Voting ends today for this year's slate of Airship Awards

The winners of the fourth annual Airship Awards will be named on Oct. 25 during an awards banquet at the Steamcon V steampunk convention in Bellevue, Wash.

The Airship Awards were first awarded in 2010 at Steamcon II and are given annually “to recognize the best and brightest in the steampunk community.”

Nominees for this year’s round of Airship Awards were solicited online from the world at large and the winners will selected by a vote of the registered members of Steamcon V with voting scheduled to end today, Oct. 15. Airship Awards are currently awarded in five categories – Written, Visual, Aural, Community Contributor and Potpourri.

Nominees in the Written category can include “any written piece of work, including, but not limited to, novels, short stories, blogs, screen plays, etc.” Nominees in the Visual category can include “any visual piece of work, including but not limited to 2D art, 3D art, digital art, fashion design, website design, making/modding, short film (by an individual).”

Nominees in the Aural category can include “any aural piece of work, including but not limited to bands, songs, musicians, music videos, etc.” Nominees in the Community Contributor category can include “an individual who is outspoken and supportive in the steampunk community, including but not limited to a Blogger, event organizer, convention runner, scholar, speaker etc.”

Nominees in the Potpourri category can include “anything not yet covered, including but not limited to game design/designer, acting troupes, short film (by a group), movie, television, etc.”

The nominees for the 2013 Airship Awards are as follows:

Written:
- “The Aylesford Skull” by James Blaylock
- "Steampunk Holmes: Legacy of the Nautilus” by P.C. Martin
- "The Girl with the Iron Touch” by Kady Cross
- "Executioner’s Heart” by George Mann

Visual:
- Claudio Garzon
- The Clothed Eye
- Hatton Cross
- John Coulthart

Aural:
- Strange Artifact
- The Cog is Dead
- Vernian Process
- Gin Rebellion

Community Contributor:
- Margaret Killjoy
- Diana Pho
- Cory Gross
- Thomas Willeford

Potpourri:
- Gearhearts Revue
- Bioshock Infinite
- Steam Craft RPG
- Clockwerx

The innaugural Airship Awards were presented at Steamcon II on Nov. 19, 2010 and what follows is a list of the all-time winners of the Airship Awards.

Written:
2012 - “Ganymede” by Cherie Priest
2011 - “Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel” by Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine
2010 - "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" by Alan Moore

Visual:
2012 - Brian Kesinger
2011 - Joe Benitez
2010 - Jake von Slatt

Aural:
2012 - Marquis of Vaudeville

2011 - Vagabond Opera

2010 - Abney Park

Community Contributor:

2012 - Nick Bauman – League of S.T.E.A.M.

2011 - Jordan Block, Sepiachord

2010 - Captain Robert Brown of Abney Park

Potpourri:

2012 - The Aether Brigade!

2011 - Rise of Æster RPG

2010 - Girl Genius

In the end, which of the nominees mentioned above do you think should win an Airship Award this year? Which of the written works mentioned above have you read? Which did you like or dislike? Which would you recommend and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

(For more information about the Airship Awards and Steamcon, visit Steamcon’s official Web site at www.steamcon.org.)