Not going to bury the lede like a badger might: Shimmer has been nominated for a Hugo Award, in the Best Semiprozine category.

Y’all—what the actual hell!

We got word two weeks ago, and sitting on this news has been one of the hardest things we’ve had to do. Badgers like to talk, badgers like to share extraordinary things, and here we had one of the most extraordinary things of all—and couldn’t say boo. Fortunately, Mary Robinette Kowal subtweeted the world, and we took heed of her smart words. We wrote this here announcement, and plugged it into the Shimmer blog so we’d be ready on April 2.

No joke! April Fools is over! Shimmer has been nominated for a Hugo Award! The full list of Hugo nominees can be found over at Tor.

The semiprozine category is STRONG. Congrats to our fellow nominees: Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Fiyah, Fireside, Strange Horizons, and Uncanny!

This would not have been possible without you—everyone who read Shimmer, everyone who ever staffed for Shimmer, everyone who submitted to Shimmer, everyone who trusted us with your words and worlds.

Thank you especially to Matt Dovey, Wren Wallis, Maria Haskins, Alex Acks, Suzan Palumbo, Lindsay Thomas, and Alexis A. Hunter who instigated the #AHugoForElise hashtag and got the word out about how 2018 was Shimmer‘s last year, and that this nomination period was Shimmer‘s last chance ever.

Y’all did right by Shimmer. And our own Elise (E. Catherine Tobler), who is up for Best Editor (Short Form).

Badgers are a protected species in Ireland—and we hope you’ll see some badgers wandering around An Irish Worldcon in August!