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2024 Nebula Conference Final Program Schedule

Please note, even though we are releasing this final programming update, the schedule is still subject to change.

Update: We’re currently aware of an issue where some names may not be showing up on the schedule due to a glitch. The team is working on getting that rectified as soon as possible!

Join us for the Nebula Conference June 6-9th, 2024. Programming will begin the afternoon of Thursday, June 6. Recordings of all panels will be available until April 2025. Below is our preliminary program of panels and meetups. The names of speakers will appear on this program as they are confirmed. The titles, descriptions, and participants of these panels are subject to change. Please email events@sfwa.org with questions about the program.

All in-person panels in Pasadena will be streamed as hybrid events for our online audience.

If you volunteered to speak on programming:

We want to thank everyone for submitting your names to speak, and as always, we have a wealth of skills and talents to choose from! The programming team worked with hundreds of speaker surveys, matching interest and availability and built a truly stellar program for all of you this year. If you were not chosen to speak during the weekend, we do still have your surveys and should any opportunities arise during the year for additional paneling or programming via our special ongoing events, we may still be in touch!

If you submitted a programming idea: We’re grateful for the hundreds of panel topics and suggestions submitted for the conference! If your submission was not scheduled for this conference weekend, we may still be in touch about using it for an online panel later this year or during another event.

Other Conference Events

Ceremony & Receptions. Join us for the 59th Nebula Award Ceremony! There will be opportunities to celebrate Nebula nominees at receptions during the conference: one to recognize the Grand Master and finalists, and one right before the ceremony as the red carpet event.

Author Meet-and-Greets. This year’s Meet & Greet assignments have also been completed. We tried to accommodate as many requests as possible, but due to availability and space constraints, not all requests were fulfilled. However, if additional slots become available, we will reach out to you with the opportunity. Please email programming@sfwa.org with any further questions.

Bookshop. This year we’re thrilled to partner with Vroman’s, Southern California’s oldest independent bookstore – since 1894. A pop-up shop will be available during the conference on Friday and Saturday. Or, for the full experience, visit their storefront around the corner from the conference venue!

Office Hours. This year, we are reviving the Office Hours program virtually and in person! During an Office Hour, hosts meet with attendees one on one to offer mentorship, hear pitches, share expertise in a specialized field, answer questions about their own work, and give feedback on others’ work (such as an author website, query, first pages, etc…). Hosts have already been matched with those who’ve entered the lottery and have been notified. There may still be slots available. If you would like to request one of the open slots, please look up the desired Office Hours slot on the link above and mail your choices to officehours@sfwa.org. Contact officehours@sfwa.org with any questions.

Networking Opportunities. Form new connections, meet members of SFWA committees, and expand your network. Conference receptions and opportunities to network will be available both in person and online.

Book Bags. Our volunteers are working hard to bring back the book bag for in-person volunteers. Email sponsors@sfwa.org if you or your organization would like to donate any titles, ARCs, ebook coupons, etc. to this year’s bookbags.

Photography. Book a session with Richard Man to have your professional author headshot taken. Sign-up slots will be available onsite. Learn more about Richard and his work at his website.

Quiet Writing Room: Feeling inspired? On a deadline? We will set up a quiet writing room to help you get some writing done while you’re at the conference!

The Cooper Suite. Stop by the virtual Zoom suite for virtual conference attendees to mingle, network, and debrief after panel sessions. The Suite will feature overflow rooms for each panel stream, affinity spaces for writers from many diverse communities, a voice-only space for a low -sensory experience, and more spaces for all attendees to connect.

REGISTER NOW!

Announcing the 59th Nebula Awards Toastmaster: Sarah Gailey

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is excited to announce that author and SFWA Nebula and Hugo Award finalist, Sarah Gailey, will serve as toastmaster for the 59th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony! The ceremony will take place in Pasadena, CA on June 8th, 2024. Continuing on with SFWA’s commitment of inviting and including the global science fiction and fantasy community, the organization will be livestreaming the ceremony on Youtube.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy shared, “I’m delighted that Sarah will be our Toastmaster this year. With their wit and deep ties to the genre community, Sarah will bring grace and resonance to the ceremony.”

Sarah Gailey is a Hugo Award Winning and Bestselling author of speculative fiction, short stories, and essays. They have been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus awards for multiple years running. Their bestselling adult novel debut, Magic For Liars, was published by Tor Books in 2019. Their most recent novel, Just Like Home, and most recent original comic book series with BOOM! Studios, Know Your Station are available now. Their shorter works and essays have been published in Mashable, The Boston Globe, Vice, Tor.com, and The Atlantic. Their work has been translated into seven different languages and published around the world.

“I am so honored to act as this year’s Toastmaster for the Nebula Awards Ceremony in June,” Gailey said. “It will be an absolute thrill to celebrate the ever-blooming excellence that thrives in genre literature.”

Honoring 2023’s outstanding SFF genre works, the Nebula Awards Ceremony will be a highlight of the hybrid 2024 SFWA Nebula Conference, taking place June 6-9th, 2024, online and at the Westin Pasadena in Pasadena, CA. Aspiring and professional storytellers in the speculative fiction genres may benefit from attending the entire professional development weekend full of panels and networking opportunities.

Tickets for the Nebula Awards Ceremony banquet, which precedes the ceremony itself, are also available. Queries and banquet tickets may be purchased by emailing events@sfwa.org or visiting events.sfwa.org.

Sponsorships for the 2024 Nebula Conference Now Available!

The Nebula Conference, the annual highlight of the Science Fiction and Fantasy writing community, couldn’t happen without the help from our sponsors. This year we are planning a hybrid conference with over three days of educational, professional, and social events. We can’t wait to get you involved!

Conference attendees are at the heart of the science fiction and fantasy writing community. We anticipate 300 participants attending in person and another 300 streaming online.

There are limited sponsorship slots available. All opportunities are first-come, first-served and subject to SFWA approval. If you’re interested in sponsoring a panel or event, you can fill out this form or email sponsors@sfwa.org for details on custom sponsorship opportunities.

Books bags are back for 2024!

This year, we’re asking publishers and other community members to donate up to 50 copies per title (we’re happy to accept more than one title!) of any middle grade, young adult, comic book, graphic novel, tabletop game or RPG, science fiction or fantasy book or periodical. ARCs and back stock are welcome. Digital-only works including books, games, and audio may also be distributed on postcards or bookmarks containing instructions for retrieval (via a web site, QR code etc.), and a clearly indicated expiration date. If you would like to donate please email sponsors@sfwa.org for shipping address and other logistics.

Please note: books will need to arrive no later than June 3rd and shipping times will vary.

Sponsor opportunities for 2024 are as follows:

Platinum Sponsor: Support Our A/V

Audio/Visual equipment is the most important aspect of the Nebulas! As a Platinum Sponsor, your logo will be on all Nebula Award and conference email communication to SFWA members and conference attendees. But that’s not all! It’ll also appear in the commemorative program book, on screens during the conference both in-person and online, and on ALL panel webpages! Platinum Sponsors will also receive a table for 8 at the Nebula Awards Ceremony and conference registration for 2, providing individual’s information is submitted no later than April 15th. — $10,000

Gold Sponsor: Support Our Hospitality Suite

The most popular hangout during the conference is the hospitality suite. As a Gold Sponsor, your logo will adorn the doors of each suite! Your logo will also be on all Nebula Award and conference email communications to SFWA members and conference attendees and will appear in the commemorative program book! — $5,000

Gold Sponsor: Support the Finalist Packages

The Nebula Award is one of the finest achievements our finalists can receive in their writing careers. Attending finalists will be given a gift box that you can sponsor. Your logo will also appear in the commemorative program book and in Nebula Award email communications. Be a part of their memorable experience today! — $5,000

Gold Sponsor: Support the Book Bag

2024 is bringing back the book bag! And everywhere you look your exclusive logo will be hanging from everyone’s hand. Don’t miss this chance to have your logo adorn the book bag as well as be included in the commemorative program book and in Nebula Award email communications. Included: 1 Free Conference Membership. — $5000

Silver Sponsor: Support Our Receptions

Forever link your logo in the minds of reception attendees as a Silver Sponsor! Your logo will be proudly displayed at the Nebula Finalist reception, and the Award Ceremony reception. It will also be included on all Nebula Award and conference email communications to SFWA members and conference attendees and appear in the commemorative program book! — $2,500

Silver Sponsor: Support Our Badges

Catch the attention of every in-person conference guest by sponsoring our conference badges! Your sponsorship will help ensure we print high-quality, keepsake-worthy badges that our in-person attendees will wear throughout the conference weekend. Your logo will also be included in the commemorative program book and in Nebula Award email communications. — $2,500

Bronze Sponsor: Support Our Communications

As one of our Bronze Sponsors, your logo will be on all Nebula Award and conference email communications to SFWA members and conference attendees and will also appear in the commemorative program book! — $750

Other Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsor a Panel

The Nebula conference will feature over 50 panels on writing and professional development for authors. Sponsor the panel of your choice and your logo and promotional information will appear on the webpage for the live stream and recording. The panel moderator will also be asked to thank your organization as the panel’s sponsor. Recordings of our conference panels can be viewed by attendees for up to a year after the event! — $350

Sponsor a Banquet Table

Secure the best seat in the house for the Nebula Award Ceremony by reserving a table at the banquet table for up to eight guests! Menu selections and guests’ names must be submitted by May 1, 2024. — $2000

Sponsor a Book Bag Donation

Be part of this well-loved tradition by stuffing our giveaway bookbag with your promotional materials such as announcements, pre-order info, or order discounts. Your promotional flier/card will be included in all in-person and virtual book bags. — $100*

*Please Note: Any physical book donations to our bookbags are welcome free of charge, only promotional materials require this sponsorship cost. Contact sponsors@sfwa.org to donate books.

Congratulate a Nebula Finalist!

Being a finalist in the Nebulas is a career milestone and the awards evening will be filled with excitement and nerves. Send your well wishes and congratulations to any finalist you wish by filling out the form, which will be available soon at store.sfwa.org! Your note will be delivered to the finalist’s chair before the ceremony begins, providing them good vibes to last through the evening! —$25

SFWA Announces the 59th Nebula Awards Finalists!

 
March 14, 2024 – The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 59th Annual Nebula Awards®! Our congratulations go out to each and every finalist for the recognition of their excellent works published in 2023. 

The awards will be presented in a ceremony on Saturday, June 8, that will be streamed live as it is held in-person in Pasadena, CA, as part of the 2024 Nebula Conference Online. 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

  • The Bread Must Rise, Stewart C Baker, James Beamon (Choice of Games)
  • Alan Wake II, Sam Lake, Clay Murphy, Tyler Burton Smith, Sinikka Annala (Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games Publishing)
  • Ninefox Gambit: Machineries of Empire Roleplaying Game, Yoon Ha Lee, Marie Brennan(Android)
  • Dredge, Joel Mason (Black Salt Games, Team 17)
  • Chants of Sennaar, Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment)
  • Baldur’s Gate 3, Adam Smith, Adrienne Law, Baudelaire Welch, Chrystal Ding, Ella McConnell, Ine Van Hamme, Jan Van Dosselaer, John Corcoran, Kevin VanOrd, Lawrence Schick, Martin Docherty, Rachel Quirke, Ruairí Moore, Sarah Baylus, Stephen Rooney, Swen Vincke (Larian Studios)

Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

  • Nimona, Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor, Pamela Ribon, Marc Haimes, Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Keith Bunin, Nate Stevenson (Annapurna Animation, Annapurna Pictures)
  • The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (HBOMax)
  • Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros., Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment)
  • Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio, Chris McKay (Paramount Pictures, Entertainment One, Allspark Pictures)
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad Productions)
  • The Boy and the Heron,  Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli, Toho Company)

Author Martha Wells has graciously declined her nomination as a novel finalist this year for System Collapse published by Tordotcom. In 2022, Wells also declined a nomination for novella and felt that the Murderbot Diaries series has already received incredible praise from her industry peers and wanted to open the floor to highlight other works within the community.

We look forward to celebrating all the finalists with aspiring and professional creators in the science fiction and fantasy genres at the 2024 Nebula Conference, June 6-9, 2024.

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

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Tanith Lee Announced as 2024 SFWA Infinity Award Recipient

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is proud to announce the recipient of the 2024 SFWA Infinity Award. In the second presentation of this honor, the organization would like to recognize the works and career of Tanith Lee (1947–2015) at the 59th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony on June 8.

 

The SFWA Board voted to create the Infinity Award to posthumously honor acclaimed creators who passed away before they could be considered for a Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award. This new award aims to recognize that even though those celebrated worldbuilders, storytellers, and weavers of words are no longer with us, their legacies will continue to inspire.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy remarked, “Tanith Lee was writing combinations of science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror, queerness, and sex long before the current trends. She was a true trailblazer in multiple cross-genres and influenced so many of today’s authors. It’s a sorrow to me that she passed before we could celebrate her as she should have been, but a bittersweet joy to at least be able to give her this honor today.”

Photo: © Daughter of the Night

An aspiring writer from the age of nine, Lee’s first professional sale was “Eustace,” a ninety word vignette which appeared in The Ninth Pan Book Of Horror Stories (1968), edited by Herbert van Thal.

While working as an assistant librarian, Lee wrote a children’s story which was accepted for publication. A number of additional stories were also purchased, but none of them were ever published, due to a slump in the publishing firm’s sales. In 1971, Macmillan published The Dragon Hoard, a children’s novel, followed by Animal Castle, a children’s picture book, and Princess Hynchatti & Some Other Surprises, a short story collection (both 1972).

DAW published The Birthgrave in 1975, beginning a relationship that lasted until 1989 and saw the publication of 28 books altogether. Following the publication of her second and third books from DAW, Don’t Bite The Sun and The Storm Lord (both 1976), Lee quit her day job to become a full-time freelance writer.

Tanith Lee has won or been nominated for a variety of awards, including the World Fantasy Award, the August Derleth Award and the Nebula. She has appeared as Guest of Honour at a number of science fiction conventions, including Boskone XVIII in Boston in 1981, and the 1984 World Fantasy Convention in Ottawa.

Rather than a physical award, SFWA will make a donation to a cause that an Infinity Award honoree supported or that their loved ones request. This year, it has been requested by the family that the donation be split between two charitable causes, Pasadena Humane and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Nebula Awards Showcase 56 nearing completion

The Nebula Awards Showcase 56 is nearing completion! All contributor contracts have been signed, manuscripts have been edited, and we’re finalizing the cover layout. The last big item on our “to do” list is completing the anthology’s interior graphic design, and then we’ll be ready for publication! (Once this anthology is complete, we’ll be working on the next one in the series!)

James Hosek to Receive 2024 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce that the 2024 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award will be presented to James Hosek at the 59th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® for his outstanding work on behalf of the organization.

The Service to SFWA Award recognizes a volunteer of SFWA who best exemplifies the ideal of service to their fellow members. In 2012, the award was renamed in honor of author Kevin O’Donnell, who dedicated 20+ years of volunteer service to the organization.

James Hosek, who was known to those in the community as Jim, first volunteered for SFWA as an assistant to the Nebula Awards Commissioner in 2016, helping to vet works on the Nebula Reading List and other tasks as necessary. In 2017, when Dawn Bonnano, then Nebula Awards Commissioner stepped down from the role, Jim Hosek was recommended as a replacement and graciously stepped up and served as SFWA’s Nebula Commissioner for seven years. Jim stepped down from the role in September 2023 due to ill health and passed away on December 3, 2023.

Deputy Executive Director (and former Nebula Award Commissioner) Terra LeMay says about Jim: “It is often the case that SFWA’s programs are driven by volunteers who serve countless hours behind the scenes, and this is certainly true of our Nebula Awards, which depend on the tireless work of the Nebula Awards Commissioner (NAC). Elucidating the positive qualities that made Jim Hosek the perfect NAC—he was hard-working, ethical, level-headed, kind, scrupulously fair, and so much more…—would take far more space than I’ve been granted here. I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with him and glad we were able to notify him of his selection for this award before his passing. He was one of SFWA’s very best.”

For his years of dedication and excellence in undertaking this essential volunteer work for the organization and the SFF community, SFWA is proud to present the 2024 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award to James Hosek. He will join many distinguished recipients of the award, including Connie Willis, Victoria Strauss, Julia Rios, Bud Sparhawk, Lee Martindale, Vonda McIntyre, and Jim Fiscus.

The award will be presented at the 59th Nebula Awards® Ceremony.

Susan Cooper Named 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is proud to announce that Susan Cooper has been named the 40th Damon Knight Grand Master for her contributions to the literature of science fiction and fantasy.

Susan Cooper is most recognized for her fantasy sequence for young adults, The Dark is Rising, which has just reached its 50th anniversary. Her other books for children include The Boggart and its sequels, several works of historical fiction, and multiple picture books, most recently The Word Pirates and The Shortest Day in 2019.

Reflecting on the work of the newest Grand Master, SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy shared that “Susan Cooper possesses the rare gift of being able to write for young people with a resonance that endures all through their adult lives. I feel as if The Dark Is Rising books have always been a part of my life. I memorized poems and passages from those books, which I can still recite today. When I first began writing fantasy of my own, I slipped in images and names from her stories in homage and celebration. It’s truly a great honor for me to name Susan Cooper as the 2024 Grand Master, a writer so foundational to the fantasy genre, for both readers and readers who became writers.”

The 40th Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master award will be presented to Susan during the annual SFWA Nebula Conference and the 59th Nebula Awards.

Visit sfwa.org to read the full press release.

Registration for the 2024 Nebula Conference is Open!

Register Here

This year’s Nebula conference will take place at the Westin Pasadena and online! In-person registration includes all online access. With every conference ticket, you can watch and listen to all recorded panels and presentations that took place over the weekend. In addition, you’ll have access to ongoing special events and panels throughout the year, including our Narrative Worlds series, writing dates, and more!

Register for the conference before March 14th to receive our early bird tickets price!

If you or someone you know needs a scholarship to participate in the conference, find more information here.

Suggest Panels for the 2024 Nebula Conference

The Nebulas programming team is collecting proposals for panels and other session ideas!

We rely on submissions to this form to ensure our program is full of content which our community members will find valuable, relevant and interesting. Complete this form to submit your ideas by February 16th for us to consider your panel for the conference!

Have more than one idea? Feel free to share multiple submissions!

Bring Back the Book Bag!

We’re working on bringing back our collectable SFWA bookbag program for in-person conference attendees! If you have any publishing contacts who might be interested in distributing any of your titles your peers, colleagues, agents, and editors in attendance this year, please let us know at events@sfwa.org. The more publishers and authors who participate, the bigger the bag!

See you at the Nebulas!

The SFWA Events Team