Like the literature and performances they celebrate, the Saboteur Awards are ephemeral and ever-changing. But some things stay the same: we’re always looking to reward work that has, since our last awards, really made us and/or our readers sit up and take notice – especially work that has done so on a tight budget with a small-scale distribution. Sabotage Reviews focuses on the indie side of literature and performance, and our awards celebrate the best of that.

Here are the categories:

Best One-Off Event
A performance poetry or written literature event organised as a one-off spectacular, which must have taken place after 30th April 2013.

Best Short Story Collection
A single-author collection of short fiction. One author: multiple stories. Must have been published after 30th April 2013.

Best Magazine
A regular publication which can feature a range of content, including literature reviews, but mainly aimed at fiction or poetry. Must have had at least one issue published after 30th April 2013.

Best Poetry Pamphlet
A single-poet collection of poems, which can be a variety of formats (‘pamphlet’ being a bit of a catch-all term). No more than 30 pages long. Must have been published after 30th April 2013.

Best Spoken Word Performer
A performer who has either appeared at open mic nights, slots in spoken words events, or who has their own spoken word show (or a combination of the above, of course). We might even consider double acts. Must have performed at least once since 30th April 2013.

Best Spoken Word Regular Night
An event celebrating and promoting spoken word, organised on a regular – if not frequent – basis, open mic or programmed or a mixture. Must have held at least three events since 30th April 2013.

Best Spoken Word Show
A performance of a set work which has multiple performance dates, probably in multiple locations and over a period of time. Not limited to solo shows. Shows first performed before 30th April 2013 are permitted, but there must have been a significant outing since that date (eg. a short run somewhere or a tour).

Best Novella
A short form piece of extended fiction – too broad or complete for a short story but too short or limited in scope for a novel. There’s no set word/page range and we may use some discretion – our rule of thumb is that if the author/publisher considers the work to be a novella, so do we, but we do also take other factors into account. Must have been published after 30th April 2013.

Most Innovative Publisher
A publisher who has, well, innovated, which is a pretty broad term. Someone who has impressed you probably publishing something interesting in an unusual way. Surprise us. Must have published at least two titles since 30th April 2013.

Best Reviewer Of Literature
Someone who has made significant contribution to the review of literature since 30th April 2013, in reviews of poetry, fiction or spoken word.

Best Anthology
A collection of works by more than one author, not restricted by genre, theme or form. This could be a combination of fiction and poetry, or even a combination with another art form, like visual art. Multiple authors: multiple texts. Must have been published after 30th April 2013.

Best Collaborative Work
A literary work or project that has been created as a collaboration between two or more people, perhaps in multiple forms or genres. Must have been created after or substantially changed since 30th April 2013.

For more information and to cast your vote