The Aelita Award is an award for science fiction writers founded by the (formerly the Soviet Writers Union) and "Uralsky Sledopyt Magazine" in 1981. It was named after the classic Russian science fiction novel Aelita. The prize is awarded during the , a Soviet/Russian science fiction fandom convention. In 1989, the Start Award was created as a runner-up award to the Aelita. A number of other awards are or have been given in conjunction with the Aëlita ceremony. These include: The Order of the Knights of Science Fiction & Fantasy is given for great contributions to Russian fandom.