Stalker is Estonian Science Fiction Association (ESFA) award for the best original and translated speculative fiction (i.e SF, Fantasy and horror).
Stalker was created to acknowledge the best original and translated speculative fiction published in Estonian. First Stalker nominees were announced in 1998.
Stalkers for fiction are awarded based on the reader’s votes. (The guidelines of voting are described in the Stalker Statute.) This means everyone who’s interested in Estonian speculative fiction can vote!
The award is announced annually on Estcon – the annual convention of the local fandom. All the voters and fans and other interested parties are very welcome to witness the event!
Today there are different Stalker categories for short fiction, for novelettes and novellas, anthologies and novels. Couple of times ESFA has presented the special service Stalker to people with outstanding contribution in regards of science fiction.
The name Stalker itself is a reference to the Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (1971) and the film Stalker.
The Brothers have always had (and still do) a great influence in Estonian fandom.
The Stalker is represented by the framed diploma and a ceramic clay tablet with a palm print on it.
The 2018 Stalker Awards Winners
Best Novel (Original)
Easy Choices, Triinu Meres (Varrak)
Best Novella (Original)
“The Heavy Rain”, Manfred Kalmsten (Täheaeg 17)
Best Short Story (Original)
“Coatsmith”, Meelis Friedenthal (Estonias that Weren’t)
Best Novel (Translated)
Storm Front, Jim Butcher, translated by Tatjana Peetersoo (Fantaasia)
Best Novella (Translated)
Slow Bullets, Alastair Reynolds, translated by Tatjana Peetersoo (Fantaasia)
Best Short Story (Translated)
“Shanidar”, David Zindell, translated by Arvi Nikkarev (Skarabeus)
Best Collected Work (Translated)
The Call of Cthulhu, H.P. Lovecraft (Viiking)
