Press Release: Gemmell Legend Awards, Friday 17^th June 2011

At a glittering awards ceremony at The Magic Circle in London tonight, the winners of the third David Gemmell Legend Award were announced.
 
For the Morningstar Award for Best Newcomer, the winner was Darius Hinks for Warrior Priest (Black Library).
 
For the Ravenheart Award for Best Cover Artist, the winner was Olof Erla Einarsdottir for the cover of Power and Majesty by Tansy Rayner Roberts (Harper Collins Australia).
 
For the Legend Award for Best Novel, the winner was Brandon Sanderson for The Way of Kings (Gollancz/Tor US) who received the major Snaga Award.
 
The event was attended by fans, genre professionals and influential members of the fantasy/sf community, which included authors Stephen Deas, Barry Forshaw, Stephen Jones, Kim Newman, Sarah Pinborough, Michael Marshall Smith and Chris Baker (illustrator of David Gemmell’s graphic novels), publisher Jo Fletcher, Ian Drury (of the Sheil Land Literary Agency) and representatives from Black Library, Bragelonne, Gollancz, Orbit Books, SFX Magazine, the BSFA, BFS/Fantasycon, Novacon, World Fantasy Convention 2013, the Birmingham Science Fiction Group and SF Crowsnest.
 
The event was hosted by event organisers Stan Nicholls and Anne Nicholls.
 
Last year’s Legend Award winner, Graham McNeill, presented the Legend Award.  Artist Anne Sudworth presented the Ravenheart Award and author Juliet McKenna presented the Morningstar Award.
 
James Barclay read an excerpt from David Gemmell’s Shield of Thunder, and acted as auctioneer for the evening’s auction which was organised by Gillian Redfearn of Gollancz. Lots included a workshop with Jo Fletcher; a bundle of books by Jim Butcher; a cameo in Scott Lynch’s forthcoming novel The Thorn of Emberlain; a bottle of Legend Award champagne with two glasses; tickets for Gollancz’s 50th anniversary party; a chalet at the SFX Weekender; a framed print of the cover of The Rogue signed by Trudi Canavan; the DGA “lawn sign” autographed by authors and artists present on the night, and an original, signed, framed sketch of Druss the Legend by Didier Graffet! 
 
Bragelonne Publishers produced a mini-Snaga for all Award nominees, and Simon Fearnhamm of Raven Armoury the large Snaga for the Legend Award winner.