The winners of the twenty-second 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 2022, were announced on YouTube on May 24, 2023.
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 a acrylic plaque with art designed by Heather Bruton as per the sample at right.
Eligibility in fourteen categories is for works featuring intelligent &/or talking animals first published during the calendar year 2022. 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. (Go here for full voting statistics.) The voting for the awards was open to all furry fandom via the internet and took place between March 1 to 31 and received 838 votes from countries all around the world.
The envelope, please...
We'll start with the brand new category:
Best Anthropomorphic Music
Anthropomorphically themed songs and albums.
Another Railway Day, album, by Nonnie
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Visiting Narcissa, album, by Patricia Taxxon
• Can Opener's Notebook: Fish Whisperer, album, by Vylet Pony
• Cute Cervid Vol. 1, album, by CUTE CERVID (various artists)
• idaidaida, album, by ida deerz
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
• Kemono Café
• Fluffle
Best Game
Computer or console games, role-playing games, board games.
Cult of the Lamb
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Stray
• Tunic
• Lookouts
• Klonoa Phantasy Reverie Series
Best Published Illustration
Illustrations for books, magazines, convention program books, cover art for such, coffee-table portfolios.
Ais05, Dragon Party
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Jacato, Wind Watcher
• Wildering, Space Boy
• Caraid, Jedit Ojanen, Mercenary
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)
• InFurNation, edited by Rod O'Riley
• Flayrah, edited by GreenReaper, Sonious, and Dronon
• Zooscape, edited by Mary E. Lowd
• Deep Sky Anchor, edited by Mary E. Lowd
Best Comic Strip
Newspaper-style strips, including those with some ongoing arcs.
The Whiteboard, by Doc N.
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Duncan & Eddie, by Chevril
• Foxes In Love, @foxes_in_love
• Part Time Dragons, by Part Time Dragons
• Carry On, by Kathy Garrison Kellogg
Best Graphic Story
Includes comic books, and serialized online stories.
The Whiteboard: Sherlock Holmes, by Doc N.
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Slightly Damned, by Chu
• Sonic the Hedgehog, written by Evan Stanley and Ian Flynn, art by Aaron Hammerstrom, Evan Stanley and Adam Bryce Thomas
• Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai
• Usagi Yojimbo: Lone Goat & Kid, by Stan Sakai
Best Non-Fiction Work
TV series or one-shots, advertisements or short videos.
Art, Furries, God, by Patricia Taxxon
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Who Runs The Internet? Furries, by Dylan Reeve
• Furries & The Ethics of Cringe Culture, by Kurtis Connor
• Furry Fiction: The Squishy Edges and the Heart, by Mary E. Lowd
• Ursa's Major Issue - Confident self-promotion vs humble passionate skill, and a voting system's favoritism, by Sonious
Best General Literary Work
Story collections, comic collections, graphic novels, and serialized online stories.
Circles: Volume 4, by Andrew French, Scott Fabianek, and Steve Domanski
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Usagi Yojimbo Origins, by Stan Sakai
• When the World Was Young: A Prehistoric Anthology, edited by Madison Scott-Clary
• Usagi Yojimbo (Trade Paperback), by Stan Sakai
• ROAR: Volume 11, Edited by Ian Madison Keller
Best Short Fiction
Stories less than 40,000 words, poetry, and other short Written works.
Bears & Bravery, by Gre7g Luterman (illustrations by BearHybrid)
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Null, by Elise Zoe Heider
• The Otter's Wings, by Mary E. Lowd
• Draught Horse, by Huskyteer
• The Swift-Footed Darling of the Rocks (Do NOT Actually Call Me That), by Marie Croke
Best Novel
Written works of 40,000 words or more. Serialized novels qualify only for the year that the final chapter is published.
A Furry Faux Paw, by Jessica Kara
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• Scars of the Golden Dancer, by NightEyes DaySpring
• Mouse Cage, by Malcolm F. Cross
• Brothers At Arms (The Zyearth Chronicles Book 2), by R.A. Meenan
• Toledot (Post-Self #2), by Madison Scott-Clary
Best Dramatic Series
TV, streaming, or YouTube series.
Bluey (Created by Joe Brumm; Season 3 (Part 2))
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• The Owl House (Created by Dana Terrace; season 2 episode 11 to season 3 episode 1)
• Helluva Boss (Directed by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano; Season 2, "The Circus" and "Seeing Stars")
• Zootopia+ (Directed by Trent Correy and Josie Trinidad, Season 1)
• Tuca & Bertie (Created by Lisa Hanawalt; Season 3)
Best Dramatic Short Work
One-shots, advertisements or short videos.
Horns (Directed by FattyDragonite; December 9)
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• The Legend of Pipi (Directed by Julia Schoel and Birgit Uhlig; Jul 16)
• Tales From Scorchwater Valley - The Rhino and the Redbill (Directed by Alex Henderson; February 15)
• Tales of Zale - Flickering Lights (Directed by Sif Savery; September 7)
• Monkey Wrench - The Ghost Egg (Directed by Joshua Palmer; Jul 18)
Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture
Live-action or animated feature-length movies.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado; December 21)
Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)
• The Bad Guys (Directed by Pierre Perifel; April 22)
• Turning Red (Directed by Domee Shi; March 11)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Directed by Jeff Fowler; April 8)
• DC League of Super-Pets (Directed by Jared Stern and Sam Levin; July 29)
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