More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Award, the Ursa Major Award is presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. It is intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalent of the Hugo Award ® presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom's Anthony Award, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Award, and so forth. Anyone may nominate and vote for candidates for the Awards. These Awards are decided entirely by the fans, not by the ALAA committee or a panel of judges.

      NEWS

Voting concluded as of March 24. The winners were announced in a special presentation at Golden State Fur Con on Sunday April 7 at 11:30am PST.

The winners are listed below.

It's important to remember that the Ursa Major Awards (like so many other awards) are designed to celebrate and recognize great works, not to judge the character or personality of creators. Unfortunately, the personal squabbling, attacks, and counter-attacks reached a fever pitch in the Best Music Category this year. The staff of the ALAA made the unfortunate observation that the category was compromised, and so we made the difficult decision to cancel the Best Music category for works from last year (2023). We fully intend to attempt the award in that category again next year (for works from 2024), hopefully with some better controls in place. We apologize to all the music creators out there, and we thank all of our nominators and voters for their patience.

We would like to respectfully remind everyone that the Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts Award committee is a non-profit organization run by a skeleton crew of volunteers, and the Ursa Major Awards are completely funded by donations which need to cover operational costs, production of the physical trophies, and shipping to the winners. When donations are insufficient, the balance comes out of the committee members' pockets.

Last year, we came out in the black for the first time due to the many generous donations for which we were very grateful. However, not much is left in the kitty and it's time to start the ball rolling once more. So, whether you consider yourself a furry or just a fan of anthropomorphic works, and you like the idea of your favorite stuff in that category getting awards, if at any point over the last two decades you've heard of the UMAs or you're just learning about them now, we humbly ask that you consider tossing a donation our way via PayPal - whatever you can afford - and to spread the word around.

A special shout-out to Xanni who hosts and troubleshoots the UMA website. Your help is very much appreciated!

The 2023 Winners

Best Website
Online collections of art, stories, and other creative and/or informational works. Includes galleries, story archives, directories, blogs, and personal sites.

Fur Affinity

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• e621
• Wikifur
• Wolfery
• Kemono Café
 

Best Game
Computer or console games, role-playing games, board games.

Laika: Aged Through Blood

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Super Mario Bros Wonder
• Friends vs Friends
• Pseudoregalia
 

Best Visual Art
Illustrations for books, magazines, convention program books, cover art for such, coffee-table portfolios.

Squiddy, The Record Store

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• ARVEN92, Our Furry City - Anthrocon 2023
• Squiddy, Market Haul
• Glopossum, Pines
• Bubblewolf, Winterrock Oasis
 

Best Magazine
Edited collections of creative and/or informational works by various people, professional or amateur, published in print or online in written, pictorial or audio-visual form.

Dogpatch Press, by Patch Packrat

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Flayrah, edited by GreenReaper
• InFurNation, edited by Rod O'Riley
• Dhole Moments, edited by Soatok
• Zooscape, edited by Mary E. Lowd
 

Best Comic Strip
Newspaper-style strips, including those with some ongoing arcs.

Foxes in Love, by Toivo Kaartinen.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Carry On, by Kathy Garrison Kellogg.
• Lauren Ipsum, by Charles Brubaker.
• Freefall, by Mark Stanley.
• The Whiteboard, by Doc Nickel.
 

Best Graphic Story
Includes comic books, and serialized online stories.

Tamberlane, by Caytlin Vilbrandt and Ari Noble.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Two Kinds, by Thomas Fischbach.
• Slightly Damned, by Chu.
• Silverwing: The Graphic Novel, written by Kenneth Opel, Illustrated by Christopher Steininge.
• Would Have Bit You, by Inanimorphs.
 

Best Non-Fiction Work
Includes opinion pieces and news articles.

Furscience, by Dr. Courtney N. Plante.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Furry Planet, by Joe Strike.
• On Furries and the Media, by Soatok.
• A Guide to Drawing Manga Fantasy Furries: and Other Anthropomorphic Creatures, by Ryo Sumiyoshi.
• TFTuesday Podcast - A Measured Response: Saberspark's TF Video Essay, by Zilepo and K-Libra.
 

Best General Literary Work
Story collections, comic collections, graphic novels, and serialized online stories.

Gnoll Tales, by NightEyes DaySpring.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Lauren Ipsum, by Charles Brubaker.
• Zooscape, Volume 1, edited by Mary E. Lowd.
• Some Words Burn Brightly: An Illuminated Collection of Poetry, by Mary E. Lowd.
• Commander Annie and Others Adventures, by Mary E. Lowd.
 

Best Short Fiction
Stories less than 40,000 words, poetry, and other short Written works.

On the Difference Between AI Cats and Actual Cats: A Love Story, by Daniel Lowd and Mary E. Lowd.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Rhapsody of Stolen Feathers, by Frank Alvarez.
• How Pepper Learned Magic, by Renee Carter Hall.
• Of Heart and Stone, by Solomon Harries.
• Aged Plant Fibers and Ink, by James L. Steele.
 

Best Novel
Written works of 40,000 words or more. Serialized novels qualify only for the year that the final chapter is published.

Wolf of Withervale by Joaquín Baldwin.