The 2026 Robert E. Howard Awards
Nominations are now over – Voting starts March 1, 2026.
We are pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the 2026 Robert E. Howard Awards starting on January 1, 2026. The Robert E. Howard Foundation has revised the rules and categories for the awards, so please read over the information below. Some categories have changed, and there is a new category for works of fiction. Under the new rules, nominations are due in to the Awards committee by January 31, 2026, with the Awards committee selecting the top nominees in each category for the final ballot by March 1, 2026. The Final ballot will be uploaded on a website with its address sent out to all Robert E. Howard Foundation members currently members at that date, for voting on the winners starting March 1, 2026.
You do not have to currently be a member of the Robert E. Howard Foundation to send in nominees at this stage of the process. All nominees MUST have the name of the publication for printed works, and the internet address for works available on the internet in the nomination. Only work that was published from Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025 is eligible to be nominated. Voting on the awards will end at 11:59 PM CST, March 15, 2026.
Categories
Here are the revised awards and requirements for them. N.B.: There has been a change to the Costigan and Rankin Awards in regard to Comic Books/Graphic Novels.
Scholarship Awards
Scholarship Awards are focused principally on original research, biography, literary analysis, and criticism related to Robert E. Howard’s life and work. This includes studies dedicated to media (fiction, poetry, film, comics, etc.) principally concerned with Howard’s characters or work.
The Atlantean—Outstanding Achievement, Book
Requirements: Nonfiction work (print or digital), minimum 30,000 words, substantively devoted to the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.
Considerations: Reprinted works without significant revisions are not eligible. Award goes to the author or authors.
The Valusian—Outstanding Achievement, Anthology/Collection
Requirements: Nonfiction anthology or collection of essays (print or digital), nonfiction, minimum 30,000 words, substantively devoted to the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.
Considerations: Reprinted works without significant revisions are not eligible. Award goes to the editor or editors.
The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay
Requirements: Scholarly Nonfiction essays (print or digital), no minimum word count, substantively focused on the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year.
Considerations: Short blog posts, news, interviews, reviews, trip reports, and other minor works are not considered. Award goes to the author or authors.
The Venarium—Emerging Scholar
Requirements: Candidates must have recently begun making significant contributions to Howard scholarship through publications and/or presentations over the past few years.
Considerations: Previous winners are not eligible. Award goes to the individual.
Art Awards
One of the missions of the Robert E. Howard Foundation is to promote Howard’s creative legacy as well as his study. Art awards recognize achievement in creative fields related to Robert E. Howard’s life and work.
The Black Lotus—Outstanding Achievement, Web-based media
Requirements: Web-based content (i.e. digital magazine, journals, websites, blogs, podcasts, audiovisual/multimedia presentations, internet sites, etc.), substantively focused on the life and/or work of Robert E. Howard, new content must have been published in the last calendar year.
Considerations: Non-static social media like Facebook and Twitter would not be eligible. Award goes to site owner/administrator.
The Costigan—Literary achievement
Awarded for original creative writing that carries on the spirit and tradition of Robert E. Howard, to better recognize and celebrate his influence on future generations of writers.
Requirements: Fiction (i.e. short fiction, novels, poetry, etc.), in the spirit and tradition of Robert E. Howard, published in the last calendar year. No comic books or graphic novels are allowed.
Considerations: Work must be substantial and original in content; translations and adaptations will not be considered. Award goes to the individual writer or writing team.
The Rankin—Artistic achievement
Requirements: Visual media (painting, comic books, graphic novels, film, audio adaptations, etc.), directly related to the depiction of Robert E. Howard’s life, stories and poetry, characters, or fictional worlds; published in the last calendar year. Comic media must be nominated for a specific issue or self-contained story arc, not as a series or collection.
Considerations: Work must be substantial and original in content. Award goes to the individual artist for solo projects. For Comic Books and Graphic Novels, the award goes to the entire team involved.
Special Awards
The Black River—Special Achievement
Requirements: Candidates will have produced or contributed something special that doesn’t fit into any other category, e.g. scholarly presentations, biographical discoveries, etc.
Special Awards Voted on by the Robert E. Howard Foundation Board of Directors
Some achievements deserve recognition, but do not fit neatly into easy categories, nor are they likely to be handed out every year. Those who have made some substantial achievement in scholarship or particular contribution to Howard studies, may be eligible for a Crom Award. Those who have made a significant contribution over a long involvement with Howard Studies may be eligible to join the Black Circle. These special awards will be voted on privately by the Board of Directors. The winners, if any, will be announced at the end of the Awards program.
The Crom Award
Only the REH Foundation Board of Directors will decide on making any nominations for the Crom Award.
The Black Circle Award
Nominations to the Black Circle can be made by the Foundation membership at large. The Select Committee will collect Black Circle nominations from the membership and present these to the Board of Directors, who can also make any nominations as they feel. Nominees MUST have been active is supporting and promoting Robert E. Howard’s legacy for at least 20 years. If a member of the REHF Board is nominated for the Black Circle, then voting will be opened to all current REHF members to vote. To win, a nominee must get 60% of the votes on the first ballot. If no nominee gets that, then the top two vote-getting nominees will go into a runoff with the nominee getting the majority of votes in the runoff being declared the winner.
The Awards Committee thanks you for your help in recognizing these deserving people.
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