular Science Magazine, June 2013 Greg Ruth – “Dragonkin” by Lavie Tidhar; Tor.com, July 2013 Greg Ruth – The Running of the Bulls, The Running of the Bulls by Harry Turtledove; Tor.com, March 2013
Best Three-Dimensional Art
Winner: Devon Dorrity – Cecaelia, Queen of the Ocean, clay
Other Nominees: Thomas Kuebler – Krampus the Yule Lord, mixed David Meng – Leatherback, resin Michael Parkes – Goddess of the Hunt, 1/2 life-size bronze Forest Rogers – Goblin Spider, Kato polyclay Vincent Villafranca – Star Smith, bronze
Best Unpublished: Color Work
Winner: Donato Giancola – Huor and Hurin Approaching Gondolin, oil on linen
Other Nominees: Rhea Ewing – Ancestor Series – Neanderthal Stephanie Pui-Mun Law – Ships Passing in the Night, watercolor Dave Leri – Death Squealer, oil on masonite Annie Stegg – Lilaia the Naiad, oil on paper
Best Unpublished: Monochrome Work
Winner: Ruth Sanderson – The Descent or Persephone, scratchboard
Other Nominees: Justin Gerard – The Fox Princess, pencil Rebecca Guay – Tender Morsels, graphite John Picacio – La Luna Travis Lewis – Bone Collector, graphite