The Locus Awards

https://www.goodreads.com/award/show/46-locus-award
“Popular Award voted on by readers of the leading sf news magazine (or Newszine) Locus and presented annually since 1971. Each year's Locus awards normally honour work first published in the previous year. Thanks to their exceptionally wide reader base, these sf awards have come to share the stature of the Hugos (which reflect the preferences of fans and professionals who attend the annual Worldcon) and the Nebulas (which reflect the professional judgment but also sometimes the internal politics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America). Where the Hugo and Locus awards differ, it is often thought that the Locus assessment is the more accurate reflection of general reading tastes. The Locus Award is not only good for vanity and sales: it has taken a very attractive form in perspex and metal.”
Here the editors provide their choice of Locus readers' choice for “best of” for 33 years between 1971 and 2003. Possibly the major years when I read mountains of SF and Fantasy, and certainly geek enough to read Locus regularly. I didn't read “The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction” where many of these stories first appeared. So whilst I read them first here their authors are well known to me, any one is well worth the cost of admission. Short Story, novella, novelette; slight balance in favour of the short story for obvious reasons, 18 in total out of 92. Plenty of room for a volume 2.
I wouldn't have opened with Gene Wolfe, excellent writer that he is, he can be more of an acquired taste, and this piece I found difficult. But can't complain when it's then straight into Le Guin, Ellison, Varley and then Martin. For a survey of the era and its writers, this is a worthwhile anthology particularly if the reader didn't live through it.
Enjoyed it so much may put an in-depth review on my review blog.