These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and dark fantasy are presented at Readercon, an annual conference on imaginative literature.
[1] Writing in Salon in 2010, Laura Miller noted, "The awards are only three years old, but have already proved a fitting tribute to a writer who roamed freely over similar ground and has never quite gotten the respect she deserves.
"[2] Award winners are selected by a jury of professional writers, editors, critics and academics, with input from a board of advisors.
The awards are given for the best work published in the preceding calendar year in the following categories: Novel, Novella, Novelette, Short Story, Single-Author Collection and Edited Anthology.
The first annual Shirley Jackson Awards were presented on July 20, 2007, at the Readercon Conference on Imaginative Literature in Burlington, Massachusetts.