The grand masters of SF are a breed apart, it feels, and – inevitably – a dying one at that. The youngest writer to have been named Grand Master is Connie Willis, who was 66 when she became one in 2011. The oldest people to receive the honour were all 84 at the time – AE van Vogt in 1996, James Gunn in 2007 and Harry Harrison in 2009.
The average age upon receipt of the award is 74. This is perhaps unsurprising – the Grand Master is essentially a "lifetime achievement award", and as such goes to a writer who has made a huge impression on the science fiction and fantasy world. Of the 29 people awarded the honour, there are nine surviving – Brian W Aldiss, Ursula K Le Guin, Robert Silverberg, Harlan Ellison, James Gunn, Michael Moorcock, Joe Haldeman, Connie Willis, and the latest incumbent, Gene Wolfe. In the last couple of years we've lost Frederik Pohl, Ray Bradbury, Jack Vance, Harry Harrison and Anne McCaffrey. It feels like we hear about SF's Grand Masters a lot recently, because sadly many of the recipients are now dying off. The award – renamed in 2002 in honour of the SFWA's founder – has been presented 29 times in the 38 years since 1975. Sometime over the next few weeks, the recipient of the 2013 award will be announced – if there is one.
The honour is actually presented with the Nebula Awards in May, voting for which has just opened, though it is not strictly a Nebula category in itself.
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