Nominations are open for the 2011 Ursa Major Awards, intended to recognize the best works published in the field of anthropomorphics last year. Nominations close on February 29; voting starts March 15 and closes May 4 (to allow last-minute voting from Morphicon).

Furry fans may nominate up to five works in each category. The 2011 Awards will be announced and presented in a ceremony at CaliFur VIII in Irvine, CA, June 1–3, 2012.

Available awards include Best Motion Picture, Dramatic Short Work or Series, Novel, Short Fiction, Other Literary Work, Graphic Story, Comic Strip, Magazine, Website, Published Illustration, and Game.

If you cannot think of five worthwhile nominees in each category, see the 2011 Recommended Anthropomorphics List on the Ursa Major Awards website for suggestions.

The 2012 Ursa Major Awards, for the best in anthropomorphic literature and art of 2011, will be presented in a ceremony at Califur 8, at the Irvine Marriott Hotel in Irvine, California on 1–3 June 2012.

The 2011 Awards were presented at Morphicon 2011 in Columbus, Ohio on 13 May 2011. The Awards have been presented at Califur once before, in 2007.

Bucktown Tiger's fans, who go by the name of Shopwreckers, have reason to celebrate. The piano-playing fursuiter has become the first feline to win the Fandom's Favorite Fursuit Fracas, vanquishing opponent Twitch Da Woof in one of the most highly contested finals the competition has witnessed. Both furry musicians were underdogs in their own right, and neither were expected to make it as far as they did.

The winners of the tenth annual Ursa Major Awards for the best anthropomorphic/"funny animal" literature and art first published during 2010 have been announced at a presentation ceremony tonight at Morphicon in Columbus, Ohio.

See also: Last year's winners, the 2010 nominees and other UMA coverage.

Fursuit owners have less than a fortnight to get their nominations in for this year's edition of the Fandom's Favorite Fursuit Fracas.

This year, only owners may nominate fursuits – up to four per person. Future events may occur on a biannual schedule.

40 suits had been nominated as of March 28. Last year's competition attracted 384 entries.

Voting for the Ursa Major Awards for the Best Anthropomorphic Literature and Art of 2010 is now open, and takes place until April 17. Anyone may vote, and you are encouraged to ask your friends to vote also — please help spread the word!

There are five nominees in each of ten categories, except where there was a tie for fifth place.

To be eligible, a work must have been released during the calendar year 2010; must include a non-human being given human attributes (anthropomorphic), which can be mental and/or physical; and must receive more than one nomination.

Heidi the cross-eyed Virginia Opossum, resident of Leipzig Zoo in Germany, is to predict the winners of the 83rd Academy Awards.

After being found as an orphan, Heidi was raised in a North Carolina wildlife sanctuary, before being rehomed at Denmark's Odense Zoo and, later, Leipzig Zoo. She became an international sensation last December, after photographs of her cock-eyed visage were published in the German newspaper Bild. The images went viral, and led to a hit song ("Opossum Heidi Schielt" or "Opossum Heidi Peers"), Heidi's own Facebook account, and an upcoming line of plush toys.

Nominations are open for the 2010 Ursa Major Awards, intended to recognize the best works published in the field of anthropomorphics.

Nominations close on February 28; voting starts March 13 and closes April 17. Furry fans may nominate up to five works in each category.

Available awards include Best Motion Picture, Dramatic Short Work or Series, Novel, Short Fiction, Other Literary Work, Graphic Story, Comic Strip, Magazine, Published Illustration, and Game.

Read more: Coverage of last year's rule changes and award winners. Consider Flayrah's 2010 articles for Other Literary Work!

Last month, Project Aurora: Moonrise (review - video preview) – a 3D action/adventure game featuring a sword-swinging fox, Shade – took first place in the BRSD 2 competition, winning Latvian indie developer EanFox/Nauris Abolins 100 lati (~US$185). [tip: ostin/furryne.ws]

EanFox, 17, who started the game two years ago, plans a patch to fix bugs and improve the game's ending (which was rushed for the contest) and is considering a sequel.

BBC Three puppet-based animal sitcom Mongrels has won the Royal Television Society (RTS) Craft and Design Award for "Production Design – Entertainment and Non-Drama".

Production designer Simon Rogers and his team took the award, defeating popular Channel 4 sitcom The IT Crowd and BBC children's comedy series Hounded.

However, Mongrels lost the award for "Tape and Film Editing – Entertainment and Situation Comedy" to Channel 4 sitcom Pete Versus Life.

A pair of fursuiters invaded the Engadget Halloween costume competition earlier today; one even made it to the final five. [SlyCat/furrymedia]

Guinness World Records has named a new record holder for longest cat in the world.

Although Stewie was unable to claim the title in 2008, he now measures 123.5 cm (48.5 in). The previous record holder, also a Maine Coon, was 121.92 cm (48 in).

Voting for the 2010 Fandom's Favorite Fursuit Fracas has concluded with a clear winner: Flux.

The self-made blue kangaroo spared no expense in promotion, going so far as to hand out personalized energy drinks at Anthrocon 2010. He won with 350 votes to Frisbee's 281.

This year's competition attracted 384 entrants. Voting was open to all LiveJournal users. Both finalists had a single nomination, and received a bye for one single-elimination stage.

The battle for third place was closer, ending 309 to 296. Per prior arrangement, Clementine may now pie Greifer at next year's Doo Dah Parade.

The winners of the 2009 Ursa Major Awards, announced this weekend at FA: United 2010:

• Best Comic Strip: Housepets!, by Rick Griffin
• Best Game: Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, developed by Insomniac Games, published by Sony Computer Entertainment
• Best Graphic Story: Concession, by Immelmann
• Best Magazine: Heat #6, published by Sofawolf Press
• Best Motion Picture: Avatar, from 20th Century Fox, directed by James Cameron
• Best Novel: Out of Position, by Kyell Gold, published by Sofawolf Press
• Best Other Literary Work: Draw Furries: How to Create Anthropomorphic and Fantasy Animals, by Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges, published by Impact
• Best Published Illustration: Blotch's cover for Kyell Gold's Out of Position
• Best Short Fiction: "Drifting", by Kyell Gold
• Best Short Subject or Series: The Penguins of Madagascar, produced by DreamWorks Animation for Nickelodeon

Read on for the full list of nominees . . .

Furry bondage artist BondoFox has been voted the Bronze winner in the 2010 Bondage Awards for "Best Writer".

BondoFox, who runs the website BondoFox Advanced, was given the prize following both a public vote and from voting by selected judges.