About the Literary Awards
Inaugurated in 2007, the NLA's writing awards were the first awards in the SM/Leather/Fetish community specifically dedicated to writers and writing. Originally limited to non-fiction works that appeared in print, the Awards Committee added novel and short story categories in 2008, an anthology category in 2009, and in 2010 opened nominations to digitally published works. Over the past decade, the awards have honored many of the SM/Leather/Fetish community's best-known authors, including Laura Antoniou, Gloria Brame, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Jack Fritscher, Lee Harrington, Jeff Mann, Jack Rinella, David Stein, Cecilia Tan, Tristan Taormino, Claire Thompson, Alyson Tyler, and many, many others.
Steve Vakesh, who wrote regularly for The Sandmutopian Guardian in the 1990s and later served as the NLA’s historian, first proposed the awards and lobbied NLA leaders to create them for several years. Despite creating more title contests than anyone can keep track of, the SM/Leather/Fetish organizations had done little to acknowledge the central importance of writers and publishers to the SM community's formation and its numerical, intellectual and spiritual growth over the past 50 years. NLA-I President Vince Andrews approved the creation of the NLA’s writing awards in early 2007, and Vakesh, advised by Laura Antoniou and Cecilia Tan, formulated the awards' policies and empaneled its first judges. Vakesh chaired the awards committee for the next five years, after which he was succeeded by pyxy, a long-serving committee member, who was in turn succeeded by CandiAnne, who currently chairs the Awards Committee.
The award in each category is named after an important author or SM activist: Cynthia Slater (non-fiction article), who founded the Society of Janus, the second oldest public SM group in the United States, and launched its Growing Pains newsletter; Geoff Mains (non-fiction book), an active member of San Francisco's leather community, early supporter of the NLA, and author of the groundbreaking book Urban Aboriginals (1984); Pauline Reage (novel), the pseudonymous author of The Story of O (1954); John Preston (short fiction), the author of Mr. Benson (1979) and numerous other short stories and novels; and Samois (anthology), the first women's SM organization, which formed in 1978 and published two important anthologies: What Color is Your Handkerchief (1979) and Coming to Power (1982).
Empaneled each year, award judges are rotated regularly and generally include both published writers (often past recipients of the awards) and general readers. Judges read in different categories to avoid conflicts of interest and review more than 100 submissions each year. Presenting the awards each year is an important part of the NLA's annual meeting and the awards have helped call attention to the community's best writers, promote their work, and helped them reach new readers.
The awards are presented at our Annual Living In Leather Gathering!
Geoff Mains - Non-Fiction
Samois - Poetry
John Preston - Short Fiction
Cynthia Slater - Non-Fiction Article
Pauline Reage - Novel
Please use the nomination link below to find our more information.
Catagories are:
• Samois Poetry Award
~150 -~1,500 words
Accepted styles are Ballads, which we define as legendary or folklore narrative poetry
and Epics, which we define as long adventure or heroic narrative poetry and finally free
verse, which we define as irregular with no pattern but focused on speed, intonation,
and emotional pull. Topics must fall within erotica and focus on the kink/leather/BDSM
lifestyle.
• Cynthia Slater Non-Fiction Article Award
~ 1,000 – 4,000 words
Articles must be published outside of personal blogs. E-book publications are
acceptable, online news sites, magazines, and being published within an anthology is
acceptable. Topics must fall within erotica and focus on the kink/leather/BDSM lifestyle.
• John Preston Short Story Award
~ 2,000 – 20,000 words
Short Stories must be published outside of personal blogs. E-book publications are
acceptable, self-published print, online news sites, magazines, and being published
within an anthology is acceptable. Topics must fall within erotica and focus on the
kink/leather/BDSM lifestyle.
• Both the Geoff Mains Non-Fiction and Pauline Reage Fiction Novel Awards
~ 20,000 - 100,000 words
Works must be published outside of personal blogs or website only formats. Works
must be published either in e-book’s, anthologies or published print. Topics must f
all within erotica and focus on the kink/leather/BDSM lifestyle
Process and Submission Requirements:
• Starting in fall of 2020 all nominees will be required to pay 20.00 per nomination, your
fee is a tax-deductible donation to Living In Leather LLC, a 501c3 charitable organization.
• Nominations start November 1 and end January 31st.
• All finalist will be announced before Living In Leather and after April 1st.
• Winners will be announced at the Living In Leather meeting.
• Biography, photo of the cover, photo of author, and a brief description of works, and
contact information must accompany the nomination.
• Cover art release must be submitted before judging, this allows us one-time printing
rights to recognize the work in our First Link Magazine, and promotional material of the
author and the work for the year it is awarded. (signed by publisher, to First LINK Editor)
• Failure to submit releases will result in disqualification.
(We offer alternatives for nomination fees, please inquire with Awards Chair)
(We offer alternatives for nomination fees, please inquire with Awards Chair)
Author Award Winner's Prize:
• All finalists have the right to sell their nominated works at Living In Leather’s gathering
during the space hours and are encouraged to also vend at the host event.
• Winners will be given a page to highlight their work, bio, photo, and links to sell their
books through their own links within our website.
• A plaque of the recipient’s name and artwork title being awarded.
• All nominees will be invited to the Living In Leather host event to sell their books in the
vending area of the host.
• Winners will have the right to use an award graphic for their specific writing award and
year, to attach to their cover art or websites.
• Living In Leather will circulate postcards with the winning authors cover printed on one
side, author and award information published on the reverse to hand out at Living In
Leather and ship to chapters for advertisements. Article Winners obverse side will be a
graphic created by Living In Leather with author input.
• Winners will receive a one-year free Commercial membership of the NLA International,
and the rights of voting, as well as advertising, included. Example, web banner and use
of posts through NLA social media.
• Winners will have a chance to be interviewed for our First Link Magazine and marketed
for the year to our membership. This magazine is archived on our site for future
reference in PDF.