2022 Splatterpunk Award Nominees

For Immediate Release

January 18, 2022

Splatterpunk Award founders Wrath James White and Brian Keene are pleased to announce the nominees for the 2022 Splatterpunk Awards (honoring superior achievement in the literary subgenres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror fiction published in 2021), the recipient of the fifth annual J. F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award (honoring individuals who, like Gonzalez, have made a significant impact on the Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror field), and the inaugural inductees to the Splatterpunk Hall of Legends.

The nominees are as follows:

BEST NOVEL 

-- Don’t Go To Wheelchair Camp by David Irons (Severed Press)

-- Trench Mouth by Christine Morgan (Madness Heart Press)

-- The Maddening by Carver Pike (Independently Published)

-- The Devoured And The Dead by Kristopher Rufty (Death’s Head Press)

-- The Night Stockers by Kristopher Triana and Ryan Harding (The Evil Cookie Publishing)

-- Left To You by Daniel J. Volpe (D&T Publishing)

BEST NOVELLA

-- Midnight In The City Of The Carrion Kid by James G. Carlson (Gloom House Publishing) 

-- Only The Stains Remain by Ross Jeffery (Cemetery Gates Media)

-- Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca (Weirdpunk Books)

-- A Roll Of the Dice by Matt Shaw (Independently Published)

-- Sacrament by Steve Stred (Black Void Publishing)

-- Talia by Daniel J. Volpe (Independently Published)

BEST SHORT STORY

-- “The Martini Club” by Aron Beauregard (from Beyond Reform, Aron Beauregard Horror)

-- “Fireflies and Apple Pies” by Thomas R. Clark (from The God Provides, St. Rooster Books)

-- “Sun Poison” by Stephen Kozeniewski (from Battered, Broken Bodies, Independently Published)

-- “Start Today” by Justin Lutz (from Teenage Grave, Filthy Loot)

-- “Abigail” by Daemon Manx (Terror Tract Publishing)

-- “Next Best Baker” by Jeff Strand (from Baker’s Dozen, Uncomfortably Dark)

BEST COLLECTION

-- Beyond Reform by Jon Athan, Aron Beauregard, and Jasper Bark (Aron Beauregard Horror)

-- Black Tongue And Other Anomalies by Richard Beauchamp (D&T Publishing)

-- Sinister Mix by Brian Bowyer (Independently Published)

-- Shattered Skies by Chris Miller (Death’s Head Press)

-- Twisted Tainted Tales by Janine Pipe (Pipe Screams Press)

-- May Cause Ocular Bleeding by Nikolas P. Robinson (Independently Published)

BEST ANTHOLOGY

-- Body Shocks edited by Ellen Datlow (Tachyon Publications)

-- Between A Spider’s Eyes edited by River Dixon (Potter’s Grove Press)

-- Bludgeon Tools edited by K. Trap Jones (The Evil Cookie Publishing)

-- Gorefest edited by K. Trap Jones (The Evil Cookie Publishing)

-- Baker’s Dozen edited by Candace Nola (Uncomfortably Dark)

-- Battered, Broken Bodies edited by Matt Shaw (Independently Published)

J. F. GONZALEZ LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD* 

-- Clive Barker 

SPLATTERPUNK HALL OF LEGENDS INDUCTEES** 

-- Richard Laymon

-- Jack Ketchum

-- J. F. Gonzalez

-- Charlee Jacob

-- John Pelan

-- Gak

-- David G. Barnett

*The previous J. F. Gonzalez Award recipients are: David J. Schow, David G. Barnett, Edward Lee, and John Skipp

**In 2017, authors Wrath James White and Brian Keene founded the Splatterpunk Awards to honor superior achievement in the literary subgenres of Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror fiction for novel, novella, short story, collection, and anthology categories. In addition, they also created the J. F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award, to honor individuals who, like Gonzalez, have made a significant impact on the Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror field.

Now, with the advent of the fifth annual Splatterpunk Awards, White and Keene are pleased to announce the Splatterpunk Hall of Legends -- honoring and spotlighting Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror writers, artists, editors, and publishers who have passed away.

The Splatterpunk Hall of Legends will be a physical memorial at every KillerCon event, featuring artifacts and ephemera related to the honorees, as well as a chronicle of their individual achievements, and an eternal flame burning for each. It is to serve as a place where genre fans both young and old can pay their respects and learn more about the creators who have shaped the field.

The initial honorees will be Richard Laymon, Jack Ketchum, J.F. Gonzalez, Charlee Jacob, John Pelan, Gak, and David G. Barnett (winner of the 2019 J. F. Gonzalez Lifetime Achievement Award). Their induction will occur at the fifth annual Splatterpunk Awards, taking place August 13th at KillerCon 2022 in Austin, Texas. The Splatterpunk Hall of Legends will be open to attendees August 12th through the 14th.

For further questions or comments, please contact the Splatterpunk Awards committee at splatterpunkawards@gmail.com