World Fantasy Awards 2000: Complete list of winners

The World Fantasy Awards have long served as one of the genre’s most prestigious honors, celebrating the year’s finest fantasy literature across multiple categories. The 2000 ceremony proved no exception, delivering a slate of winners that showcased the depth and diversity of contemporary fantasy writing. Martin Scott claimed the Best Novel prize for Thraxas, a witty sword-and-sorcery tale that proved fantasy could be both entertaining and sharply written, while the novella and short fiction categories highlighted the form’s continued vitality as a proving ground for innovative storytelling.

This particular year’s World Fantasy Award winners reflected a genre in transition, balancing established voices with emerging talent. Laurel Winter’s “Sky Eyes” earned recognition in the novella category alongside other distinguished work, while Ian R. MacLeod’s “The Chop Girl” demonstrated the short fiction category’s commitment to character-driven fantasy. These selections underscored what makes the World Fantasy Awards so valued within the community—they consistently honor work that takes risks and rewards readers willing to venture beyond the expected.

Below is the complete list of 2000 World Fantasy Award winners across all major categories:

Best Novel

• Thraxas by Martin Scott

Best Novella

• “Sky Eyes” by Laurel Winter
• Palace Corbie Eight(Merrimack Books) by “The Transformation of Martin Lake”

Best Short Fiction

• “The Chop Girl” by Ian R. MacLeod