The winners of the ninth 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 2009, were announced at a presentation ceremony on Sunday, May 30 at FA:UNITED 3, held at Mt Laurel Marriott, Mt Laurel, New Jersey on May 28-30, 2010.

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 2009.  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 voting for the awards was open to all furry fandom via the Internet; and took place between March 13 and April 18; and received votes from countries as diverse as Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Laos, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the USA.

The envelope, please...

Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture

Avatar

(Producer: 20th Century Fox; distributor 20th Century Fox, December 18)

Also nominated were:
Fantastic Mr. Fox (Producer: 20th Century Fox; Distributor 20th Century Fox, November 25, 2009)
The Princess and the Frog (Producer: Walt Disney Animation Studios; Distributor: Walt Disney Motion Pictures, December 11)
Up (Produced: Pixar Animation Studios and Walt Disney Pictures; Distributed: Buena Vista, May 29)
Where the Wild Things Are (Producer:Warner Brothers; Distributors: Warnor Bros. Pictures, October 16

Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series

The Penguins of Madagascar

(Produced by Dreamworks Animation for Nickelodeon, March 28 to December 5)

Also nominated were:
The Cat Piano (Produced by The People's Republic of Animation)
Partly Cloudy (Produced by Disney/Pixar, May 29th)
Prep and Landing (Produced by Walt Disney Animation, December 8th)
The Secret Saturdays (Produced by Cartoon Network, Season 1 episode 11 to Season 2 episode 7)

Best Anthropomorphic Novel

Out of Position

by Kyell Gold. (Sofawolf Press, January) Adults Only.

Also nominated were:
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs. (Ace Hardcover, February)
Cheetah's Win, by Phil Geusz. (ANTHRO #23 (May/June))
Jazmyn by Bernard Doove. (CreateSpace, April)
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, by David Benedictus. (Dutton Juvenile, October)
The Unscratchables, by Cornelius Kane (Scribner, July)

Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction

Drifting

by Kyell Gold (on FurAffinity.net, August) Adults Only.

Also nominated were:
Moonthief by Not Tube. (in X ed Kyell Gold, Sofawolf, July)
Stop the World, by Kyell Gold. (in ANTHRO #24 (July/August))
Thou Shalt Not Make Wrongful Use of the Name of Thy Lord, by Whyte Yote. (in X ed Kyell Gold, Sofawolf Press, July))
Trading Wishes by Kevin Frane (on FurAffinity.net, November)

Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work

Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals

by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges. (Impact, art instruction, December)

Also nominated were:
Bloom County – The Complete Library, Volume 1, by Berke Breathed. (Idea & Design Works, LLC, comic strip collection, October)
The First Book of Lapism, by Phil Geusz. (ANTHRO Press, short story collection, November)
Who Are the Furries?, by Denise Winterman (BBC News, 'UK - Magazine article, November 13, 2009)
X, edited by Kyell Gold. (Sofawolf Press, anthology, July) Adults Only.

Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story

Concession

by Immelmann (Internet, XV to XVIII)

Also nominated were:
Furthia High by QuetzaDrake. (Internet, Arc 5 to Arc 9)
Lackadaisy, by Tracy J. Butler (Internet, #63 to #82)
TwoKinds by Tom Fischbach. (Internet, January to December)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip

Housepets!

by Rick Griffin (Internet strips from January 2 to December 30)

Also nominated were:
Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures, by Amber M. Williams. (Internet strips from page 41 to 83)
Doc Rat, by Jenner. (Internet strips from January 1 to December 31)
Freefall, by Mark Stanley. (Internet strips from 1674 to 1824)
Kevin & Kell, by Bill Holbrook. (Internet strips from January 1 to December 31)

Best Anthropomorphic Magazine

Heat

(Issue 6, Sofawolf Press, July)

Also nominated were:
ANTHRO, edited by Quentin Long. #21 (Jan/Feb) to #26 (Nov/Dec)
New Fables Summer 2009 (Sofawolf Press, July)
South Fur Lands. Issue #52 (March) to 54(December)
Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe. Issue 46

Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration

Blotch cover

of Out of Position by Kyell Gold, January.

Also nominated were:
Patrick Farley, "Gaia’s Strange Seedlike Brood (Homage to Lynn Margulis)" in Thoughtcrime Experiment ed. Sumana Harihareswara and Leonard Richardson, April.
Jailbird "It's Beautiful", illo for Trading Wishes by Kevin Frane, November.
Kenket, Illustration for NEW COYOTE in ANTHRO #26, November/December.
Sara Palmer, cover of Jazmyn by Bernard Doove, April.

Best Anthropomorphic Game

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

(Developer: Insomoniac Games; Publisher: Sony; October 27)

Also nominated were:
Earth Eternal (Developer & Publisher Sparkplay Media, October 7. Online multiplayer roleplaying game
G-Force: The Video Game (Developer: Keen Studios; Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios; July 21)
Predation: The Board Game, by Quentin Long (in ANTHRO #25, September/October)