1988 Nebula Awards®
Presented at Penta Hotel, New York, New York on April 22, 1989
Greg Bear kept winners secret and treated all nominees equally, as opposed to previous years which either officially or unofficially leaked the winners. In addition, all nominees received certificates for the first time. Tor Books sponsored a Thursday night party and Bantam Books sponsored a Friday afternoon reception. The Official Opening took place on Friday evening and Saturday morning was the Business Meeting. In the afternoon, there were panels on agents and shared-world contracts, but they were poorly attended. There were two cocktail parties before the banquet, the traditional one and a Pesadic one hosted by Julius Schwartz. Ian Ballantine gave the keynote speech.
Best Novel
- Great Sky River by Gregory Benford, published by Bantam Spectra
- Winner: Falling Free by Lois McMaster Bujold, published by Analog and Baen
- Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card, published by Tor
- Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson, published by Bantam Spectra
- Deserted Cities of the Heart by Lewis Shiner, published by Doubleday
- Drowning Towers by George Turner, published by Morrow
- The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, published by Tor
Best Novella
- “The Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians” by Bradley Denton, published by The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- “The Scalehunter’s Beautiful Daughter” by Lucius Shepard, published by Asimov’s Magazine
- “Journals of the Plague Years” by Norman Spinrad
- “Surfacing” by Walter Jon Williams, published by Asimov’s Magazine
- Winner: “The Last of the Winnebagos” by Connie Willis, published by Asimov’s Magazine
- “The Devil’s Arithmetic” by Jane Yolen, published by Viking Kestrel
Best Novelette
- “Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus” by Neal Barrett, Jr., published by Asimov’s Magazine
- Winner: “Schrodinger’s Kitten” by George Alec Effinger, published by Omni
- “Peaches for Mad Molly” by Steven Gould, published by Analog
- “Unfinished Portrait of the King of Pain by Van Gogh” by Ian McDonald
- “The Hob” by Judith Moffett, published by Asimov’s Magazine
- “Kirinyaga” by Mike Resnick, published by The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
- “Do Ya, Do Ya, Wanna Dance” by Howard Waldrop, published by Asimov’s Magazine
Best Short Story
- “Voices of the Kill” by Thomas M. Disch
- Winner: “Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge” by James Morrow
- “Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner” by John Kessel, published by Asimov’s Magazine
- “The Fort Moxie Branch” by Jack McDevitt
- “Dead Men on TV” by Pat Murphy
- “The Color Winter” by Steven Popkes, published by Asimov’s Magazine