Utopiales is an annual international science fiction festival held in Nantes, France, probably the largest European event for the field. It covers science fiction and fantasy literature, film, fine arts, comics, role-playing games, and animation, from a distinctly European point of view. Founded by Bruno della Chiesa, and run by science fiction museum director Patrick Gyger from 2001 to 2005, it is put on by the "Association du Festival International de Science-Fiction de Nantes".
The festival, run by professional staff, is funded in part by the City of Nantes[1] and has extensive corporate sponsorship,[2] unlike conventions put on by traditional science fiction fandom. One feature of Utopiales is the "Prix Utopia" Grandmaster award, given for overall contribution to science fiction literature. Past winners have included Robert Silverberg, Jack Vance, Brian W. Aldiss, Frederik Pohl, Christopher Priest, and Michael Moorcock.
Editions
| Year | Subject | Illustrator of the edition | President | Artistic chief | Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Enki Bilal | Mireille Rivalland | Bruno della Chiesa | ||
| 2001 | End of the Odyssee ? | Patrick Woodroffe | Pierre Bordage | Patrick Gyger | 20 000 |
| 2002 | Jean-Claude Mézières | 28 000 | |||
| 2003 | The new extraordinary landscapes | Deak Ferrand | 30 000 | ||
| 2004 | The utopia | Stephan Martinière | 37 000 | ||
| 2005 | Jules Verne | Jean Giraud | 37 000 | ||
| 2006 | The invasion comes from Marx ! | Richard Raaphorst | Anaîs Emery | 38 000 | |
| 2007 | Climates | Luc Schuiten | Association of the Event | 40 000 | |
| 2008 | Networks | Fred Blanchard & Yoann | 40 000 | ||
| 2009 | Better Worlds | James Gurney | 40 000 | ||
| 2010 | Frontiers | Philippe Druillet | 42 000 | ||
| 2011 | Story(ies) | Greg Broadmore | 46 000 | ||
| 2012 | Origins | Nicolas Fructus | Roland Lehoucq | Ugo Bellagamba | 50 000 |
| 2013 | Other World(s) | Vincent Callebau | 60 000 | ||
| 2014 | Intelligence(s) | Chris Foss | 60 000 | ||
| 2015 | Reality(ies) | Manchu | 65 000 | ||
| 2016 | Machine(s) | Denis Bajram | Jeanne A-Debats | 82 000 | |
| 2017 | Time | Laurent Durieux | 90 000 | ||
| 2018 | Body(ies) | Beb-Deum | 90 000+ | ||
| 2019 | Encode / Decode | Mathieu Bablet | 100 000 | ||
| 2020 | Traces | Alex Alice | canceled | ||
| 2021 | Transformations | Alex Alice | 75 000 | ||
| 2022 | Limite(s) | Marc-Antoine Mathieu | 108.000 |