Over the course of 2010 we’ve seen everything from self-styled criminals taking on evil masterminds to mind-bending ventures into dream worlds. We’ve seen vampires and zombies, we’ve seen magic and monsters, we’ve seen more horror remakes than we can count (though it has to be said, counting isn’t our strong point), and we’ve seen a glut of variable new genre shows.

Now, as 2010 enters its final weeks, we reveal some of our favourites and ask you to vote for yours. Voting for all awards closes on 6 January 2011 and results will be announced on 7 January 2011!

BEST SCI-FI FILM

To be honest, we didn’t think Christopher Nolan could top (or even equal) the stunning The Dark Knight. Yet Inception was an astonishing film; a complex yet strangely accessible SF-thriller that mixed wonderful effects, a smart script and brain-melting concepts.

On a smaller scale, Gareth Edwards’ smart, stylish Monsters was the intoxicating story of a journalist and tourist travelling across a creature-filled Central America. There were plenty of other intriguing and original little movies too, including Vincenzo Natali’s Splice and the ingenious, low-budget ‘80s throwback Hunter Prey.

A late strong contender comes in the form of Disney’s visually stunning sequel, TRON Legacy, which is released on 17 December. And if you prefer less serious fare, there’s always Hot Tub Time Machine…

What’s your favourite sci-fi film of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST SF FILM in the subject line.

BEST FANTASY FILM

The franchise favourites continued in 2010, with new instalments in the Harry Potter saga (The Deathly Hallows Part 1), the Twilight saga (Eclipse) and the Narnia saga (Voyage of the Dawn Treader).

There was crazier fare in the oddball festive Finnish fantasy Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, while Edgar Wright delivered a love-letter to comics and videogames with his version of Scott Pilgrim Vs the World.

In the big-budget fantasy stakes there was Iron Man 2, Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, while the quirkier Kick-Ass told the story of a superhero without superpowers. The question is, will anyone vote for The Last Airbender as their favourite fantasy flick of 2010?

What’s your favourite fantasy film of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST FANTASY FILM in the subject line.


BEST HORROR FILM

Once again, this year saw plenty of Hollywood horror remakes of varying quality, including Let Me In, A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Crazies.

Elsewhere, horror films continued to play on ideas of documentary realism, with fun frightfests including The Last Exorcism, [REC] 2 and Paranormal Activity 2. Or for more screwed up thrills, how about the deliriously entertaining The Human Centipede?

What’s your favourite horror film of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST HORROR FILM in the subject line.

BEST ANIMATED FILM

A new Pixar movie is always cause for celebration, and Toy Story 3 could be their best effort to date (though we say that after watching every Pixar movie). Funny, cleverly plotted and with more character depth than most adult movies, it was a delight from start to finish.

There are other worthy contenders for Best Animation, though. A Town Called Panic saw plastic toys set out on an incredible stop-motion journey, while The Secret of Kells was a charming, beautiful-looking family fantasy. And Disney delivered a winning slice of traditional animation with The Princess and the Frog.

What’s your favourite animated film of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST ANIMATED FILM in the subject line.


BEST NOVEL

One of the biggest genre novels of the year – in terms of sales and page-count – was Justin Cronin’s vampire epic, The Passage. The hype is justified – this is a gripping spin on an old story.

Other books we rated included China Mielville’s Kraken, which begins like a weird spin on One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing and ventures into even odder places. Brent Weeks’ slice of sword & sorcery The Black Prism earned itself a rare 10/10, while The Technician was another winner from Neal Asher. And there were plenty of other great reads, from Ian McDonald’s The Dervish House to Hannu Rajaniemi’s The Quantum Thief.

What’s your favourite novel of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST NOVEL in the subject line.

BEST TV SHOW

There was a glut of new genre TV shows in 2010 – but many underperformed. No Ordinary Family, Persons Unknown, The Event and The Gates all disappointed, though Haven (based on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid) showed some promise.

There was one new show that really didn’t disappoint, however – the gory, six-episode zombie saga The Walking Dead, based on Robert Kirkman’s popular comic, brought to the screen by The Shawshank Redemption’s Frank Darabont.

The returning shows offered up new twists to old formulas. Eureka had a game-changing new series, Sam lost his soul in Supernatural, True Blood had blood by the bucketload, and Warehouse 13 just got better and better. In the UK, we saw strong seasons of Merlin and The Sarah Jane Adventures. And, though the ratings have been disappointing, we still love Caprica and the divisive Stargate Universe…

What’s your favourite TV show of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST TV SHOW in the subject line.


BEST COMIC

2010 saw hundreds of great new comics, from superhero shenanigans such as Marvel’s Doomwar and DC’s First Wave, to original indie works like Frenemy of the State and The Killer: Modus Vivendi.

Nemesis, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, has been one of the most-hyped comics of the year, while Jonathan Ross’s vampires-and-gangsters tale Turf has also attracted a lot of attention. Elsewhere, there was Green Hornet from Dynamite, adapted from Kevin Smith’s unused screenplay, and, well, too many other gems to list here…

What’s your favourite comic of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST COMIC in the subject line.

BEST ACTOR

Leonardo DiCaprio – an actor whose baby-faced features have taken on a haunted quality over the last few years – gave two excellent, intense performances this year in Shutter Island and Inception. Meanwhile, Patrick Fabian turned on the charm as preacher/charlatan Cotton Marcus in The Last Exorcism.

Kick-Ass provided great roles for Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Chris Mintz-Plasse, while in the smaller film stakes, David Schofield was terrific as the teacher on a verge of a nervous breakdown in British hoodie horror F.

Who is your favourite actor of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST ACTOR in the subject line.


BEST ACTRESS

She may be young, but Chloe Moretz has already marked herself out as an actress to watch. Not only did she attract acclaim in Matt Reeves’ horror remake Let Me In, but she brought to life the unforgettable, appealing action icon Hit Girl in Kick-Ass.

Elsewhere Scarlett Johansson slipped on the leather catsuit to play Black Widow in Iron Man 2, Ellen Paige impressed in Inception and, in the indie stakes, Kate Dickie gave a powerful performance as a magical mother in social-realist horror Outcast.

Who is your favourite actress of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST ACTRESS in the subject line.

BEST DIRECTOR

Christopher Nolan is a strong contender for this award (again), after the superb Inception. But other worthy names for your consideration include Gareth Edwards for Monsters, Matthew Vaughn for Kick-Ass, Edgar Wright for Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and Jalmari Helander for Rare Exports…

Who is your favourite director of 2010? Email your vote to totalscifionline@titanemail.com with BEST DIRECTOR in the subject line.


Please note that voting for all awards closes on 6 January, 2011. Results will be announced on 7 January, 2011.