In 1992, two special awards were presented to Owen Barfield and Pauline Baynes. Mythopoeic Society founder Glen Goodknight, as part of his journey to the J.R.R. Tolkien Centenary Conference, and visited both Owen Barfield and Pauline Baynes at their residences, where he personally presented them each with the Mythopoeic Society’s Life Time Achievement Award (LTAA), to express sincere appreciation for all their life time accomplishments.


Lifetime Award recipient Owen Barfield (L), with Glen Goodknight, 1992



Lifetime Award recipient Pauline Baynes at home, 1992

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Fantasy and Scholarship Winners

The years listed are those the award was presented. If a year is not listed, no awards were made in that year.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award

(From 1971 until 1991, we gave one award for all fantasy literature. Starting in 1992, we expanded to this award into two: one for adult literature and one for children’s literature. And in 2024, the young adult category was split off from the children’s literature category.)

• 1971 The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
• 1972 Red Moon and Black Mountain by Joy Chant
• 1973 The Song of Rhiannon by Evangeline Walton
• 1974 The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart
• 1975 A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson
• 1981 Unfinished Tales by J.R.R. Tolkien
• 1982 Little, Big by John Crowley
• 1983 The Firelings by Carol Kendall
• 1984 When Voiha Wakes by Joy Chant
• 1985 Cards of Grief by Jane Yolen
• 1986 Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
• 1987 The Folk of the Air by Peter Beagle
• 1988 Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
• 1989 Unicorn Mountain by Michael Bishop
• 1990 The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers
• 1991 Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner

Adult Literature

• 1992 A Woman of the Iron People by Eleanor Arnason
• 1993 Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
• 1994 The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman
• 1995 Something Rich and Strange by Patricia A. McKillip
• 1996 Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand
• 1997 The Wood Wife by Terri Windling
• 1998 The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye by A.S. Byatt
• 1999 Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess
• 2000 Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
• 2001 The Innamorati by Midori Snyder
• 2002 The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold
• 2003 Ombria in Shadow by Patricia A. McKillip
• 2004 Sunshine by Robin McKinley
• 2005 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
• 2006 Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• 2007 Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip
• 2008 Orphan’s Tales by Catherynne M. Valente, consisting of In the Night Garden and In the Cities of Coin and Spice
• 2009 Flesh and Spirit and Breath and Bone by Carol Berg
• 2010 Lifelode by Jo Walton
• 2011 Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord
• 2012 The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein
• 2013 Digger, Vols.1-6 by Ursula Vernon
• 2014 The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
• 2015 Tales from Rugosa Coven by Sarah Avery
• 2016 Uprooted by Naomi Novik
• 2017 Kingfisher by Patricia A. McKillip
• 2018 Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr by John Crowley
• 2019 Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik
• 2020 Snow White Learns Witchcraft by Theodora Goss
• 2021 The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
• 2022 Or What You Will by Jo Walton
• 2023 When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
• 2024 Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe by Emma Törzs
• 2025 The Melancholy of Untold History by Minsoo Kang
• 2026 Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

Young Adult Literature

• 2024 Unraveller by Frances Hardinge
• 2025 The Isles of the Gods duology by Amie Kaufman
• 2026 The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum

Children’s Literature

• 1992 Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
• 1993 Knight’s Wyrd by Debra Doyle and James D. Macdonald
• 1994 The Kingdom of Kevin Malone by Suzy McKee Charnas
• 1995 Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl
• 1996 The Crown of Dalemark by Diana Wynne Jones
• 1997 (Combined with Adult Literature award)
• 1998 Young Merlin trilogy (consisting of Passager, Hobby and Merlin) by Jane Yolen
• 1999 Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones
• 2000 The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
• 2001 Aria of the Sea by Dia Calhoun
• 2002 The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson
• 2003 Summerland by Michael Chabon
• 2004 The Hollow Kingdom by Clare B. Dunkle
• 2005 A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett
• 2006 The Bartimaeus Trilogy consisting of The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem’s Eye, and Ptolemy’s Gate, by Jonathan Stroud
• 2007 Corbenic by Catherine Fisher
• 2008 The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling consisting of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s [Sorcerer’s] Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• 2009 Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• 2010 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
• 2011 The Queen’s Thief Series consisting ofThe Thief, The Queen of Attolia,The King of Attolia, and A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner
• 2012 The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman
• 2013 Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
• 2014 Doll Bones by Holly Black
• 2015 A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
• 2016 Castle Hangnail by Ursula Vernon
• 2017 The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz
• 2018 Frogkisser by Garth Nix
• 2019 Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead
• 2020 Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
• 2021 A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
• 2022 (tie) Pahua and the Soul Stealer by Lori M. Lee, and Root Magic by Eden Royce
• 2023 The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill
• 2024 The Moth Keeper by K. O’Neill
• 2025 Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge (author) and Emily Gravett (illustrator)
• 2026 The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman

A complete list of finalists for the Mythopoeic Fantasy awards is also available.

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Mythopoeic Scholarship Award

Inklings Studies

• 1971 C.S. Kilby; Mary McDermott Shideler
• 1972 Walter Hooper
• 1973 Master of Middle-earth by Paul H. Kocher
• 1974 C.S. Lewis, Mere Christian by Kathryn Lindskoog
• 1975 C.S. Lewis: A Biography by Roger Lancelyn Green and Walter Hooper
• 1976 Tolkien Criticism by Richard C. West; C.S. Lewis, An Annotated Checklist by Joe R. Christopher and Joan K. Ostling; Charles W.S. Williams, A Checklist by Lois Glenn
• 1982 The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter
• 1983 Companion to Narnia by Paul F. Ford
• 1984 The Road to Middle-earth by T.A. Shippey
• 1985 Reason and Imagination in C.S. Lewis by Peter J. Schakel
• 1986 Charles Williams, Poet of Theology by Glen Cavaliero
• 1987 J.R.R. Tolkien: Myth, Morality and Religion by Richard Purtill
• 1988 C.S. Lewis by Joe R. Christopher
• 1989 The Return of the Shadow by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
• 1990 The Annotated Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Douglas A. Anderson
• 1991 Jack: C.S. Lewis and His Times by George Sayer
• 1992 Word and Story in C.S. Lewis edited by Peter J. Schakel and Charles A. Huttar
• 1993 Planets in Peril by David C. Downing
• 1994 J.R.R. Tolkien, A Descriptive Bibliography by Wayne G. Hammond with the assistance of Douglas A. Anderson
• 1995 C.S. Lewis in Context by Doris T. Myers
• 1996 J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
• 1997 The Rhetoric of Vision: Essays on Charles Williams ed. by Charles A. Huttar and Peter Schakel
• 1998 A Question of Time: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Road to Faërie by Verlyn Flieger
• 1999 C.S. Lewis: A Companion and Guide by Walter Hooper
• 2000 Roverandom by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond
• 2001 J.R.R. Tolkien: Author of the Century by Tom Shippey
• 2002 Tolkien's Legendarium: Essays on the History of Middle-earth, edited by Verlyn Flieger and Carl F. Hostetter
• 2003 Beowulf and the Critics by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Michael D.C. Drout
• 2004 Tolkien and the Great War: The Threshold of Middle-earth by John Garth
• 2005 War and the Works of J.R.R. Tolkien by Janet Brennan Croft
• 2006 The Lord of the Rings: A Reader's Companion by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
• 2007 The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide by Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull
• 2008 The Company They Keep by Diana Pavlac Glyer
• 2009 The History of the Hobbit by John Rateliff, Part One: Mr. Baggins; Part Two: Return to Bag-end
• 2010 Tolkien, Race, and Cultural History: From Fairies to Hobbits by Dimitra Fimi
• 2011 Planet Narnia by Michael Ward
• 2012 Tolkien and Wales: Language, Literature and Identity by Carl Phelpstead
• 2013 Green Suns and Faërie: Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien by Verlyn Flieger
• 2014 Tolkien and the Study of His Sources: Critical Essays, edited by Jason Fisher
• 2015 C.S. Lewis and the Middle Ages, Robert Boenig
• 2016 Charles Williams: The Third Inkling, Grevel Lindop
• 2017 The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski
• 2018 The Inklings and King Arthur: J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, C. S. Lewis, and Owen Barfield on the Matter of Britain edited by Sørina Higgins
• 2019 There Would Always Be a Fairy Tale: More Essays on J.R.R. Tolkien by Verlyn Flieger
• 2020 “The Sweet and the Bitter”: Death and Dying in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings by Amy Amendt-Raduege
• 2021 Tolkien’s Lost Chaucer by John M. Bowers
• 2022 Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Holly Ordway
• 2023 Charles Williams and C.S. Lewis: Friends in Co-inherence by Paul S. Fiddes
• 2024 Law, Government, and Society in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Works by José María Miranda Boto
• 2025 The Collected Poems of J.R.R. Tolkien edited by Cristina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond
• 2026 The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Creation by Michael D.C. Drout

General Myth and Fantasy Studies

• 1992 The Victorian Fantasists edited by Kath Filmer
• 1993 Strategies of Fantasy by Brian Attebery
• 1994 Twentieth-Century Fantasists edited by Kath Filmer
• 1995 Old Tales and New Truths: Charting the Bright-Shadow World by James Roy King
• 1996 From the Beast to the Blonde by Marina Warner
• 1997 When Toys Come Alive by Lois Rostrow Kuznets
• 1998 The Encyclopedia of Fantasy edited by John Clute and John Grant
• 1999 A Century of Welsh Myth in Children’s Literature by Donna R. White
• 2000 Strange and Secret Peoples: Fairies and Victorian Consciousness by Carole G. Silver
• 2001 King Arthur in America by Alan Lupack and Barbara Tepa Lupack
• 2002 The Owl, the Raven & the Dove: The Religious Meaning of the Grimms’ Magic Fairy Tales by G. Ronald Murphy
• 2003 Fairytale in the Ancient World by Graham Anderson
• 2004 The Myth of the American Superhero by John Shelton Lawrence and Robert Jewett
• 2005 Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography by Stephen Thomas Knight
• 2006 National Dreams: The Remaking of Fairy Tales in Nineteenth-Century England by Jennifer Schacker
• 2007 Gemstone of Paradise: The Holy Grail in Wolfram’s Parzival by G. Ronald Murphy, S.J.
• 2008 The Shadow-Walkers: Jacob Grimm’s Mythology of the Monstrous edited by T.A. Shippey
• 2009 Four British Fantasists by Charles Butler
• 2010 One Earth, One People: The Mythopoeic Fantasy Series of Ursula K. Le Guin, Lloyd Alexander, Madeleine L’Engle and Orson Scott Card by Marek Oziewicz
• 2011 The Victorian Press and the Fairy Tale by Caroline Sumpter
• 2012 The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films by Jack Zipes
• 2013 Song of the Vikings: Snorri and the Making of Norse Myths by Nancy Marie Brown
• 2014 Tree of Salvation: Yggdrasil and the Cross in the North by G. Ronald Murphy
• 2015 Stories About Stories: Fantasy and the Remaking of Myth by Brian Attebery
• 2016 The Evolution of Modern Fantasy: From Antiquarianism to the Ballantine Adult Fantasy Series, Jamie Williamson
• 2017 Elf Queens and Holy Friars: Fairy Beliefs and the Medieval Church, Richard Firth Green
• 2018 Children’s Fantasy Literature: An Introduction by Michael Levy and Farah Mendlesohn
• 2019 Celtic Myth in Contemporary Children’s Fantasy: Idealization, Identity, Ideology by Dimitra Fimi
• 2020 A Modernist Fantasy: Modernism, Anarchism, and the Radical Fantastic by James Gifford
• 2021 Fantasies of Time and Death: Dunsany, Eddison, Tolkien by Anna Vaninskaya
• 2022 The Modern Myths: Adventures in the Machinery of the Popular Imagination by Philip Ball
• 2023 Fantasy: How It Works by Brian Attebery
• 2024 An Introduction to Fantasy by Matthew Sangster
• 2025 Urban Fantasy: Exploring Modernity through Magic by Stefan Ekman
• 2026 Fantasy: A Short History by Adam Roberts

A complete list of finalists for the Mythopoeic Scholarship awards is also available.