The winners of the fifth annual Ursa Major Awards (formally the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts Awards), for the Best in anthropomorphic/"funny animal" literature and art first published during the calendar year 2005, were announced at a presentation ceremony on Saturday, May 27, 2006 at Rocket City Fur Meet, held at the The Radisson Suites Hotel Huntsville, Alabama on May 26-28, 2006.

The Ursa Major Awards are Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalents of s-f fandom's Hugo Awards, mystery fandom's Anthony Awards, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Awards, and so forth.  The Ursa Majors are administered and presented by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA), an organization dedicated to promoting anthropomorphic literature and arts both within and outside of the fandom.  Nominations and voting for the awards are open to the public.  The physical award consists of an illustrated trophy certificate or plaque, designed by the artist Heather Bruton.

Eligibility in ten categories is for works featuring intelligent &/or talking animals first published during the calendar year 2005.  This can include new compilations of older works, such as a new collection of previously-published separate works.  The winners are chosen by popular vote among those participating in Anthropomorphic Fandom who, first, submitted their nominations for the winners, and then voted upon a final ballot consisting of the five finalists (those receiving the most nominations) in each category.

The envelope, please...

Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture

The Chronicles of Narnia:The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

(Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media; distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, December 7)

Also nominated were:
The Cat Returns [English-language release] (Studio Ghibli; distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, February 2)
Chicken Little (Walt Disney Pictures; distributed by Buena Vista Pictures, November 4)
Madagascar (Pacific Data Images & DreamWorks Animation; distributed by DreamWorks SKG, May 27)
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Aardman Animations Ltd, distributed by DreamWorks Distribution LLC, September 4)

Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Series

Cake Dance a.k.a. "There She Is!! Step 2"

[Music video of the song "Happy Birthday to Me" by Bulldog Mansion] (SamBakZa, March)

Also nominated were:
American Dragon: Jake Long (Walt Disney Television Animation for Disney Channel; episodes #1 [January 21] to #19 [December 15])
Camp Lazlo (Cartoon Network; Episodes July 28 t0 November 25)
Krypto The Superdog (Warner Brothers Animation for Cartoon Network; episodes #1 [April 4] to #52 [December 5])

Best Anthropomorphic Novel

Volle

by Kyell Gold. (Sofawolf Press, January)

Also nominated were:
New Coyote, by Michael Bergey. (Five Star Books, August)
Black Iron by Ted MacKinnon. (Sofawolf Press, July)
Lineaments of Coming Night, by Charles Matthias. (The Matthias Zone website, October)
Tails of the City, by R. S. Pylman. (Lulu.com, November)

Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction

"In His Own Country"

by Kristin Fontaine (in Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe, #39, July)

Also nominated were:
"Anyone for Venison?", by M. Mitchell Marmel and E.O. Costello. (Spontoon Island, June)
"Chasing the Lady", by Mark Allen Davis (in Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe, #38, June)
"Contrition: It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore", by M. Mitchell Marmel. (Spontoon Island, September)
"Let's Not Duello on the Subject", by M. Mitchell Marmel and E.O. Costello. (Spontoon Island, December 3)
"Meet Jane Doe", by E.O. Costello. (Spontoon Island, March)
"Morning Head", by E.O. Costello. (Spontoon Island, March)

Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work

Tales of the Questor, Volume 1

[color edition], by Ralph E. Hayes, Jr. (Lulu.com, April; comic strip collection)

Also nominated were:
Sythry's Journal, by Bard Bloom. (Live Journal, entries (January 1 {Seeks-Leather-Skillets [22 Thory 4261]} to December 28 {No Party For Me [3 Consimbs 4261]}); fictional blog)
Why Coyotes Howl, by Watts Martin. (Sofawolf Press, January; short story collection)
Dragons of Forest Keep, by Peter Ping (Internet; serial)
Digger (volume 1), by Ursula Vernon. (Sofawolf Press, July; comic strip collection)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Book

Usagi Yojimbo

by Stan Sakai. (Dark Horse, monthly issues from January to December)

Also nominated were:
Lions, Tigers, and Bears, written by Mike Bullock, drawn by Jack Lawrence. (Image Comics, volume 1, July)
Zed #6, by Michel Gagné. (Gagné International Press, June)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip

Faux Pas

by Robert & Margaret Carspecken. (Internet strips from #535 to #672)

Also nominated were:
The Adventures of Fifine, by Henbe (Normand Bilodeau). (Internet strips from #114 [January 9] to #156 [December 28])
Freefall, by Mark Stanley. (Internet strips from January 3 [#1054] to December 30)
Ozy and Millie, by David Craig Simpson. (Internet strips from January 3 to December 23)
Tales of the Questor, by Ralph E. Hayes, Jr. (Internet strips from #184 [January 2] to [December 31])
VG Cats by Scott Ramsoomair. (Internet, #137 [January] to #181 [December 26])

Best Anthropomorphic Fanzine

South Fur Lands

(2005 issues from #36 [March], to #39 [December])

Also nominated were:
Fang (2005 issues, volumes 1G, 2FG, 3SF, H05)
Heat. (Issue #3, July)
Spontoon Island. (2005 updates, from January, to December)
Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe. (2005 issues, from #38 [June], to #40 [November])

Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration

Cover painting by Stephanie Stone (Cybercat)

for Transformations: A Forest Tales Story, by Bernard Doove. (Fauxpaw Publications, June)

Also nominated were:
Cummings, Barb. Splash page for the story "Money for Nothing", by Kathy R. Coleman on page 2 of Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe #40. (in Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe #40, November)
Palmer, Sara. Cover painting for Volle, by Kyell Gold. (Sofawolf Press, January)
Rigdon, Sky. Front cover of Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe, #39 (Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe, #39, July)
Stawicki, Matt. Cover painting for Haydn of Mars, by Al Sarrantonio. (Ace Books, January)

Best Anthropomorphic Game

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves

(Developer: Sucker Punch, Publisher: Sony Computer, September 26)

Also nominated were:
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower (Developer:Capcom Production Studio 5, Publisher: Capcom, March 17)
The Legend of Kay (Developer: Neon Studios, Publisher: CapCom, March 4)
Star Fox Assault (Developer: Namco/Nintendo, Publisher: Nintendo, February 14)