List of XYZZY Awards by category

This is a list of XYZZY Awards results, grouped by award rather than year. The XYZZY Awards are the annual awards given by the publication "XYZZYnews" to works of interactive fiction, serving a similar role to the Academy Awards for film. The awards were inaugurated in 1997, initially with eight categories: best game, best writing, best story, best setting, best puzzles, best individual puzzle, best NPCs (non-player characters) and best individual NPC. Two others (best individual player-character and best use of medium) were added the following the year. Presented in early Spring, any game released during the year prior to the award ceremony is eligible for nomination to receive an award. The decision process takes place in two stages: members of the interactive fiction community nominate works within specific categories, and sufficiently supported nominations become finalists within those categories. Typically there are four or five finalists in each category. Community members then vote among the finalists, and the game receiving a plurality of votes is given the award in an online ceremony at ifMUD.

Best game

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Game recognizes the game which is the most enjoyable as a whole: other awards recognize merit in particular qualities.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1996: "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
** "The Light: Shelby's Addendum" by Colm McCarthy
** "Lost New York" by Neil deMause
** "The Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet" by Graham Nelson
** "Time: All Things Come to an End" by Andy Phillips
* 1997: "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** "Babel" by Ian Finley
** "A Bear's Night Out" by David Dyte
** "The Edifice" by Lucian P. Smith
** "Glowgrass" by Nate Cull
* 1998: "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Anchorhead" by Michael Gentry
** "Little Blue Men" by Michael Gentry
** "Once and Future" by G. Kevin Wilson
** "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
* 1999: "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** "For a Change" by Dan Schmidt
** "Lunatix: The Insanity Circle" by Mike Snyder
** "The Mulldoon Legacy" by Jon Ingold
** "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: "Being Andrew Plotkin" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "Galatea" by Emily Short
** "LASH" by Paul O'Brian
** "Rameses" by Stephen Bond
** "Shade" by Andrew Plotkin
* 2001: "All Roads" by Jon Ingold
** "Best of Three" by Emily Short
** "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** "First Things First" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "Pytho's Mask" by Emily Short
* 2002: "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** "" by Peter Nepstad
** "" by Paul O'Brian
** "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** "Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish out of Me!" by Jon Ingold and Mike Sousa
* 2003: "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
** "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** "Risorgimento Represso" by Michael J. Coyne
** "Scavenger" by Quintin Stone
** "To Hell in a Hamper" by J. J. Guest
* 2004: "Blue Chairs" by Chris Klimas
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
** "Return to Ditch Day" by Michael J. Roberts
** "The Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
* 2005: "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
** "All Hope Abandon" by Eric Eve
** "Chancellor" by Kevin Venzke
** "Distress" by Mike Snyder
** "Finding Martin" by Gayla Wennstrom
* 2006: "The Elysium Enigma" by Eric Eve
** "Floatpoint" by Emily Short
** "The Baron" (a.k.a. "De Baron") by Victor Gijsbers
** "The Primrose Path" by Nolan Bonvouloir
** "The Traveling Swordsman" by Mike Snyder
* 2007: "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** "Child's Play" by Stephen Granade
** "Fate" by Victor Gijsbers
** "Suveh Nux" by David Fisher

Best writing

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Writing recognizes a game which rises above the others in the quality of its descriptive text.

* 1996: "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Aayela" by Magnus Olsson
** "Lost New York" by Neil deMause
** "The Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet" by Graham Nelson
** "Tapestry" by Daniel Ravipinto
* 1997: "Sunset Over Savannah" by Ivan Cockrum
** "Babel" by Ian Finley
** "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** "She's Got a Thing for a Spring" by Brent VanFossen
** "The Space Under the Window" by Andrew Plotkin
* 1998: "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
** "Anchorhead" by Michael Gentry
** "Little Blue Men" by Michael Gentry
** "Muse" by Chris Huang
** "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
* 1999: "For a Change" by Dan Schmidt
** "Exhibition" by Ian Finley
** "Lunatix: The Insanity Circle" by Mike Snyder
** "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: "Metamorphoses" by Emily Short
** "My Angel" by Jon Ingold
** "Rameses" by Stephen Bond
** "Shade" by Andrew Plotkin
** "You are a CHEF!" by Dan Shiovitz
* 2001: "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** "All Roads" by Jon Ingold
** "Best of Three" by Emily Short
** "No Time to Squeal" by Mike Sousa and Robb Sherwin
** "Pytho's Mask" by Emily Short
* 2002: "The Moonlit Tower" by Yoon Ha Lee
** "" by Paul O'Brian
** "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** "Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish out of Me!" by Jon Ingold and Mike Sousa
** "When Help Collides" by J. D. Berry
* 2003: "Narcolepsy" by Adam Cadre
** "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** "Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus" by Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short
** "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
** "To Hell in a Hamper" by J. J. Guest
* 2004: "Blue Chairs" by Chris Klimas
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Gamlet" by Tomasz Pudlo
** "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
** "The Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
* 2005: "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
** "Bolivia by Night" by Aidan Doyle
** "Chancellor" by Kevin Venzke
** "Mix Tape" by Brett Witty
** "Tough Beans" by Sara Dee
* 2006: "Delightful Wallpaper" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Floatpoint" by Emily Short
** "Legion" by Jason Devlin
** "Pantomime" by Robb Sherwin
** "The Baron" by Victor Gijsbers
* 2007: "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** "Child's Play" by Stephen Granade
** "The Chinese Room" by Harry Giles and Joey Jones
** "Deadline Enchanter" by Alan DeNiro

Best story

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Story recognizes a game with the deepest or most original story.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1996: "Tapestry" by Daniel Ravipinto
** "Delusions" by C. E. Forman
** "Lost New York" by Neil deMause
** "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Time: All Things Come to an End" by Andy Phillips
* 1997: "Babel" by Ian Finley
** "Glowgrass" by Nate Cull
** "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** "Madame L'Estrange and the Troubled Spirit" by Ian Ball and Marcus Young
** "Mercy" by Chris Klimas
* 1998: "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
** "Anchorhead" by Michael Gentry
** "Little Blue Men" by Michael Gentry
** "Losing Your Grip" by Stephen Granade
** "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
* 1999: "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
** "Aisle" by Sam Barlow
** "Common Ground" by Stephen Granade
** "Lunatix" by Mike Snyder
** "The Mulldoon Legacy" by Jon Ingold
** "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
* 2000: "My Angel" by Jon Ingold
** "Being Andrew Plotkin" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "LASH" by Paul O'Brian
** "Masquerade" by Kathleen M. Fischer
** "Rameses" by Stephen Bond
** "Shade" by Andrew Plotkin
** "shrapnel" by Adam Cadre
* 2001: "All Roads" by Jon Ingold
** "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** "First Things First" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "Pytho's Mask" by Emily Short
** "Vicious Cycles" by Simon Mark
** "Voices" by Aris Katsaris
* 2002: "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** "Augustine" by Terrence V. Koch
** "The Moonlit Tower" by Yoon Ha Lee
** "Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me!" by Jon Ingold and Mike Sousa
** "When Help Collides" by J. D. Berry
* 2003: "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
** "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** "Narcolepsy" by Adam Cadre
** "Redemption" by Kathleen M. Fischer
** "To Hell in a Hamper" by J. J. Guest
* 2004: "Blue Chairs" by Chris Klimas
** "The Act of Misdirection" by Callico Harrison
** "The Cabal" by Stephen Bond
** "Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
* 2005: "Beyond" by Mondi Confinanti (Roberto Grassi, Paolo Lucchesi, and Alessandro Peretti)
** "All Hope Abandon" by Eric Eve
** "Chancellor" by Kevin Venzke
** "Distress" by Mike Snyder
** "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
* 2006: "The Traveling Swordsman" by Mike Snyder
** "Moon-Shaped" by Jason Ermer
** "Pantomime" by Robb Sherwin
** "The Baron" by Victor Gijsbers
** "The Elysium Enigma" by Eric Eve
* 2007: "A Fine Day for Reaping" by James Webb
** "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** "Deadline Enchanter" by Alan DeNiro
** "Fate" by Victor Gijsbers

Best setting

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Setting recognizes a game with the most original or best-described locations.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1996: "Small World" by Andrew D. Pontious
** "The Light: Shelby's Addendum" by Colm McCarthy
** "Lost New York" by Neil deMause
** "Night at the Computer Center" by Bonni Mierzejewska
** "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
* 1997: "A Bear's Night Out" by David Dyte
** "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** "Mercy" by Chris Klimas
** "She's Got a Thing for a Spring" by Brent VanFossen
** "Sins Against Mimesis" by Adam Thornton
* 1998: "Anchorhead" by Michael Gentry
** "Losing Your Grip" by Stephen Granade
** "Muse: An Autumn Romance" by Christopher Huang
** "Once and Future" by G. Kevin Wilson
** "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
* 1999: "Hunter, in Darkness" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Erehwon" by Richard Litherland
** "For a Change" by Dan Schmidt
** "The Mulldoon Legacy" by Jon Ingold
** "Winter Wonderland" by Laura Knauth
** "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: "Shade" by Andrew Plotkin
** "LASH" by Paul O'Brian
** "Metamorphoses" by Emily Short
** "Nevermore" by Nate Cull
** "shrapnel" by Adam Cadre
* 2001: "All Roads" by Jon Ingold
** "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** "Fine Tuned" by Dennis Jerz
** "Heroes" by Sean Barrett
** "Pytho's Mask" by Emily Short
** "Textfire Golf" by Adam Cadre
* 2002: "" by Peter Nepstad
** "Augustine" by Terrence V. Koch
** "" by Paul O'Brian
** "The Moonlit Tower" by Yoon Ha Lee
** "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
* 2003: "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
** "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** "Gourmet" by Aaron Reed
** "Narcolepsy" by Adam Cadre
** "To Hell in a Hamper" by J. J. Guest
* 2004: "The Fire Tower" by Jacqueline A. Lott
** "The Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Gamlet" by Tomasz Pudlo
** "Mingsheng" by Deane Saunders
** "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
* 2005: "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
** "All Hope Abandon" by Eric Eve
** "Building" by Mike Tullock
** "Chancellor" by Kevin Venzke
** "Distress" by Mike Snyder
* 2006: "Floatpoint" by Emily Short
** "Ekphrasis" by "JB"
** "Star City" by Mark Sachs
** "Strange Geometries" by Phillip Chambers
** "Unauthorized Termination" by Richard Otter
* 2007: "Varkana" by Maryam Gousheh-Forgeot
** "Blighted Isle" by Eric Eve
** "Ferrous Ring" by Carma Ferris
** "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** "Suveh Nux" by David Fisher

Best puzzles

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Puzzles recognizes the game with the most well-crafted, clever, and appropriate puzzles.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1996: "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Frobozz Magic Support" by Nate Cull
** "Lost New York" by Neil deMause
** "The Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet" by Graham Nelson
** "Time: All Things Come to an End" by Andy Phillips
* 1997: "The Edifice" by Lucian P. Smith
** "Babel" by Ian Finley
** "Everybody Loves a Parade" by Cody Sandifer
** "Heist" by Andy Phillips
** "Zero Sum Game" by Cody Sandifer
* 1998: "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Anchorhead" by Michael Gentry
** "Enlightenment" by Taro Ogawa
** "Losing Your Grip" by Stephen Granade
** "Once and Future" by G. Kevin Wilson
* 1999: "The Mulldoon Legacy" by Jon Ingold
** "Lunatix: The Insanity Circle" by Mike Snyder
** "Not Just an Ordinary Ballerina" by Jim Aiken
** "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: "Ad Verbum" by Nick Montfort
** "Augmented Fourth" by Brian Uri
** "Dinner with Andre" by Liza Daly
** "The End Means Escape" by Stephen Kodat
** "Heroine's Mantle" by Andy Phillips
** "Metamorphoses" by Emily Short
** "Nevermore" by Nate Cull
* 2001: "First Things First" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "Degeneracy" by Leonard Richardson
** "The Gostak" by Carl Muckenhoupt
** "Stiffy Makane: The Undiscovered Country" by Adam Thornton
** "Vicious Cycles" by Simon Mark
** "The Weapon" by Sean Barrett
* 2002: "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** "" by Paul O'Brian
** "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** "Out of the Study" by Anssi Raisanen
** "Tookie's Song" by Jessica Knoch
* 2003: "Gourmet" by Aaron Reed
** "Inevitable" by Kathleen M. Fischer
** "Risorgimento Represso" by Michael J. Coyne
** "Scavenger" by Quintin Stone
** "The Erudition Chamber" by Daniel Freas
* 2004: "The Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
** "All Things Devours" by "half sick of shadows"
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Goose, Egg, Badger" by Brian Rapp
** "Square Circle" by Eric Eve
* 2005: "Distress" by Mike Snyder
** "Building" by Mike Tullock
** "Cheiron" by Sarah Clelland and Elisabeth Polli
** "Finding Martin" by Gayla Wennstrom
** "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
* 2006: "Delightful Wallpaper" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Moebius" by J. D. Clemens
** "The Elysium Enigma" by Eric Eve
** "The Traveling Swordsman" by Mike Snyder
** "The Warlord, The Princess & The Bulldog" by David Whyld
* 2007: "Suveh Nux" by David Fisher
** "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** "Child's Play" by Stephen Granade
** "The Chinese Room" by Harry Giles and Joey Jones
** "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota

Best NPCs

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best NPCs recognizes a particularly appropriate, amusing, and well-written cast of non-player characters.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1996: "Kissing the Buddha's Feet" by Leon Lin
** "Lost New York" by Neil deMause
** "Small World" by Andrew Pontious
** "The Underoos that Ate New York" by G. Kevin Wilson
** "The Wedding" by Neil Brown
* 1997: "The Frenetic Five vs. Sturm und Drang" by Neil deMause
** "Everybody Loves a Parade" by Cody Sandifer
** "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** "She's Got a Thing for a Spring" by Brent VanFossen
** "Zero Sum Game" by Cody Sandifer
* 1998: "Once and Future" by G. Kevin Wilson
** "Guilty Bastards" by Kent Tessman
** "Mother Loose" by Irene Callaci
** "Muse" by Chris Huang
** "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
* 1999: "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** "A Day For Soft Food" by Tod Levi
** "The Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man" by Neil deMause
** "The Mulldoon Legacy" by Jon Ingold
** "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: "Being Andrew Plotkin" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "Galatea" by Emily Short
** "Heroine's Mantle" by Andy Phillips
** "Kaged" by Ian Finley
** "Punk Points" by Jim Munroe
** "Rameses" by Stephen Bond
* 2001: "Pytho's Mask", by Emily Short
** "Best of Three" by Emily Short
** "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** "Textfire Golf" by Adam Cadre
** "You Are Here" by Roy Fisher
* 2002: "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** "Foverer Always" by Iain Merrick
** "The Frenetic Five vs. the Seven Deadly Dwarves" by Neil deMause
** "The PK Girl" by Robert Goodwin
** "Tookie's Song" by Jessica Knoch
* 2003: "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** "Narcolepsy" by Adam Cadre
** "Risorgimento Represso" by Michale Coyne
** "Shadows on the Mirror" by Chrysoula Tzavelas
** "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
* 2004: "Sting of the Wasp" by Jason Devlin
** "Blue Chairs" by Chris Klimas
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Luminous Horizon" by Paul O'Brian
** "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
* 2005: "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
** "All Hope Abandon" by Eric Eve
** "Bolivia by Night" by Aidan Doyle
** "Flat Feet" by Joel Ray Holveck
** "Gilded" by John Evans
* 2006: "Floatpoint" by Emily Short
** "Aunts and Butlers" by Robin Johnson
** "Delightful Wallpaper" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Moon-Shaped" by Jason Ermer
** "The Baron" by Victor Gijsbers
* 2007: "Child's Play" by Stephen Granade
** "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** "The Chinese Room" by Harry Giles and Joey Jones
** "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** "Slap That Fish" by Peter Nepstad

Best individual puzzle

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Individual Puzzle recognizes a particularly inspired, well-crafted, and intriguing puzzle.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the finalists for that year.

* 1996: Opening the gate, in "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
** The crystals, in "Fear" by Chuan-Tze Teo
** The elephant, in "The Meteor, the Stone, and a Long Glass of Sherbet" by Graham Nelson
** (cramped, crawling), in "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
** Riding the creature, in "So Far" by Andrew Plotkin
* 1997: The language puzzle, in "The Edifice" by Lucian P. Smith
** Setting the digital clock, in "Heist" by Andy Phillips
** The whole game, in "Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die" by Rob Noyes
** Defeating the Kunkel, in "Sins Against Mimesis" by Adam Thornton
** Building the sand castle, in "Sunset Over Savannah" by Ivan Cockrum
* 1998: Getting out of the chair, in "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
** The snack machine, in "Little Blue Men" by Michael Gentry
** The granite cube, in "Losing Your Grip" by Stephen Granade
** Getting out of the maze, in "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
** Entering the warehouse, in "The Plant" by Mike Roberts
* 1999: The maze, in "Hunter, in Darkness" by Andrew Plotkin
** Stopping the flood, in "For a Change" by Dan Schmidt
** The clone puzzle, in " The Frenetic Five vs. Mr. Redundancy Man" by Neil deMause.
** The water puzzle, in "Break-In" by Jon Ingold
** Getting the light upstairs, in "The Mulldoon Legacy" by Jon Ingold
* 2000: The whole game, in "Rematch" by Andrew Pontious
** The whole game, in "9:05" by Adam Cadre
** The mannequin, in "Adove and Beyond!" by Mike Sousa
** The letter rooms, in "Ad Verbum" by Nick Montfort
** The recursive room, in "Being Andrew Plotkin" by J. Robinson Wheeler
* 2001: Deciphering the language, in " The Gostak" by Carl Muckenhoupt
** The birds, in "All Roads" by Jon Ingold
** Switching the glasses, in "Pytho's Mask" by Emily Short
** The chess game, in "Silicon Castles" by David Given
** An unspecified puzzle, in "Textfire Golf" by Adam Cadre
** Disarming the bomb, in "Vicious Cycles" by Simon Mark
* 2002: Setting the traps, in "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** The maze, in "Constraints" by Martin Bays
** Entering the church, in "Forever Always" by Iain Merrick
** Decoding the letter, in "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** The computer password, in "Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish out of Me!" by Jon Ingold and Mike Sousa
* 2003: The purple room, in "The Recruit" by Mike Sousa
** Escaping the quicksand, in "Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus" by Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short
** Making the sandwich, in "Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus" by Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short
** Creating the black powder, in "Risorgimento Represso" by Michael J. Coyne
** Getting into the farm, in "Risorgimento Represso" by Michael J. Coyne
* 2004: The time puzzle, in "All Things Devours" by "half sick of shadows"
** The toilet, in "Blue Chairs" by Chris Klimas
** Cracking Eno's computer, in "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** The poltergeist, in "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
** The cistern, in "The Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
* 2005: Following the murderer, in "Beyond" by Mondi Confinanti (Roberto Grassi, Paolo Lucchesi, and Alessandro Peretti)
** Moving the stone (after escaping the labyrinth), in "All Hope Abandon" by Eric Eve
** Finding something to eat, in "Chancellor" by Kevin Venzke
** Beating the creature, in "Distress" by Mike Snyder
** Identifying the killer, in "Mystery House Possessed" by Emily Short
* 2006: Navigating the mansion in "Delightful Wallpaper" by Andrew Plotkin
** Choosing the present in "Floatpoint" by Emily Short
** The piano puzzle in "Madam Spider's Web" by Sara Dee
** The reactor puzzle in "Moebius" by J. D. Clemens
** Final puzzle in "Strange Geometries" by Phillip Chambers
* 2007: Identifying the killer, in "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** The toy in the cabinet, in "Child's Play" by Stephen Granade
** The thermostat, in "Orevore Courier" by Brian Rapp
** The shark, in "Slap That Fish" by Peter Nepstad
** The vault door, in "Suveh Nux" by David Fisher

Best individual NPC

This award has been given since 1996. The award for Best Individual NPC recognizes a particularly well-implemented and well-written non-player character.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1996: The burin, in "Frobozz Magic Support" by Nate Cull
** Evan, in "Kissing the Buddha's Feet" by Leon Lin
** The devil, in "Small World" by Andrew Pontious
** Leo the Lemming, in "Phlegm" by Jason Dyer
** Christopher Robin, in "Ralph" by Miron Schmidt
* 1997: Bob, in "She's Got a Thing for a Spring" by Brent VanFossen
** The Stranger, in "The Edifice" by Lucian P. Smith
** The Taco Junta girl, in "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** The cow, in "The Lost Spellmaker" by Neil Brown
** The devil, in "Sins Against Mimesis" by Adam Thornton
* 1998: The interrogator, in "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
** Michael, in "Anchorhead" by Michael Gentry
** The troll, in "Enlightenment" by Taro Ogawa
** The wolf, in "Mother Loose" by Irene Callaci
** Alley, in "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
* 1999: Miss Sierra, in "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** Anatoly Domokov, in "Exhibition" by Ian Finley
** The wumpus, in "Hunter, in Darkness" by Andrew Plotkin
** Princess Charlotte, in "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** Lyric/Echo, in "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: Galatea, in "Galatea" by Emily Short
** The King, in "Augmented Fourth" by Brian Uri
** Melvin, in "Being Andrew Plotkin" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** The alien, in "Fail-Safe" by Jon Ingold
** Angel, in "My Angel" by Jon Ingold
* 2001: Yahoweh Porn, in "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** Grant Stern, in "Best of Three" by Emily Short
** The droke, in "The Gostak" by Carl Muckenhoupt
** Space Moose, in "Stiffy Makane: The Undiscovered Country" by Adam Thornton
** Cheryl, in "The Weapon" by Sean Barrett
* 2002: Boldo, in "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** Emily, in "" by Paul O'Brian
** Musculo, in "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** Charles, in "The Temple" by Johan Berntsson
** Nebusan Sedonkawa, in "When Help Collides" by J. D. Berry
* 2003: Triage, in "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
** The bookseller, in "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** Corvallis Oregon, in "Narcolepsy" by Adam Cadre
** Iona, in "Scavenger" by Quintin Stone
** Galen, in "Shadows on the Mirror" by Chrysoula Tzavelas
* 2004: Audrey, in "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
** Bob Finger, in "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** Jacek, in "Gamlet" by Tomasz Pudlo
** Xojo, in "Return to Ditch Day" by Michael J. Roberts
** Dr. Todd, in "THe Great Xavio" by Reese Warner
* 2005: The storyteller, in "Whom the Telling Changed" by Aaron A. Reed
** Agrath, in "All Hope Abandon" by Eric Eve
** Relph, in "Flat Feet" by Joel Ray Holveck
** Val, in "Gilded" by John Evans
** Cecilia, in "Vespers" by Jason Devlin
* 2006: Leela, in "The Elysium Enigma" by Eric Eve
** The butler, in "Aunts and Butlers" by Robin Johnson
** John, in "Legion" by Jason Devlin
** God, in "The Bible Retold" by Justin Morgan and "Celestianpower"
** The gargoyle, in "The Baron" by Victor Gijsbers
* 2007: The gnome, in "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** Zoe, in "Child's Play" by Stephen Granade
** Gunwar, in "Treasures of a Slaver's Kingdom" by S. John Ross

Best individual PC

This award has been given since 1997. The award for Best Individual PC recognizes a particularly well-defined and well-written player character.

The very existence of this award violates the principle of AFGNCAAP, which stresses the importance of leaving certain characteristics of the protagonist intentionally vague to allow the player to more easily envision themselves as the central character. However, many games, such as those listed here, have demonstrated that successful interactive fiction stories can also be told with a more well-defined player character.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1997: Tracy Valencia, in "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** David, in "Babel" by Ian Finley
** The bear, in "A Bear's Night Out" by David Dyte
** Improv, in "The Frenetic Five vs. Sturm und Drang" by Neil deMause
** Mattie, in "The Lost Spellmaker" by Neil Brown
* 1998: The employee, in "Little Blue Men" by Michael Gentry
** Mover #005, in "Bad Machine" by Dan Shiovitz
** Rev. Stephen Dawson, in "Muse" by Chris Huang
** The agent, in "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
** The troll, in "Zork: A Troll's Eye View" by Dylan O'Donnell
* 1999: Primo Varicella, in "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** The player character in "Aisle" by Sam Barlow
** The cat, in "A Day for Soft Food" by Tod Levi
** The wife, in "Exhibition" by Ian Finley
** Sarah, in "Winchester's Nightmare" by Nick Montfort
* 2000: Rameses Alexander Moran, in "Rameses" by Stephen Bond
** [unspecified] , in "Being Andrew Plotkin" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** The MULE, in "LASH" by Paul O'Brian
** The alchemist, in "Nevermore" by Nate Cull
** The player character in "Shade" by Andrew Plotkin
* 2001: The Kissing Bandit, in "The Tale of the Kissing Bandit" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** Aubrey Foil, in "The Beetmonger's Journal" by Scott Starkey
** Helen Tsakis, in "Best of Three" by Emily Short
** Delarion Yar, in "Fallacy of Dawn" by Robb Sherwin
** Troy Sterling, in "Fine Tuned" by Dennis Jerz
* 2002: Pierre, in "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** Dutch Dapper, in "Dutch Dapper IV: The Final Voyage" by Harry Hol
** Goldilocks, in "Goldilocks is a FOX!" by J. J. Guest
** The janitor, in "Janitor" by Peter Seebach and Kevin Lynn
** Jack Downer, in "Photograph" by Steve Evans
* 2003: The player character in Episode in the Life of an Artist by Peter Eastman
** The chef, in "Gourmet" by Aaron Reed
** Eugene Oregon, in "Narcolepsy" by Adam Cadre
** Enra, in "Shadows on the Mirror" by Chrysoula Tzavelas
** Triage, in "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
* 2004: Julia, in "Sting of the Wasp" by Jason Devlin
** Dante, in "Blue Chairs" by Chris Klimas
** Tomasz Pudlo, in "Gamlet" by Tomasz Pudlo
** Austin, in "Luminous Horizon" by Paul O'Brian
** Jarrett Duffy, in "Necrotic Drift" by Robb Sherwin
* 2005: Wendy Little, in "Tough Beans" by Sara Dee
** Inspector Maltelli, in "Beyond" by Mondi Confinanti (Roberto Grassi, Paolo Lucchesi, and Alessandro Peretti)
** Conan, in "Conan Kill Everything" by Ian Haberkorn
** Jacques, in "Flat Feet" by Joel Ray Holveck
** The abbot in " Vespers" by Jason Devlin
* 2006: The player character in "Delightful Wallpaper" by Andrew Plotkin
** Legion, in "Legion" by Jason Devlin
** The player character in "The Baron" by Victor Gijsbers
** The player character in "The Primrose Path" by Nolan Bonvouloir
** The player character in "The Traveling Swordsman" by Mike Snyder
* 2007: Grunk, in "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** Erskine Ring, in "Ferrous Ring" by Carma Ferris
** Death, in "A Fine Day for Reaping" by James Webb
** The King, in "The Reluctant Resurrectee" by David Whyld
** Farahnaaz, in "Varkana" by Maryam Gousheh-Forgeot

Best use of medium

This award has been given since 1997. No specific criteria are given to voters, and the interpretation of what particular quality this award recognizes remains open; many voters choose to interpret this award as a recognition of particularly daring interpretations of the limits and abilities of interactive fiction, especially as regards the relationship between the player, narrator, and player character.

Below, the winners of the award for each year are listed, followed by the other finalists for that year.

* 1997: "The Tempest" by Graham Nelson
** "I-0" by Adam Cadre
** "A New Day" by Jonathan Fry
** "The Space Under the Window" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Sunset Over Savannah" by Ivan Cockrum
* 1998: "Spider and Web" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Arrival, or Attack of the B-Movie Clichés" by Stephen Granade
** "Bad Machine" by Dan Shiovitz
** "Once and Future" by G. Kevin Wilson
** "Photopia" by Adam Cadre
* 1999: "Aisle" by Sam Barlow
** "Hunter, in Darkness" by Andrew Plotkin
** "Six Stories" by Neil K. Guy
** "Varicella" by Adam Cadre
** "Worlds Apart" by Suzanne Britton
* 2000: "shrapnel" by Adam Cadre
** "Ad Verbum" by Nick Montfort
** "Metamorphoses" by Emily Short
** "Rameses" by Stephen Bond
** " Shade" by Andrew Plotkin
* 2001: "The Gostak" by Carl Muckenhoupt
** "Best of Three" by Emily Short
** "Heroes" by Sean Barrett
** "Pick Up the Phone Booth and Aisle"
** "Textfire Golf" by Adam Cadre
* 2002: "" by Paul O'Brian
** "Lock & Key" by Adam Cadre
** "Photograph" by Steve Evans (interactive fiction)|Steve Evans
** "Savoir Faire" by Emily Short
** "When Help Collides" by J. D. Berry
* 2003: "ASCII and the Argonauts" by J. Robinson Wheeler
** "City of Secrets" by Emily Short
** "Max Blaster and Doris de Lightning Against the Parrot Creatures of Venus" by Dan Shiovitz and Emily Short
** "Slouching Towards Bedlam" by Daniel Ravipinto and Star Foster
** "To Hell in a Hamper" by J. J. Guest
* 2004: "The Dreamhold" by Andrew Plotkin
** "All Things Devours" by "half sick of shadows"
** "Bellclap" by Tommy Herbert
** "Future Boy!" by Kent Tessman
** "Return to Ditch Day" by Michael J. Roberts
* 2005: "Mystery House Possessed" by Emily Short
** "A New Life" by Alexendre Owen Muñiz
** "Book and Volume" by Nick Montfort
** "Distress" by Mike Snyder
** "Whom the Telling Changed" by Aaron A. Reed
* 2006: "The Baron" by Victor Gijsbers
** "Another Goddamn Escape the Locked Room Game" by Riff Conner
** "Attack of the Yeti Robot Zombies" by Øyvind Thorsby
** "Bronze" by Emily Short
** "Legion" by Jason Devlin
* 2007: "Deadline Enchanter" by Alan DeNiro
** "An Act of Murder" by Christopher Huang
** "Fate" by Victor Gijsbers
** "Lost Pig" by Admiral Jota
** "Slap That Fish" by Peter Nepstad

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