The awarding of the Balrog stopped in 1985 after running for 6 years, what exactly was it?
The award was voted for by fantasy fans and was unfortunately never held in very high esteem.
Some notable winners during the Balrog award’s time were:
1981 — The Wounded Land by Stephen Donaldson
1983 — The One Tree by Stephen Donaldson
1984 — The Armageddon Rag by George RR Martin