Community Urged to Back Goonhammer’s Inaugural 2025 Book Awards Before Extended Deadline

Goonhammer has pushed a short extension to voting for its inaugural 2025 Book Awards, and community members are mobilizing to make a final push before polls close. The awards cover categories ranging from Best 40k/30k Book and Best Non-GW Fiction to Best Debut and Lifetime Achievement, giving readers and writers a new way to surface favorite fiction and hobby writing across the scene.

Voting opened during the week of January 17-24, 2026, and activity on Reddit between January 24 and 26 highlighted steady community engagement alongside reports of minor technical issues. A sample Reddit post dated January 26 encouraged readers to visit the Goonhammer voting page, noting a brief extension and asking people to “give a few clicks” to complete their ballots. The extension is intended to ensure everyone who wants to participate has a chance despite the earlier interruptions.

This matters for readers because the awards create real visibility for authors, small presses, and independent voices alongside established releases. Categories like Best Debut and Best Non-GW Fiction are specifically designed to elevate newcomers and outlets outside the Games Workshop orbit, while Best 40k/30k Book and Lifetime Achievement recognize longstanding contributions that shape hobby lore and narrative development. Voting is a direct way for hobby participants to steer attention and influence what gets recommended at club nights, podcast lists, and store shelves.

Practical steps are straightforward: visit the Goonhammer voting page, review the categories, and cast votes in the entries you support. Community posts emphasize that the process is quick and meant to be inclusive; that appeal for a small time investment was captured in the “give a few clicks” prompt shared across threads. For readers who follow fiction releases, hobby press essays, and author debuts, this vote is a low-effort, high-impact way to back favorites and help shape recommendations for the year ahead.

The awards are a hobby-press initiative rather than a Games Workshop announcement, so outcomes will reflect the community and independent press communities as much as mainstream franchise releases. Expect the winners to surface in hobby conversations, reading lists, and buying decisions after voting ends. If you have a favorite author, novella, or breakout title from 2025, act now and add your voice before the extended window closes.