2026 Chrysalis Awards - European Science Fiction Society

Nominee	Nominating country	Nominee country	Description
Afonso Molinar	Portugal	Portugal	Afonso Molinar is a Portuguese actor and multidisciplinary artist, known for his work in theater, film, and performance. He is a driving force behind the project TeatroÀEspada, blending innovative stagecraft with diverse artistic expressions, highlighting and enriching the societal value of RPGs.
Alina Voinea	Romania	Romania	Alina Voinea has a background in web technologies, communication sciences, journalism and sociology and a passion for science-fiction dystopias. Her 2025 debut with Crux Publishing is "Sentient", the first volume of the dystopian SF series Nordam 2190. Her short fiction has appeared on various Romanian niche and mainstream magazines and she has also authored books for children.
Ben J A Hansen	Luxembourg	Luxembourg	Ben J A Hansen has launched his debut Novel Babalon in 2025 which he describes as A tale of psychological descent, mysticism, and cosmic horror, Babalon invites you to sip the tea, hear the call, and face what sleeps beneath paradise.
Elia Gonella	Italy	Italy	Emerging new writer winner of the Urania Award with "Occhi nel cielo"
Kevin Moran	Ireland	Ireland	Kevin Moran's 1st novel "The Doomsday Club" was published by The O’Brien Press in 2025. It was shortlisted for Children’s Book of the Year (Senior) at the 2025 An Post Irish Book Awards, and shortlisted for both the KPMG Children’s Books Ireland Awards 2026 and the Great Read Awards 2025. His 2nd book, "The Doomsday Club: Shape-Shifters", was released as one of Ireland’s 2026 World Book Day reads.
Marcel Gherman	Moldova	Moldova	Marcel Gherman was born in 1978, in Chisinau. Musical studies. Literary debut in 2011. Moldovan Writers associations' prizes in 2012 and 2015, for his books with fantastic and sf roots. Strong activism, from meetings with high school students, to republish works of veterans. The revival of the Moldovan (in Romanian language)science fiction owns Marcel Gherman big time.
Matjaž Marinček	Slovenia	Slovenia	Matjaž Marinček, born in 1951, is a retired journalist, polyglot, writer, playwriter, poet, amateur actor and director. In 2023, he published his debut work, Medgalaktične pripovedke (Intergalactic Tales), a collection of 13 short science fiction stories that is unique in Slovenian literature, as it combines science fiction, short stories and humour.
Ondřej Blaho	Czech Republic	Czech Republic	Although Ondřej Blaho is a newcomer to the Czech literary scene, his debut novel excels in both creative imagination and craftsmanship. And although it straddles the boundaries of various genres, it easily captivates readers with its setting on a mysterious island, where downpour causes the gradual decay of everything—from megalomaniacal machines to ordinary human relationships.
Svenja Knisel	Austria	Austria	Svenja Knisel debuted with her novel Dissecting a Topia in 2024, a story about data structures leading to social control. She is also the winner of a quite new Austrian award on speculative fiction, called Österreichischer Phantastikpreis.
Tessa	Germany	Germany	In the past year, she not only published several short stories, a crime novel, and a fantasy novel, but also edited a very unusual anthology entitled "SCIENCE-FICTION GOES PUNK: A foray through the rebellious genres of science fiction from Atompunk to Whalepunk". Her own texts are always written from a feminist perspective.
Thomas Arnaud	France	France	Young illustrator and graphic designer based in Lyon. He creates amazing, colorful and catchy visuals for a wide range of projects: book covers, interior pages, posters, communication materials, and creations aimed at young audiences. https://www.instagram.com/chroma.rtist/
Vida Delcheva	Bulgaria	Bulgaria	When the Archmage of Bulgaria goes mad and turns his immense solar powers toward domination instead of protection, a magical civil war erupts in the capital. Blending classic fantasy with rich folklore, Vida Delcheva's debut "Sunbreakers" follows their perilous journey through magic, myth, and the shadows within every human heart.
Yulia Nahorniuk (Юлія Нагорнюк)	Ukraine	Ukraine	Ukrainian writer, translator, and teacher. She writes fantasy in which the ordinary meets the supernatural, and her characters must confront not only evil forces but also their own inner doubts, as well as questions of sexuality, identity, and choice.