The K/S Slash Convention

PHILON AWARDS 2026

KiScon is honoured to once again host the Philon Awards. Originally established by Jenna Sinclair and Shelley Butler in 1997, this annual event’s purpose is to honour outstanding authors and artists in K/S fandom.

Important dates:
Nominations: 20 June – 15 August, 2026.
Voting: 1 September – 31 October, 2026.
Eligibility (works created & published): 1 August 2025 – 31 July 2026.

For each of the eleven categories the voters will determine a Gold (first place) and a Silver (second place) winner.

Philon Awards 2026 Shortlist

(in alphabetical order of the title; shortlist based on the results of the nominations phase that was open from 20 June to 15 August, 2026)

Ficlet (word count under 1K):

Short Fic (word count 1K–5K):

Medium-Length Fic (word count 5K–10K):

Long Fic (word count 10K–20K):

Novella (word count 20K–50K):

Novel (word count over 50K):

Podfic:

Poetry:

Traditional Art:

Digital Art:

Zines:

Rules: Voting

The nomination phase for the Philon Awards 2026 has now closed. The shortlist above is based on the nominations we received: a work needed at least 3 nominations to make the shortlist, and we contacted the creators before including their work on the ballot.

  • Voting is open from 1 September to 31 October, 2026.
  • You may vote for your favourites in each category. You do not have to vote in every category.
  • One person → one submission of the voting ballot. Please do not attempt to vote more than once by using multiple accounts. We can see duplicate or suspicious submissions, and attempts to game the system jeopardise the future of the Philon Awards.
  • Voting takes place via Google Forms. You need to be logged in and enter either your AO3 name or Discord name on the form. This helps us make sure that each person votes only once.
  • The voting process is completely confidential. Only the KiScon concom will see the submitted ballots.
  • If we suspect sockpuppet activity or duplicate voting, we may get in touch for clarification.
  • You are very welcome to discuss your favourites, recommend works from the shortlist, and tell other fans why you love them. The shortlist is also meant to be a rec list and a celebration of the work being created in K/S fandom.
  • Yes, you can vote for your own work. We won't judge you. ;-)
  • The winners will be announced during a special online event in early November. We will announce the details soon. Each winner will receive a certificate and a small prize.

How the shortlist was selected

During the nomination phase, fans could nominate up to three works per category. A work needed at least 3 nominations to qualify for the voting ballot.

Before adding a qualifying work to the shortlist, we contacted the creator and asked whether they were happy to have their work included.

The following eligibility rules were applied to the nominations when determining the 2026 shortlist:

  • The work had to focus on the pairing Kirk/Spock or Kirk & Spock. Slash (romantic and/or sexual relationship) and gen (friendship) were equally eligible. If a fic included Kirk and/or Spock in relationships with other characters, whether canonical or original, this did not disqualify the work, as long as the focus was clearly on Kirk and Spock's relationship.
  • Art had to feature Kirk or Spock or both of them. Additional characters in the artwork were allowed, but depictions of Kirk/Other or Spock/Other were not eligible.
  • All universes were welcome: TOS (series and movies), TAS, reboot, Discovery, and Strange New Worlds. AUs and mirror universe works were equally eligible. Crossovers between different Trek franchises or between Trek and other media were permitted, as long as Kirk and Spock were the work's main characters.
  • RPF works (e.g. Shatnoy) were not eligible.
  • All ratings and genres were allowed.
  • The work had to be complete. It could be part of a series, but the nominated work itself could not be a WIP, have missing chapters, or be an unfinished draft or sketch.
  • Eligible works had to have been created and published, in print or online, between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026. Reprints or new uploads of older works were not eligible. For example, a fic written and originally published several years ago did not become eligible merely because it was uploaded to AO3 during the eligibility period.
  • If a multi-chapter fic was started earlier but completed during the eligible period, it could be nominated.
  • For podfic, the creation/publication date of the podfic itself counted, not the publication date of the written work on which it was based.
  • AI-generated works were not eligible.
  • Traditional art meant art that was hand-drawn or hand-painted. Scanning or photographing the finished work in order to publish it online was, of course, allowed.
  • Digital art meant art created by a fan artist directly on a tablet or computer, or art that began as hand-drawn work and underwent significant digital alteration afterwards. AI-generated art was not allowed. Manips based on still images or photographs of the actors were not eligible.
  • Zines: both e-zines and print zines published between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026 were eligible.

Last but not least: these awards are meant to be fun and a celebration of the K/S fandom. The shortlist doubles as a lovely rec list, and voting is another chance to talk about our favourites and let creators know that their work is appreciated.

You can fill in the voting ballot embedded below. If your device does not display it properly, you can also open the voting form directly here.

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