Messages from Crom

Robert E. Howard Foundation Awards

The winners were announced at a ceremony at Robert E. Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas on June 7th.

Congratulations to all of the winners!

Atlantean — Outstanding Achievement, Book (non-anthology/collection)

Winner: DAVID C. SMITH – Robert E. Howard: A Literary Biography (Pulp Hero Press)

Finalists:
FRED BLOSSER – Western Weirdness and Voodoo Vengence (Pulp Hero Press)
DON HERRON and LEO GRIN – Famous Someday: A Robert E. Howard Biography (The Cimmerian Press)


The Hyrkanian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay (Print)

Winner: RICK LAI – “Poseidon and the Gods of the Robert E. Howard Universe” – Blood ‘n’ Thunder Presents #4: Pulpourri

Finalists:
BOBBY DERIE – “That Fool Olson” – Lovecraft Annual 12
DAMON YOUNG – “I Love, I Slay, And Am Content” – Island Magazine #124


The Cimmerian—Outstanding Achievement, Essay (Online)

Winner: DEUCE RICHARDSON – “Stephen Fabian and Robert E. Howard (3 Parts)” – DMR Books Blog

Finalists:
BOBBY DERIE – “Conan and E’ch-Pi-El: Robert E. Howard in the Biographies of H. P. Lovecraft” – On An Underwood No. 5
KEITH TAYLOR – “Black Vulmea – Robert E. Howard’s Roughneck Pirate (2 Parts)” – DMR Books Blog



The Venarium — Emerging Scholar

Winner: BOB BYRNE – Contributed essays for Black Gate
Finalists:
PHILIP EMERY – Completed Doctoral Thesis on REH and Sword and Sorcery
NICOLE EMMELHAINZ – Presented paper at Glenn Lord Symposium


The Stygian—Outstanding Achievement, Website or Periodical

Winners (TIE):ON AN UNDERWOOD NO. 5 (Todd Vick)
REH FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER (Lee Breakiron)

Finalist:
BLACK GATE (John O’Neill)

The Black Lotus – Outstanding Achievement, Multimedia

Winner: THE CROMCAST (audio podcast) – Josh Adkins, Luke Dodd, and Jon Larson
Finalists:
HOWARD DAYS 2018 (videos)– Ben Friberg
ROGUES IN THE HOUSE PODCAST – Matt Sullivan, Logan Whitney, and Alex Kostopoulos

The Black River—Special Achievement

Winner: JEFFREY SHANKS, ANDREW McFEATERS, THADRA STANTON, and HEATHER YOUNG – For the National Park Service Robert E. Howard House Archaeology Project

Finalists:
MARK HALL – For his years of service as editor of The Dark Man
ROY THOMAS – for his publication of Barbarian Life, the history of Conan in the comics.


The Rankin — Artistic achievement in the depiction of REH’s life and/or work

Winner: TOM GRINDBERG – Cover art for Conan the Pirate sourcebook for Conan RPG (Modiphius) – Depicts “Queen of the Black Coast”

Finalists:
BILL CAVALIER – Cover Art for Pictures in the Fire (REHF Press)
RONAN TOULHOAT – Conan le Cimmérien, Tome 2 : Le colosse noir (Glenat) – Depicts “Black Colossus”

Black Circle Award – Lifetime Achievement

Winner: N/A

Finalists:
FRED BLOSSER
PAUL HERMAN
DONALD WOLLHEIM (posthumous)
As a 60% majority vote was not achieved for any candidate, there is no Black Circle Award winner this year.

Crom Award (Board of Directors Award)

Winner: PROJECT PRIDE – For over three decades of interpreting and promoting the life and work of Robert E. Howard through the REH House and Museum.

The Crom Award is a special recognition given very infrequently by the REH Foundation Board of Directors.