The Gandalf Awards, honoring achievement in fantasy literature, were conferred by the World Science Fiction Society annually from 1974 to 1981. They were named after Gandalf the wizard, from the Middle-earth stories by J. R. R. Tolkien. The award was created and sponsored by Lin Carter[1] and the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA), an association of fantasy writers.[2] Recipients were selected by vote of participants in the World Science Fiction Conventions according to procedures of the Hugo Awards.[2][3]
The award was given for life achievement,[2][4] and corresponds roughly to the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, which was started the year after the Gandalf. In 1978 and 1979, an award was also given for a novel published during the preceding year.