The Aurealis Awards are presented annually by the Australia-based Chimaera Publications and WASFF to published works in order to "recognise the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, horror writers".
Categories currently include science fiction, fantasy, horror, speculative young adult fiction—with separate awards for novels and short fiction—collections, anthologies, illustrative works or graphic novels, children's books, and an award for excellence in speculative fiction.
[2] The awards have attracted the attention of publishers by setting down a benchmark in science fiction and fantasy.
The continued sponsorship by publishers such as HarperCollins and Orbit has identified the award as an honour to be taken seriously.
[2] Ties can occur if the panel decides both entries show equal merit, however they are encouraged to choose a single winner.