More formally known as the Annual Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Award, the Ursa Major Award is presented annually for excellence in the furry arts. It is intended as Anthropomorphic (a.k.a. Furry) Fandom's equivalent of the Hugo Award ® presented by the World Science Fiction Society, mystery fandom's Anthony Award, horror fandom's Bram Stoker Award, and so forth. Anyone may nominate and vote for candidates for the Awards. These Awards are decided entirely by the fans, not by the ALAA committee or a panel of judges.

      NEWS

Statement regarding policy plans and AI content

Please enjoy a quick statement regarding AI/LLM content!

We would like to respectfully remind everyone that the Anthropomorphic Literature & Arts Award committee is a non-profit organization run by a skeleton crew of volunteers, and the Ursa Major Awards are completely funded by donations which need to cover operational costs, production of the physical trophies, and shipping to the winners. When donations are insufficient, the balance comes out of the committee members' pockets.

Last year, we came out in the black for the first time due to the many generous donations for which we were very grateful. However, not much is left in the kitty and it's time to start the ball rolling once more. So, whether you consider yourself a furry or just a fan of anthropomorphic works, and you like the idea of your favorite stuff in that category getting awards, if at any point over the last two decades you've heard of the UMAs or you're just learning about them now, we humbly ask that you consider tossing a donation our way via PayPal - whatever you can afford - and to spread the word around.

A special shout-out to Xanni who hosts and troubleshoots the UMA website. Your help is very much appreciated!

The 2024 Winners

Best Anthropomorphic Music
Collection of songs in an album, or individual songs

Monarch of Monsters

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Sad, Drunk and Needy
• Bicylce
• Olympics in Space
• 808 Compact
 

Best Anthropomorphic Costume a.k.a. Fursuit

• Due to the lack of qualifying entries, this category was dropped for 2024.

Best Website
Online collections of art, stories, and other creative and/or informational works. Includes galleries, story archives, directories, blogs, and personal sites.

Fur Affinity

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• e621
• Wikifur
• The Belfry WebComics Index
• Fluffle
 

Best Game
Computer or console games, role-playing games, board games.

WEBFISHING

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• ANIMAL WELL
• Nine Sols
• Black Myth: Wukong
• Another Crab's Treasure
 

Best Published Illustration
General artwork, may include illustrations for books, magazines, convention program books, cover art for such, T-shirts, coffee-table portfolios.

Royz, Adventurers & Explorers

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Serpent, High Orbit
• Nessie, Untitled
• Squiddy, Shopping Simulator
• Elly, Round 8: Le Mans 1973
 

Best Magazine
Edited collections of creative and/or informational works by various people, professional or amateur, published in print or online in written, pictorial or audio-visual form.

Dogpatch Press, by Patch Packrat

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Flayrah, edited by GreenReaper
• InFurNation, edited by Rod O'Riley
• Gaming Furever, edited by Various
• Furry Weekly, edited by Yeshua & Carkas
 

Best Comic Strip
Newspaper-style strips, including those with some ongoing arcs.

Foxes in Love, by Toivo Kaartinen.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Lauren Ipsum, by Charles Brubaker.
• Nine to Nine, by Jan.
• Carry On, by Kathy Garrison Kellogg.
• Pixie and Brutus, by Pet Foolery.
 

Best Graphic Story
Includes comic books, and serialized online stories.

Swords and Sausages, by Jan.

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Free Fall, by Mark Stanley.
• Tamberlane, by Caytlin Vilbrandt and Ari Noble.
• 21st Century Fox, by Scott Kellogg.
• Projection Edge, by Thomas K. Dye.
 

Best Non-Fiction Work
Includes opinion pieces and news articles.

Celebrating 85 Years of Conventions - From Worldcon 1939 to Anthrocon 2024

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Fur and Loathing Podcast
• Fur Affinity owner Dragoneer and Hugo Nominated Vootie artist Taral Wayne pass away
• Fur Affinity hacked following Dragoneer's passing
• ShifterCon Opening Ceremonies
 

Best General Literary Work
Story collections, comic collections, graphic novels, and serialized online stories.

Swords and Sausages: Volume Two

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• Lauren Ipsum Throws the Book At You
• The Shapeshifter's Guide
• Awoo!: Volume 2
• Work "Fur" Hire
 

Best Short Fiction
Stories less than 40,000 words, poetry, and other short Written works.

Monarch of Monsters, by Vylet Pony

    Runners-Up (in descending number of votes)

• A Different Kind of Make-Believe, by Renee Carter Hall.
• Sun Runner: An Imbrium Novella, by Frances Pauli.
• The Frog Wife, by Rebecca E. Treasure.
• The Three-Piece Giant, by Gabrielle Steele.
 

Best Novel
Written works of 40,000 words or more. Serialized novels qualify only for the year that the final chapter is published.

The Varcross Key, Aeron Dusk.