Endeavour Award

The Endeavour Award, announced annually at OryCon in Portland, Oregon, is awarded to a distinguished science fiction or fantasy book written by an author or authors from the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia, The Yukon, and Alaska) and published in the previous year.

Annual presentation of the Endeavour Award was originally in November at OryCon for books published during the previous year. Following the end of OryCon the award was presented at a dedicated Endevour Witers Conference in 2026.

OryCon

OryCon was an annual science fiction/fantasy convention, held annually in Portland, Oregon since 1979. OryCon's parent organization, Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. ("OSFCI") has announced plans to end support for the event after OryCon 45, to be held in October 2025.

On November 11, 1978, the Portland Science Fiction Society and Portland State University English department presented a one-day, seven-hour "Science Fiction Symposium" at the Smith Memorial Student Union. The organizers later established OSFCI, and presented the first OryCon the following year.

The convention canceled its 2020 event due to COVID-19 restrictions, returning in 2021, and declared a "hiatus" for future events, citing staff burnout and the challenges of pandemic-era planning. 2022 instead featured a free "Or-E-Con 2" virtual conference.

Award history

The Endeavour Award, named for HM Bark Endeavour, the ship of Northwest explorer Captain James Cook, was first presented in 1999.

It was funded by a collaboration of Portland, Oregon area writers and readers of science fiction and fantasy in 1996 and chartered by Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. (OSFCI) tax-exempt non-profit corporation.

2020 Endeavour Award

Matt Hughes became the first Canadian winner of the Endeavour Award, for his 2019 slipstream historical novel What the Wind Brings.

2021 Endeavour Award

The Endeavour Award committee announced suspension of the 2021 Endeavour Award for books published in 2020, citing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The award was revisited and a winner announced at Norwescon 45, held in SeaTac, Washington, on April 6–9, 2023.

2022 Endeavour Award

The 2022 Endeavour Award was announced at OryCon 43, held in Portland, Oregon, November 10–12, 2023.

Winners and nominees

Year Title Author Result Ref
1999 Dinosaur Summer Greg Bear Won
2000 Darwin's Radio Greg Bear Won
2001
(tie)		 The Telling Ursula K. Le Guin Won
The Glass Harmonica Louise Marley Won
2002 Tales from Earthsea Ursula K. Le Guin Won
2003
(tie)		 The Disappeared Kristine Kathryn Rusch Won
Lion's Blood Steven Barnes Won
2004 Red Thunder John Varley Won
2005 The Child Goddess Louise Marley Won
2006 Anywhere but Here Jerry Oltion Won
2007 Forest Mage Robin Hobb Won
2008 The Silver Ship and the Sea Brenda Cooper Won
2009 Space Magic David D. Levine Won
2010 Mind Over Ship David Marusek Won
2011 Dreadnought Cherie Priest Won
2012 City of Ruins Kristine Kathryn Rusch Won
2013 Goodbye For Now Laurie Frankel Won
2014
(tie)		 Nexus Ramez Naam Won
Requiem Ken Scholes Won
2015 Last Plane to Heaven Jay Lake Won
2016 Edge of Dark Brenda Cooper Won
2017
(tie)		 Dreams of Distant Shores Patricia A. McKillip Won
Lovecraft Country Matt Ruff Won
2018 The Cold Eye Laura Anne Gilman Won
2019 Blood Orbit K. R. Richardson Won
2020
(tie)		 What the Wind Brings Matthew Hughes Won
The Witch's Kind Louisa Morgan Won
2021 How to Get to Apocalypse Erica L. Satifka Won
2022 The Bone Orchard Sara A. Mueller Won
2023 Painted Devils Margaret Owen Won
Bookshops & Bonedust Travis Baldree Nominated
Vampires of El Norte Isabel Cañas Nominated
Again and Again Jonathan Evison Nominated
Sleep No More Seanan McGuire Nominated
2024 Relics of Ruin Erin M. Evans Won
Better Living Through Alchemy Evan J. Peterson Nominated
Heavenbreaker Sara Wolf Nominated
The Rain Artist Claire Rudy Foster Nominated
Tidal Creatures Seanan McGuire Nominated
2025 The Antidote Karen Russell Won
Blind Date with a Werewolf Patricia Briggs Nominated
Hole in the Sky Daniel H. Wilson Nominated
Making Amends Nisi Shawl Nominated
When We Were Real Daryl Gregory Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "The Endeavour Award Home Page". Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc. Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  2. 1 2 3 "Endeavour Award History". OSFCI Endeavour Award Page. 2006-01-28. Archived from the original on 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2023-06-11.
  3. 1 2 "Karen Russell Wins 2025 Endeavour Award". File770. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
  4. ↑ OryCon (2024-12-12). "As many of you have heard by now, the OSFCI board of directors voted on the competing bids for OryCon 45". Facebook. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
  5. ↑ "Science Fiction Symposium (advertising flyer)" (PDF). The FANAC Fan History Project. Retrieved 2025-09-24.
  6. ↑ "Orycon 1979 (program book)" (PDF). The FANAC Fan History Project. Retrieved 2025-09-26.
  7. ↑ "Orycon on hiatus". Locus: The Magazine of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Field. 2021-11-04. Retrieved 2025-09-21.
  8. ↑ OryCon (2022-11-04). "OR-E-Con 2 is coming to you for free this November 4-6, 2022!". Retrieved 2025-09-22.
  9. ↑ "Matthew Hughes Wins the Endeavour Award!". Pulp Literature Press. 2020-11-26. Retrieved 2025-10-11.
  10. ↑ "2021 Endeavour Award Suspended". Locus SF Foundation. January 5, 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2023. Several reasons have led to the suspension. The Covid 19 situation has made it more difficult to run our preliminary judging.
  11. 1 2 "Satifka Wins 2021 Endeavour Award". Locus. Retrieved 13 April 2023. This year's award was announced at Norwescon, held in SeaTac, Washington, April 6–9, 2023. The award is traditionally given at Oregon convention Orycon, held in November, and is expected to be announced there in future years.
  12. 1 2 "2022 Endeavour Award". Locus. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  13. ↑ Mike Glyer (December 1999). "Greg Bear's Dinosaur Summer Wins First Endeavour Award" (PDF (on-line Archive)). File770.com ( online version of Mike Glyer's science fiction fan newzine). File770 #133. pp. 5–6.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  14. ↑ "Darwin's Radio Wins 2000 Endeavour Award" (PDF (archive)). File770 (137): 7–8. January 2001.
  15. ↑ "Le Guin and Marley Share 2001 Endeavour Award" (PDF (archive)). File 770 (140): 7. November 2001.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "sfadb : Endeavour Award". www.sfadb.com. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  17. ↑ "David D. Levine Wins Endeavor Award". December 14, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Marusek Wins Endeavour Award". November 16, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Priest Wins Endeavour". November 14, 2011.
  20. ↑ "2014 Endeavour Award Nominees". locusmag.com. Locus SF Foundation. November 10, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Locus Online News » Lake Wins 2015 Endeavor Award". www.locusmag.com. Retrieved 2015-11-25.
  22. ↑ "Cooper Wins 2016 Endeavour Award". locusmag.com. Locus SF Foundation. November 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ "2017 Endeavour Award Winners". Locus SF Foundation. November 20, 2017.
  24. ↑ "The Endeavour Award". Oregon Science Fiction Conventions Inc. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  25. ↑ "2019 Endeavour Award Winner". Locus. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  26. ↑ "2020 Endeavour Award Winners". Locus. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  27. 1 2 "ENDEAVOUR AWARD HISTORY". Retrieved August 12, 2026.
  28. ↑ "2025 Endeavour Award Winner (and finalists)". Locus. Retrieved 2026-10-21.