The Otherwise Award, originally known as the James Tiptree Jr. Award, is an American annual literary prize for works of science fiction or fantasy that expand or explore one's understanding of gender. It was initiated in February 1991 by science fiction authors Pat Murphy and Karen Joy Fowler, subsequent to a discussion at WisCon, a feminist SF conference.
In addition to the award itself, the judges publish an Honor List, which they describe as "a strong part of the award's identity", "used by many readers as a recommended reading list".[1]
In 2024, the award administrators announced that they would be switching from a single winner each year to a shortlist of three to six winners.[2]
The award was originally named for Alice B. Sheldon, who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree Jr. Due to controversy over the appropriateness of naming an award after Tiptree, the committee administering the award announced on October 13, 2019, that the award would be renamed the Otherwise Award.[3]
Background
Choice of the Tiptree name
By choosing a masculine nom de plume, having her stories accepted under that name and winning awards with them, Alice Sheldon helped demonstrate that the division between male and female science fiction writing was illusory. Years after "Tiptree" first published science fiction, Sheldon wrote some work under the female pen name "Raccoona Sheldon"; later, the science fiction world discovered that "Tiptree" had been female all along. This discovery led to widespread discussion over which aspects of writing, if any, have an intrinsic gender. To remind audiences of the role gender plays in both reading and writing, the award was named in Sheldon's honor at the suggestion of Karen Joy Fowler.
Controversy and name change
In 2019, controversy arose over the appropriateness of naming an award after Tiptree. In 1987, Alice Sheldon shot and killed her ailing husband Huntington Sheldon before killing herself in the same manner. Although some have called the killing a "suicide pact" based on Sheldon's personal writings, others characterize the act as "caregiver murder"—i.e., the murder of a disabled person by the person responsible for caring for them. In light of these allegations, the Tiptree Motherboard received requests to change the name of the award. On September 2, 2019, in response to these requests, the Motherboard made a statement that "a change to the name of the Tiptree Award is [not] warranted now"; but nine days later, on September 11, they announced that the award "can't go on under its existing name".[4]
On October 13, 2019, the Tiptree Motherboard released an announcement stating that the Tiptree Award would become the Otherwise Award. The name refers to "the act of imagining gender otherwise" at the core of what the award has always honored, as well as being "wise to the experience of being the other". The title also draws from the Black queer scholarship of Ashon Crawley around what is termed "otherwise politics".[3] According to the statement, "Otherwise means finding different directions to move in—toward newly possible places, by means of emergent and multiple pathways and methods."[3]
Administration
The Otherwise award is administered by a panel called the "Motherboard".[5]
Fundraising efforts for the award have included publications (two cookbooks), "feminist bake sales", and auctions. The Tiptree cookbook The Bakery Men Don't See, edited by WisCon co-founder Jeanne Gomoll, was nominated for a 1992 Hugo Award. Otherwise Award juries traditionally consist of four female and one male juror (the "token man").[6] The auctions were one of the keynote events of WisCon, and they were run by author Ellen Klages from their inception in 1994 until 2016.[7][8][9] A variety of items were auctioned, ranging from signed first editions of art or written works by SF luminaries and authors, such as Octavia Butler, Ursula K. Le Guin, Suzette Haden Elgin, Freddie Baer, and many others, to quirky items with some connection to feminism, science fiction, or fandom, such as a hand-knitted uteruses created by Klages, letters, photos, memorabilia, toys, and art.[9] Artist Freddie Baer produced an annual collage, which was printed on t-shirts and posters, in support of the organization.[10][8]
In 2011, the Motherboard received the Science Fiction Research Association's Thomas D. Clareson Award for Distinguished Service for its "outstanding service activities – promotion of SF teaching and study, editing, reviewing, editorial writing, publishing, organizing meetings, mentoring, and leadership in SF/fantasy organizations".[11]
Anthologies
Selections of the winners, various short-listed fiction, and essays have appeared in four Tiptree-related collections, Flying Cups and Saucers (1999) and a series of annual anthologies published by Tachyon Publications of San Francisco. These include:
- Flying Cups and Saucers: Gender Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by the Secret Feminist Cabal and Debbie Notkin (1999)
- The James Tiptree Award Anthology 1 edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2005)
- The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2 edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2006)
- The James Tiptree Award Anthology 3 edited by Karen Joy Fowler, Pat Murphy, Debbie Notkin, and Jeffrey D. Smith (2007)
Winners
See also
- Gender in speculative fiction
- Sense of Gender Awards
- Sex and sexuality in speculative fiction
- Women in speculative fiction
- Women science fiction authors
References
- ^ Notkin, Debbie (April 2016). "2015 Winners, Honor List, and Long List Announced!". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. Archived May 6, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ Hartman, Jed (August 16, 2024). "New directions for the Otherwise Award". otherwiseaward.org. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Lothian, Alexis (October 13, 2019). "From Tiptree to Otherwise « James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. Archived October 27, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
- ^ Lothian, Alexis (September 2, 2019). "Alice Sheldon and the name of the Tiptree Award". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Motherboard « James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award. May 12, 2015. Archived November 8, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
- ^ Merrick, Helen. The Secret Feminist Cabal: A Cultural History of Science Fiction Feminisms ISBN 978-1-933500-33-1 Seattle: Aqueduct Press, 2009; pp. 172–176
- ^ "Ellen Klages Steps Down from Motherboard". otherwiseaward.org. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
After the two Founding Mothers, perhaps no one has been more important to the success and identity of the Tiptree Award than Ellen Klages, whose legendary auctions gave the Award much of its visibility, character, and flair (not to mention raising enough money to keep us going as a stable organization for over 20 years
- ^ "A History of WisCon". sf3.org. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
- ^ "Contribute to the auction". otherwiseaward.org. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
- ^ "Store". otherwiseaward.org. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
Each year, artist Freddie Baer creates an intricate collage celebrating that year's Award. These designs are silkscreened on t-shirts to create wearable art and are sold at the site of the Tiptree Ceremony that year.
- ^ "Tiptree Motherboard Receives Clareson Award" Archived August 8, 2017 at the Wayback Machine Locus Online August 29, 2011
- ^ "Tiptree Award Winners". Locus Online. April 26, 2009. Archived March 11, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "2010 Tiptree Award Winner Announced!". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "2010 Tiptree Award Winner". Locus Online. March 21, 2011. Archived August 17, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "2011 Tiptree Award Winner announced.". James Tiptree, Jr. Literary Award Council. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
- ^ "Kiernan and Salaam Win Tiptree Awards". Locus Online. March 5, 2013. Archived December 10, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Tiptree Awards Winners Announced: Byrne and Walton". Locus Online. April 4, 2015. Archived December 6, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "McLemore Wins 2016 Tiptree Award". Locus Online. March 14, 2017. Archived March 2, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "2017 James Tiptree, Jr. Award". December 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ "Bergin Wins 2017 Tiptree Award". Locus Online. March 14, 2018. Archived January 30, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Miravete Wins 2018 Tiptree Award". Locus Online. March 25, 2019. Archived January 31, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Emezi Wins 2019 Otherwise Award". Locus Online. April 13, 2020. Archived May 29, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "Ekpeki Wins 2020 Otherwise Award". Locus Online. September 7, 2021. Archived January 25, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ Lothian, Alexis (January 17, 2023). "Ryka Aoki and Rivers Solomon win 2021 Otherwise Award! Honor List announced". Otherwise Award. Archived January 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "2021 Otherwise Award Winners". Locus Online. January 19, 2023. Archived February 7, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Otherwise Award". otherwiseaward.org. December 14, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "2023 Otherwise Award". otherwiseaward.org. December 19, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Hartman, Jed (May 6, 2025). "Announcing the 2024 Otherwise Award winners!". otherwiseaward.org. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "2025 Otherwise Award Winner". Locus. March 25, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
Further reading
- "On James Tiptree, Alice Sheldon and bake sales", archived November 26, 1996 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved February 16, 2013