The Norma K. Hemming Award marks excellence in the exploration of themes of race, gender, sexuality, class and disability:

• in the form of science fiction and fantasy or related artwork or media.
• produced either in Australia or by Australian citizens.
• first published, released or presented in the calendar year preceding the year in which the award is given.

The change:

Eligible works are restricted to:
– a single longer work of 17,500 words or more, or
– a collection of shorter works by the one author in a single book.
The work may be a story, a graphic novel, a play or a screenplay.

This does mean that short stories are no longer eligible. However, collections such as those in the Twelve Planets remain eligible.