Saboteur Awards 2020: Shortlists!
The results are ready!
After many votes and much counting, we’re delighted to announce the shortlists for the Saboteur Awards 2020!
We’re aware the world is a little out of sorts at the moment (to put it mildly) which is why we think it’s important, now more than ever, to make sure achievements are celebrated. These shortlists, and their special mentions, are packed with fantastic artists and organisations, and we hope you’ll join us in offering them a massive congratulations on their work(s) to date.
A note to those shortlisted: Charley has tried to get in touch with everyone shortlisted but she hasn’t heard back from everyone just yet. If you are shortlisted and hearing about it for the first time here, please drop an email to [email protected] for a chat with Charley about the awards.
Votes are now open and you can access the second voting form right here.
Best Short Story Collection Shortlist
- Calls To Distant Places by Peter Jordan (Kingston University Press Ltd)
- Witches Sail in Eggshells by Chloe Turner (Reflex Press)
- Some Days Are Better Than Ours by Barbara Byar (Reflex Press)
- All That Is Between Us by K.M. Elkes (Ad Hoc Fiction)
Special mention to:
- Soul Etchings by Sandra Arnold (Retreat West)
- Exercises in Control by Annabel Banks (Influx Press)
- This Paradise by Ruby Cowling (Boiler House Press)
- The Heartsick Diaspora by Elaine Chiew (Myriad Editions)
Best Spoken Word Performer Shortlist
Special mention to:
Best Magazine Shortlist
Special mention to:
Best Literary Festival Shortlist
Special mention to:
Best Novella Shortlist
- An Inheritance by Diane Simmons (V. Press)
- Homing by Johanna Robinson (Ad Hoc Fiction)
- The Neverlands by Damhnait Monaghan (V. Press)
- Birds With Horse Hearts by Ellie Walsh (Ad Hoc Fiction)
Special mention to:
- Griddlecakes or The Word Above Grief by Jenessa Abrams (Platypus Press)
- Juniper by Ross Jeffery (The Writing Collective)
- The Haunting of Strawberry Water by Tara Gould (Myriad Editions)
- Moon-Sitting by Emma Harding (Independently published)
Best Poetry Pamphlet Shortlist
- The Collective Nouns for Birds by Amanda Huggins (Maytree Press)
- The Ghost Hospital by Pauline Rowe (Maytree Press)
- Firing Pins by Jo Young (Ink Sweat & Tears)
- Moveable Type by Jo Clement (New Writing North)
- The Dogs of Humanity by Colin Dardis (Fly on the Wall Press)
Special mention to:
- The Significance of a Dress by Emma Lee (Arachne Press)
- My Shrink is Pregnant by Katie Griffiths (Live Canon)
- Like Horses by Jasmine Simms (The Poetry Business)
- Collision by Claire Walker (Against the Grain Poetry Press)
Best Spoken Word Regular Night Shortlist
- Punk in Drublic (Manchester)
- Trouble Tongues (Dalston, London)
- Scriptstuff (Leamington)
- Liar’s League (Shoreditch)
Special mention to:
Best Spoken Word Show Shortlist
- The Remains of Logan Dankworth by Luke Wright
- Raddlesham Mumps by Murray Lachlan Young
- The Empathy Experiment by Rose Condo
- A Poet’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse by Emma Ireland, Spike Pike, Sophie Sparham, and Mike Took
Special mention to:
- Rare Birds – Voices of Holloway by Natalie Scott
- #GIRLHOOD by Cat Hepburn
- I can make you fail slightly less by Dominic Berry
- Essex Girl by Maria Ferguson
Most Innovative Publisher Shortlist
Special mention to:
Best Reviewer of Literature Shortlist
Special mention to:
Best Collaborative Work Shortlist
- Iamb , coordinated by Mark Antony Owen
- Meet the Writer: Susan Evans, performed by Susan Evans in at Hastings Contemporary, collaboration with Hastings Storytelling Festival, supported further by Creative Future
- Raddlesham Mumps, coordinated by Murray Lachlan Young
- Life Behind Bards, coordinated by Sadie Davidson
Special mention to:
- Rare Birds – Voices of Holloway by Natalie Scott
- London Undercurrents, by Joolz Sparkes and Hilaire
- Spotlight Books, coordinated by Creative Future, New Writing South and Myriad Editions
- Outlandish, by Jo Clements, Damian Le Bas and W. John Hewitt
Best Anthology Shortlist
- With One Eye on the Cows (Ad Hoc Fiction)
- No Good Deed (Retreat West)
- Planet in Peril (Fly on the Wall Press)
- The Real Jazz Baby (Reflex Press)
Special mention to:
- For The Silent (Indigo Dreams)
- Islands Are But Mountains (Platypus Press)
- Witches, Warriors, Workers (Culture Matters)
- Story Cities: A guide for the imagination (Arachne Press)
A note from Charley:
This is my second year of coordinating these awards now and for a second year I’ve been overwhelmed by the experience. I find it not only encouraging, but also hugely touching that so many people are involved with this process. It reminds me – not as though I need reminding – that the awards are always worth doing, regardless of what’s happening in the world.
I know that I speak for the Sabotage Team as a whole when I say we’re delighted for those shortlisted, and for those who have received a special mention. There were some close calls throughout and it really was impossible to tell which way things would swing during the big count up. There’s such variety in these shortlists, though, that it speaks further volumes for the strength, talent and worth of the artist community (and that’s my emotion out of the way).
Finally, every effort has been made to find the relevant details for each entry on these lists. However, if your details aren’t included or they aren’t correct then please don’t hesitate to contact me at [email protected] and I’ll amend the page accordingly.
Thanks again, everyone, for the continued support.
