The UV-bright Quasar Survey (UVQS): DR1

We present the first data release (DR1) from our UV-bright Quasar Survey (UVQS) for new $z \sim 1$ active galactic nuclei (AGN) across the sky. Using simple GALEX UV and WISE near-IR color selection criteria, we generated a list of 1450 primary candidates with $FUV < 18.5$ mag. We obtained discovery spectra, primarily on 3m-class telescopes, for 1040 of these candidates and confirmed 86% as AGN with redshifts generally at $z>0.5$. Including a small set of observed secondary candidates, we report the discovery of 217 AGN with $FUV < 18$ mag that had no previously reported spectroscopic redshift. These are excellent potential targets for UV spectroscopy before the end of the {\it Hubble Space Telescope} mission. The main data products are publicly released through the Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes.