Archive for the ‘Nebula Awards’ Category

Celebrating Roger Zelazny, SFWA’s Newest Infinity Award Recipient

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Celebrating Roger Zelazny, SFWA’s Infinity Award Recipient for the 61st Annual Nebula Awards

San Francisco, CA – April 15, 2026

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce that the SFWA Infinity Award will be presented this year to Roger Zelazny at the 61st Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® ceremony on June 6, 2026.

The SFWA Infinity Award was created to highlight the life and work of creators who achieved a distinct and tremendous legacy in science fiction and fantasy. Although they are no longer with us to celebrate this honor, these writers helped to lay the foundation for today’s science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. Their memory abides not only in the works they published, but also in the worlds they inspired fellow and future writers to dream up in their wake.

SFWA President Kate Ristau reflects fondly on the power of Zelazny’s worlds:

“One of my first deep dives into science fiction was The Chronicles of Amber. Zelazny drew me right into the story with his world-building and world-breaking. Characters could manipulate their reality, walking between worlds, and they didn’t always make the decisions you wanted. There were heartbreaking moments and series-wide challenges that were epic and unforgettable; they lingered with you. Zelazny’s impact lingers on with us, shaping how we think about multiverses and how we create characters that are complicated, nuanced, and sometimes deeply flawed. I am honored to present him with this year’s Infinity Award.”

Challenges of the Multiverse

Roger Zelazny entered our genre’s publishing record in 1962, the same year as Samuel R. Delany and Ursula K. Le Guin, and the era of his ascension as a writer was marked by heated debates about the nature of science fiction and fantasy. Some called the work that he and his peers published “New Wave”, a term bound up in contemporaneous social criticism about the uptick in experimental and more “worldly” art, film, literature, and music.

This catch-all term was used in a positive light by some, to suggest a transformation in the genre: a coming-of-age for SFF as a thoroughly “literary” form, featuring more comfortable and slipstream uses of science-fictional and fantastical tropes to tell more nuanced human stories. It was also used in a negative light by some critics, to cast aspersions on SFF writers who played too poetically with language, “wrote back” against ancient myths and story structures, and wrestled with recent insights from psychology and sociology in their prose.

As for the writers themselves, including Zelazny?

Most were less interested in the labels used by critics to describe their work, and more in how to keep growing their craft – often in publishing contexts we can also learn a great deal from today.

Zelazny developed as a writer in an era when magazines were common incubators for novel-length masters of the craft. Widely read by paying customers, the major magazines of Zelazny’s day had different opportunities to curate budding and distinct voices like his.

After winning Nebula Awards for both novelette and novella (published in Amazing and F&SF) at the very first Nebulas for 1965, Zelazny w0n a Hugo for Best Novel with what was first a serial production, delighting readers over two issues of F&SF in 1965. Zelazny’s This Immortal (first printed as “…And Call Me Conrad”) would tie for that Hugo with another patchwork publication by another SFWA Infinity Award recipient: Frank Herbert’s famed fix-up novel, Dune, which received the Nebula for that year.).

Zelazny’s Lord of Light (1967), nominated for a 1968 Nebula and winning the Hugo, would then entrench his distinct voice and approach to mythic world-building as a key component of mid-century SFF canon. That year, he would also support SFWA’s internal curation of canon, by editing our third-ever Nebula Award Stories anthology and providing thoughtful remarks on each tale.

 

Nebula Awards Finalists Announced

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Introducing the Nebula Award Finalists for SFWA’s 61st Annual Awards

San Francisco, CA – March 15, 2026

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is proud to announce its latest Nebula Award Finalists for works published in 2025, to be celebrated this year in Chicago at the organization’s 61st Annual Nebula Awards Conference.

Since 1965, SFWA has advocated for writers of science fiction, fantasy, and related genres. From that very first year, the Nebula Awards has been one of SFWA’s foundational pathways to improving the literary community and industry for SFF writers.

This year, SFWA celebrates two inaugural awards: one for Best Poem, and one for Best Comic. Like the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation and Game Writing Award, these new awards celebrate the writers at the heart of productions that also involve editors, artists, publishers, producers, and a wealth of other team members who make the magic happen.

Voting on the Final Nebula Ballot begins at 7pm PDT on March 15, 2026, and runs until 11:59pm PDT on April 15, 2026. SFWA looks forward to celebrating this year’s Nebula Finalists this June, where winners of the final ballot will be announced on Saturday, June 6.

Thank you to everyone who votes, writes, reads, and otherwise contributes to the betterment of this genre in all its brilliant forms.

The Nebula Award for Best Novel

When We Were Real, by Daryl Gregory (Saga)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, by Stephen Graham Jones (Saga; Titan UK)
Katabasis, by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager US; Harper Voyager UK)
Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow; Gollancz)
The Incandescent, by Emily Tesh (Tor; Orbit UK)
Sour Cherry, by Natalia Theodoridou (Tin House; Wildfire)
Wearing the Lion, by John Wiswell (DAW; Arcadia)

The Nebula Award for Best Novella

Disgraced Return of the Kap’s Needle, by Renan Bernardo (Dark Matter INK)
The River Has Roots, by Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia)
The Death of Mountains, by Jordan Kurella (Lethe)
Automatic Noodle, by Annalee Newitz (Tordotcom)
But Not Too Bold, by Hache Pueyo (Tordotcom)
“Descent”, by Wole Talabi (Clarkesworld 5/25)

The Nebula Award for Best Novelette

“Our Echoes Drifting Through the Marsh”, by Marie Croke (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 1/9/25)
“Uncertain Sons”, by Thomas Ha (Uncertain Sons)
“We Begin Where Infinity Ends”, by Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld 2/25)
The Name Ziya, by Wen-Yi Lee (Reactor)
“Never Eaten Vegetables”, by H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld 1/25)
“The Life and Times of Alavira the Great as Written by Titos Pavlou and Reviewed by Two Lifelong Friends”, by Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 3-4/25)

The Nebula Award for Best Short Story

“Through the Machine”, by P.A. Cornell (Lightspeed 5/25)
“Six People to Revise You”, by J.R. Dawson (Uncanny 1-2/25)
“In My Country”, by Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 4/25)
“The Tawlish Island Songbook of the Dead”, by E.M. Linden (PodCastle 2/18/25)
“Because I Held His Name Like a Key”, by Aimee Ogden (Strange Horizons 6/16/25)
“Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything”, by Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots 5/25)

The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

The Tower, by David Anaxagoras (Recorded Books)
Gemini Rising, by Jonathan Brazee (Semper Fi Press)
Wishing Well, Wishing Well, by Jubilee Cho (Atthis Arts)
Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
Into the Wild Magic, by Michelle Knudsen (Candlewick)
Goblin Girl, by K.A. Mielke (self-published)

The Nebula Award for Best Game Writing

Spire, Surge, and Sea, by Stewart C. Baker (Choice of Games)
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, by Guillaume Broche, & Jennifer Svedberg-Yen (Kepler Interactive), Developer: Sandfall Interactive, Sandfall S.A.S.
Hollow Knight: Silksong, by Ari Gibson & William Pellen (Team Cherry)*
Dispatch, by Ashley Jeffalone, Suzee Matson, Chris Rebbert, Chad Rhiness, & Pierre Shorette (AdHoc Studios)
Hades II, by Greg Kasavin
(Supergiant Games)
Blue Prince, by Tonda Ros (Raw Fury, Developer: Dogubomb)

The Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

KPop Demon Hunters, by Danya Jimenez, Maggie Kang, & Hannah McMechan (Netflix)*
Sinners, by Ryan Coogler (Warner Bros Pictures)*
Severance: “Chikhai Bardo”, by Dan Erickson & Mark Friedman (Apple TV+)*
Pluribus: Season One, by Vince Gilligan (Apple TV+)*
Superman, by James Gunn (Warner Bros Pictures)*
Murderbot: Season One, by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz (Apple TV+)*

The Nebula Award for Best Comic

Second Shift, by Kit Anderson (Avery Hill)
Carmilla Volume 3: The Eternal, by Amy Chu (Berger)
Helen of Wyndhorn, by Tom King (Dark Horse)
Fishflies, by Jeff Lemire (Image)
Mary Shelley’s School for Monsters: The Killing Stone, by Jessica Maison (Wicked Tree)
Strange Bedfellows, by Ariel Slamet Ries (HarperAlley)
The Flip Side, by Jason Walz (Rocky Pond)
The Stoneshore Register, by G. Willow Wilson (Berger)

The Nebula Award for Best Poem

“Though You Always Are”, by Linda D. Addison & Jamal Hodge (Everything Endless)
“They Said Robots Are”, by Casey Aimer (Penumbric 6/25)
“The World To Come”, by Jennifer Hudak (Strange Horizons 12/22/25)
“The Mourning Robot”, by Angela Liu (Uncanny 9-10/25)
“Care for Lightning”, by Mari Ness (Uncanny 1-2/25)
“To Be the Change”, by Nico Martinez Nocito (Strange Horizons 3/10/25)

*Provisional nomination; awaiting acceptance and response on LLM-use.

Tananarive Due Selected as Toastmaster for the 61st Annual Nebula Awards Conference  

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San Francisco, CA  – February 24, 2026

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA)  is proud to announce that American Book Award, NAACP Image Award, and British Fantasy Award-winning author Tananarive Due will serve as Toastmaster for the 61st Annual Nebula Awards Conference happening in Chicago, IL from June 3-7. Previous Toastmasters include Erin Roberts, Sarah Gailey, Aydrea Walden, and Astronaut Dr. Kjell Lindgren.

“Due is an exceptional speaker – brilliantly insightful, delightfully funny – and deeply generous in her commitment to elevating the craft of speculative fiction writing across media,” said SFWA Executive Director Isis Asare. “She is the perfect toastmaster for the Nebula Awards Conference celebrating N. K. Jemisin as the recipient for the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award and Gay Haldeman as the recipient for the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award.”

A rich tradition of storytelling

Due is the acclaimed author of The Reformatory (winner of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Chautauqua Prize, Bram Stoker Award, Shirley Jackson Award, World Fantasy Award, and a New York Times Notable Book), The Wishing Pool and Other Stories, Ghost Summer: Stories, My Soul to Keep, The Good House, and contributing author of Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror.

A seasoned multimedia creator, Due and her husband/collaborator – Steven Barnes – recently co-directed their first short horror film, “The Keeper” (Samansa/Blackmaled), which will stream on Samansa in September. They also wrote “A Small Town” for Jordan Peele’s The Twilight Zone on Paramount Plus and two segments of Shudder’s anthology film Horror Noire. In addition, they co-wrote the Black Horror graphic novel The Keeper, illustrated by Marco Finnegan and published by Megascope. Due and Barnes co-host the podcast Lifewriting: Write for Your Life! Due also served as executive producer on Shudder’s groundbreaking documentary Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror.

“It’s such a thrill to be invited to be Toastmaster at the Nebulas, which has such a storied history, especially during a year honoring N. K. Jemisin and Gay Haldeman. Events like this remind us of the power of art to help create hope and change during difficult times,” Due said.

Gearing up to the Nebulas in Chicago

Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes will also participate in author signings, hybrid panels, and in-person craft workshops during the Nebula Awards Conference. Author signings will be open to the public and copies of Due’s work will be available to purchase onsite from local independent bookstore Call and Response. Hybrid programming will also be available to attendees of Horror Writers Association’s StokerCon as a result of a recent collaboration between HWA and SFWA.

“The Horror Writers Association is pleased to see more collaboration and advancement of partnerships between genre-organizations. We’re excited to offer this unique virtual experience to members of both SFWA and the HWA to encourage virtual participation for both the Nebulas and StokerCon,” stated Maxwell Gold, Executive Director of the Horror Writers Association.

Learn more about the 61st Nebula Awards Conference, running from June 3-7 in Chicago, IL by visiting SFWA.org. Nebula Award Finalists will be announced March 15. Secure early registration pricing before May 1st.

AMENDED RULES for the Nebula Awards (NEW!)

Earlier today, SFWA released a note from the Board on this year’s Nebula Award Rules with a link to the 2025 rules.

To be clear, SFWA does not support the use of LLM generative models in the production of creative work. 

The Nebula Award Rules linked did not reflect our current policy and deeply held beliefs and values, and they were amended to reflect that.

With further input, today, we made an important change to the Nebula Awards Rules in two board votes that we would like to share with you:

Previous Text:

“Works that are wholly written using generative large language model (LLM) tools are not eligible.”

New Text:

“Works that are written, either wholly or partially, by generative large language model (LLM) tools are not eligible.”

-and-

Previous Text:

“Works that used LLMs at any point during the writing process must disclose this upon acceptance of the nomination, and the nature of the technology’s use will be made clear to voters on the final ballot”

New Text:

“Works that used LLMs at any point during the writing process must disclose this upon acceptance of the nomination, and those works will be disqualified.”

We will update our posted rules in the coming days to reflect this change. 

We look forward to 2026 with optimism for the future of human-created work (that’s compensated, celebrated and supported)!

Keep on creating,

Kate Ristau 

SFWA President

On the Nebula Awards Rules for Our Current Nominations Cycle

Note from the SFWA Board of Directors

Nebula finalist nominations are flowing in. Thank you for your patience and encouragement as we set up a new system that is responsive, interactive, and secure. Members can visit their new Membership Portal today to read more about the Nebula process from our Nebula Awards Commissioner, Marcus Whitnell.

Since 1965, the Nebula Awards have been one way we honor the speculative fiction creators who bring us groundbreaking work that challenges expectations and opens up new possibilities. 

I have worked on the Nebula Awards since 2020, producing the ceremony in 2023 and 2024. Behind the scenes, the team tried to read through every piece, play every game, and watch every show that hit the final ballot. I may have spent a lot of time with Karlach in Baldur’s Gate…

In all that time, the quality of the ballot continues to shine as bright as the brightest…Nebula. 

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself with the obvious metaphor.

But the rules we used in 1965 to prepare the ballot and support voting would not stand up to scrutiny in 2025. Over the years, the SFWA Board, staff, the Nebula Awards Commissioner (NAC), and the SFWA Awards Rules Committee (SARC) have worked to make sure the rules provide a secure, fair, legitimate, and legal framework for nomination and recognition.

This year’s review process raised several questions in genre categories, as well as around category minimums, appeals, and the use of LLM tools.

Vice President Anthony Eichenlaub detailed the rules revision process, beginning with the genre discussions, as follows:

“What ended up as a few bullet points in the official Nebula rules was actually a collaborative effort with the SARC, the NAC, and the comics and poetry committees. The words ‘poem of any length’ was the result of a long discussion on the nature of poetry and how our rules could possibly define the difference between poetry and very short prose fiction. We ultimately decided to trust the nominators and the voters. A lot of our philosophy comes down to that. Trust the voters.”

These rule revisions saw several rounds of back and forth between committees, members, board, and staff, revealing more areas of concern. 

“While we were updating the rules for poetry and comics, we also addressed some minor pain points,” Anthony explained. “Our CFO, Jonathan Brazee, was the NAC before he was a Board member, and he had fantastic insight into the behind-the-scenes process. We changed how we do category minimums and added clarification on how rules can be appealed.”

These changes helped to refine the nominations process, with an emphasis on clarity and consistency.

One of the most complex and difficult decisions of 2025 was in rules additions around the use of artificial intelligence: a topic of many SFF stories, and now an active part of the world in which they are created.

Our 2023 statement on AI/ML points to the fact that “writing and publishing genre fiction is a business with important norms.”

At SFWA, we believe in our creators, and we want the Nebula Awards to recognize work that is human-created and expansive.

We want to reinforce industry standards while also encouraging the industry to do better: from crediting authors to valuing their work, to promoting transparency and open dialogue among creators.

Our Complete Nebula Awards® Rules take this approach to heart. The rules state:

  • Works that are wholly written using generative large language model (LLM) tools are not eligible.
  • Works that used LLMs at any point during the writing process must disclose this upon acceptance of the nomination, and the nature of the technology’s use will be made clear to voters on the final ballot.

To repeat, works that are wholly written using generative large language model (LLM) tools are not eligible. The Nebula Awards honor writers and the work they create, not the LLMs they employ. 

When finalists are contacted, before they appear on the ballot, they will be asked to disclose any LLMs they used in the production of their work. The voters can then decide if they would like to vote for these works.

As of now, the industry standard overwhelmingly favors human-created work, from submissions guidelines to awards lists. As your SFWA President, I hope we continue to move in a direction that honors, supports, compensates, and celebrates the humans behind the great stories and poems we have the honor of reading, playing, and watching. 

I have no doubt our upcoming final ballot is going to present an incredible list of finalists. I personally can’t wait to read what you honor with your vote. 

Write on (and make you nominations.

Kate Ristau

SFWA President

Nebula Awards® Nominations Begin!

It’s Nebula Awards® voting season again!

As of December 1, 2025, our Nebula Awards Nomination Ballot is now open. In this year’s ballot, we are honored to celebrate our first-ever Nebula Awards in two new categories, along with our classic range of fiction. Full, Associate, and Senior member of SFWA, are eligible to submit a nomination ballot for the Nebula Awards.

This year SFWA members will be voting for top Nebula honors in the following fields:

  • Best Short Story
  • Best Novelette
  • Best Novella
  • Best Novel
  • Best Game Writing
  • Best Comic
  • Best Poem
  • The Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
  • The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction 

Many of these works will then be available in our next Nebula Awards Showcase, for sale right after the winners are announced in June, when we celebrate our latest bright stars in genre at the Nebulas in Chicago.

 

Our 2025 Nebula Awards Winners

Congratulations to all the winners for our 60th anniversary Nebula Awards®! The finalists and winners were chosen this year by Full, Associate, and Senior members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), from science fiction, fantasy, and related genre works published in 2024. Winners were announced on June 7, 2025 at our 60th Nebula Awards Ceremony in Kansas City, Missouri. Full Results.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (DAW; Arcadia UK)

The Dragonfly Gambit, A.D. Sui (Neon Hemlock)

Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, A.W. Prihandita (Clarkesworld 11/24)

Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 2/24)

The Young Necromancer’s Guide to Ghosts, Vanessa Ricci-Thode (self-published)

A Death in Hyperspace, Stewart C Baker, Phoebe Barton, James Beamon, Kate Heartfield, Isabel J. Kim, Sara S. Messenger, Jingjing Xiao, Natalia Theodoridou, M. Darusha Wehm, Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (Infomancy.net)

Dune: Part Two by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve (Warner Bros)

Join Us for Our 60th Anniversary Nebula Awards Ceremony!

It’s the big day! The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA®) will launch its 60th anniversary Nebula Awards Ceremony this evening, live from our Nebula Awards Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

Join Toastmaster Erin Roberts at 8:00 PM Central Time to celebrate a phenomenal year in science fiction and fantasy. We’ll learn which of our wonderful Nebula Award Finalists made out with top honors, celebrate a wealth of very special Nebula honorees, and amid a great deal of warmhearted banter, share in some exciting news about the future of our organization.

So set your YouTube notifications now!

Brush up on your Award Finalists!

Follow us on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram for live-posted highlights!

And above all else, buckle up for a great ride, because Airship Nebula is here at last!

SFWA Announces the 60th Annual Nebula Awards® Finalists!

 

March 12, 2025 – The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 60th Annual Nebula Awards®! Our congratulations go out to each and every finalist for the recognition of their excellent works published in 2024. 

The awards will be presented in a ceremony on Saturday, June 7, that will be streamed live as it is held in-person in Kansas City, MO as part of the 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference. Winners in each category will be determined by the vote of Full, Associate, and Senior members of SFWA.

Here is the complete list of finalists:

Nebula Award for Novel

Nebula Award for Novella

Nebula Award for Novelette

Nebula Award for Short Story

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

Nebula Award for Game Writing

Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

 

  • Doctor Who: “Dot and Bubble” by Russell T. Davies (BBC)
  • Dune: Part Two by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve (Warner Bros)
  • I Saw the TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun (A24 Films LLC)
  • KAOS by Charlie Covell, Georgia Christou (Netflix)
  • Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 by Mike McMahan (Paramount+)
  • Wicked by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox (Universal Pictures)

We look forward to celebrating all the finalists with aspiring and professional creators in the science fiction and fantasy genres at the 2025 Nebula Conference, June 5-8, 2025.

Questions about the awards or the upcoming conference may be directed to the SFWA Events Team at events@sfwa.org.

About the Nebula Awards®

The Nebula Awards® are voted on and presented by Full, Associate, and Senior members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association. Founded as the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1965 by Damon Knight, the organization began with a charter membership of 78 writers; it now has over 2,500 members, among them many of the leading writers of science fiction and fantasy.

Since 1965, the Nebula Awards® have been given each year for the best novel, novella, novelette, and short story eligible for that year’s award. The Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction was added in 2005, followed by the Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation in 2009, and the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing in 2018. An anthology including the winning pieces of short fiction and several runners-up is also published every year.

The 60th Nebula Awards Finalist Announcement

Nebula Awards Conference logo, with the words "The 60th Annual Nebula Awards Finalist Announcement"

We’re on the launch pad, readying for lift-off!

Join the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association on March 12, 2025 at 5 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time for this year’s 60th Nebula Awards Finalist Announcement, in which we will announce this year’s finalists for the Nebula Awards, as chosen by SFWA members.

Subscribe to our SFWA YouTube channel to get notification of the video’s launch, or simply join us at the direct link when the hour approaches. Oh, and don’t forget to share your excitement with others in the genre via our chat window on YouTube!

Finalists are listed here.

SFWA members will vote for this year’s winners in advance of our 60th Nebula Annual Nebula Awards Conference, which will be held in Kansas City, Missouri from June 5-8. Whether you’ll be there in person or joining us for more Nebula activities online, we’re thrilled to have you along for the ride.

Let’s celebrate some great science fiction and fantasy together soon!