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Which Christian-made fantastical novels won big at the 2020 Realm Awards hosted at Realm Makers conference, just this past weekend?

Also, guess who’s coming to dinner at the 2021 Realm Makers conference, hosted (pandemic approval pending) again in St. Louis, Missouri?

• Realm Makers Pandemic Edition wrapped just this past weekend
• Stephen and Zack attended, and did a lot of work during this “staycation.”
• Next year’s speaker will be Frank E. Peretti. (Last seen in this review and this Fantastical Truth episode.)

Realm Makers equips Christian writers of fantasy, sci-fi, beyond.

• Yearly membership gets you access to ongoing material.
• Annual conferences are scheduled for July, and usually in real life.
• This year’s conference was of course different, held entirely online.
• So was the 2020 Realm Awards ceremony, broadcast to everyone.

Realm Awards: complete list of winners

Alliance Award winner, chosen by reader vote

• Brand of Light, by Ronie Kendig from Enclave Publishing
• Get the full review, with “best for” and “discern” notes, from Lorehaven.

Heart of the Curiosity, H. L. Burke, with 2020 Parable Award-winning cover by designer Austin Lord

Parable Award winner for best book cover designs

• Heart of the Curiosity, by H. L. Burke with cover by Austin Lord

Realm Award, children’s

• Hello Ninja, by N. D. Wilson from HarperCollins

Realm Award, middle grade

• Iggy & Oz: The Plastic Dinos of Doom, by J. J. Johnson from Dark Side Geeks

Realm Award, fantasy

• Seventh City, by Emily Hayse from Hayse Publishing

Realm Award, science fiction

• Brand of Light, by Ronie Kendig from Enclave Publishing

Realm Award, young adult

• To Best the Boys, by Mary Weber from Thomas Nelson/HarperCollins

Realm Award, debut

• Fyrian’s Fire, by Emily Jeffries from Sheepgate Press

Realm Award, horror/other

• Amish Werewolves of Space, by Kerry Nietz from Freeheads

Realm Award, supernatural/paranormal

• Mercury on Guard, Steve Rzasa, independently published

2020 Realm Award Book of the Year winner Seventh City by Emily Hayse

Realm Award, Book of the Year, chosen from all winners

• Seventh City, by Emily Hayse from Hayse Publishing

Fantastic fans

This time we’re showing some feedback from first-year Realm Makers guests. See even more exclusive praise at this article on SpecFaith.

L. G. McCary

It was a bit of a miracle that I was able to attend Realm Makers 2020 (Thank you, Havok for that scholarship!). It was an incredible experience! I felt old trying to figure out Discord, but it turned out to be such a blessing! Video chat in the Mermaid room was definitely better than sitting in socially distanced circles and wearing uncomfortable masks for hours, trying to find a way to socialize safely. Best of all, I still got to celebrate with new friends when good things happened! That’s one of the best parts of conferences: comforting each other through failures and celebrating victories together. Realmies are the best at both! I can’t wait for next year and I’m already planning my costume!

Philip Wilder

I loved attending Realm Makers 2020. The people were very welcoming, friendly, and down to earth. I made many new friends, despite the fact that the entire conference was online. I also got the chance to play several games with others online. I even regained my passion for writing fiction and was able to get some great feedback on a new novel idea I’ve been rolling around in my head. Attending the conference online made me much more excited to attend an in-person Realm Makers conference. Perhaps one day Corona will stop trolling us all.

Kristen Aguilar

I heard about the Realm Makers Conference last minute when a friend invited me to go. Held virtually this year, I was able to register right before the conference started and I never looked back. Realm Makers is in a class all by itself. The people were friendly, fascinating and fun. Even virtually, Realm Makers went above and beyond to foster community and to encourage engagement with an immersive, positive experience. Whether it was branding, marketing, how to conduct media interviews, or how to take your writing or screenwriting to the next level, there was a plethora of incredible speakers and events packed into three days. I learned a ton. Plus, I went into the conference with one new friend and left with many more. Overall, a great experience!

Robert Sloan

My first experience at a Realm Makers conference was this year’s “Pandemic Edition,” and I’m very pleased with it. The quality of the panels, the keynote addresses, and the “pitch“ and mentoring sessions were excellent; and after years of going to various kinds of professional conferences, I confess they were truly better than I expected. By a lot.

Every session had something of substance to offer, with well prepared presenters, and significant opportunities to develop new relationships and networks. The people were very forthcoming and honest and I’ve benefited from each one.

The technological platform that supported this virtual conference was outstanding. The instructions were clear, and I experienced no glitches.

I’ll definitely be back.

Next on Fantastical Truth

We resume the postponed Narnia’s Top Seven Myths series. In part 2, How Do We Defeat the Top Seven Myths about The Chronicles of Narnia?, we will explore Susan’s “apostasy,” Emeth’s “universalism,” Lewis’s “allegories,” and Narnia’s “safety.”

Work to be faithful as a sub-creator, but first, be a faithful fantasy character in the fantastical world you live in.

—N.D. Wilson