The Tainted Cup takes the World Fantasy Award in Brighton

The World Fantasy Awards for work published in 2024 were presented on 2 November 2025 at the World Fantasy Convention in Brighton. Best novel went to The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, published by Del Rey in the United States and Hodderscape in the UK. The book had already won the Hugo Award for best novel in August.

R.B. Lemberg won best novella for Yoke of Stars (Tachyon), and Maura McHugh won best short fiction for "Raptor", from Heartwood: A Mythago Wood Anthology, which also won best anthology for its editor, Dan Coxon. The collection award went to A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enríquez, translated by Megan McDowell and published by Hogarth in the US and Granta in the UK.

Life achievement awards were given to the novelist Juliet Marillier and the artist Michael Whelan. Liv Rainey-Smith was named best artist, and Steve J Shaw received the non-professional special award for Black Shuck Books.

With the convention held in England, British small presses were well represented: a Robert Holdstock tribute anthology took two awards, and a small horror imprint was recognised. A translated collection winning outright is also worth noting. Translators rarely share top billing on a fantasy prize list, and this one names Megan McDowell alongside the author.

Sources: World Fantasy Convention: 2025 nominations and winners; SciFi4Me: 2025 World Fantasy Award winners announced.