Nebula Award News

Eugen Bacon Named the 2025 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award Recipient

Eugen Bacon is announced at the 2025 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award recipient

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association is pleased to announce that the 2025 Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award will be presented to Eugen Bacon at the 60th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® ceremony on June 7, 2025.

The Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award is bestowed by SFWA to a person who has made significant contributions to the science fiction, fantasy, and related genres community. The award was created in 2008, with Wilhelm named as one of the three original recipients, and it was renamed in her honor in 2016. Our latest recipient joins the ranks of Solstice Award winners, including Cerece Rennie Murphy, Greg Bear, Petra Mayer, Arley Sorg, Troy L. Wiggins, Ben Bova, Rachel Caine, and Jennell Jaquays.

Eugen Bacon (eugenbacon.com) is an African Australian author of several novels and collections. She’s a British Fantasy and Foreword Indies Award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalist, and a finalist for the Shirley Jackson, Philip K. Dick, Victorian Premier’s Literary Award in Australia, and the Nommo Awards for speculative fiction by Africans. Eugen is an Otherwise Fellow, and was also announced in the honor list for “doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction”.

Her short story collection, Danged Black Thing, made the Otherwise Award Honor List as a “sharp collection of Afro-Surrealist work”. Her latest publications are A Place Between Waking and Forgetting (short stories) and Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative Fiction—an edited anthology of original artistic essays infused with creative excerpts from award-winning African writers on the futurisms in their speculative fiction.

In accepting the Solstice Award, Eugen said, “I am beyond words—we don’t always feel visible. Deepest thanks to SFWA for this amazing recognition! I see the work you do, and can only stay earnest in the hope that science fiction and fantasy writers, globally, will continue to make a difference in these particularly challenging times. My heart is glowing.”

The gratitude goes both ways. As SFWA President Kate Ristau shared, “We are proud to celebrate Eugen for her continued work in the community, challenging us to create and contextualize our own creative practice. In her Bloomsbury Academic book Writing Speculative Fiction, Eugen tells us there’s a story in you. With her curiosity, playfulness, and keen eye for storytelling, Eugen continues to inspire and motivate the speculative fiction community to write that story. Thank you, Eugen, for your passionate leadership and support.”

Children’s book author Christine Taylor-Butler heartily agrees: “In today’s environment, it is more important than ever that we recognize the voices and contributions of creative people all over the world. Eugen is an award-winning author/editor who shows that holding science and art backgrounds are not mutually exclusive. She pays her success forward by expanding opportunities for others through writing clinics, award competitions, and mentorship opportunities in Australia. She represents the best of us both through her writing and by encouraging others in the pursuit of their own.”

Our latest Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award Recipient will be celebrated during our 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference, which will be held online and in-person from June 5–8, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. Registration for the conference, in both formats, is now open here. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating Eugen Bacon’s achievements, and help us to usher in the next chapter of SFWA’s story together.

Overview of our 60th Annual Nebula Conference program, for June 5-8, 2025.

Get to Know Our 2025 Nebula Awards Conference Schedule!

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is looking forward to marking this year’s diamond-year 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference with you in Kansas City, Missouri. From June 5 to 8, you’ll find us at the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza, celebrating our finalists, special guests, and future for the genre.

Have you registered yet? The full in-person weekend, including Nebula Awards Banquet Dinner, is only $375 USD.

Here’s what we’ll be up to, whether you’re joining us in-person or online:

Overview of our 60th Annual Nebula Conference program, for June 5-8, 2025.

Thursday, June 5

3:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Registration Station: Welcome to SFWA’s diamond-year 60th Anniversary Nebula Awards Conference! Please check all intergalactic devices at reception, and safely stow all anti-matter units upon re-entry.

8:00 P.M. – 11:00 P.M. Welcome Reception: Land-based environment only! Check your multiverse coordinates for aquatic equivalents.

**

Friday, June 6

8:00 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. Online Panel 1-1*
8:00 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. In-Person Panel 1-1*
8:00 A.M. – 9:30 A.M. Workshop 1-1*

9:00 AM – 9:30 A.M. Meet & Greets!

9:30 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Online Panel 1-2*
9:30 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. In-Person Panel 1-2*

10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Workshop 1-2*

10:30 AM – 11:00 A.M. Meet & Greets!

11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Online Panel 1-3*
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. In-Person Panel 1-3*

BREAK TIME TO FEED THE SPACE WHALES (and everybody else)

1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Online Panel 1-4*
1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. In-Person Panel 1-4*
1:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. Workshop 1-3*

2:00 P.M. – 2:30 P.M. Meet & Greets!

2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. Online Panel 1-5*
2:30 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. In-Person Panel 1-5*

3:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Workshop 1-4*

3:30 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Meet & Greets!

4:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Online Panel 1-6*
4:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. In-Person Panel 1-6*

5:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. Save the universe? Or maybe explore the downtown core! Check out tasty eats and nearby sights!

8:00 P.M. – 11:00 P.M. Networking Reception: Set course for an evening with the stars. Connect and network with this year’s Nebula Award Finalists, while we celebrate their achievements in the genre!

**

Saturday, June 7

8:00 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. Online Panel 2-1*
8:00 A.M. – 9:00 A.M. In-Person Panel 2-1*
8:00 A.M. – 9:30 A.M. Workshop 2-1*

9:00 AM – 9:30 A.M. Meet & Greets!

9:30 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. Online Panel 2-2*
9:30 A.M. – 10:30 A.M. In-Person Panel 2-2*

10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Workshop 2-2*

10:30 A.M. – 11:00 P.M. Meet & Greets!

11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Online Panel 2-3*
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. In-Person Panel 2-3*

BREAK TIME TO FEED THE SPACE WHALES (and everybody else)

1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Online Panel 2-4*
1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. In-Person Panel 2-4*
1:00 P.M. – 2:00 P.M. Workshop 2-3*

Sunday, June 8

8:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Fueling Station: Serving carbon-based lifeforms, in our Hospitality Suite.
9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. Feed your book habit at the Book Depot before you go!

Check out and beam away. Don’t forget to thank your Flight and Ground Crews for all the fish!

More details forthcoming as our Universal Translator works out transmissions from Airship Nebula’s final destination! All in-person panels will be streamed for attendees on other worlds!

** The wibbly-wobbly hour, where time itself might disappear amid creative conversations. Or maybe your recharge pod is calling? User’s choice!

Do you have questions about the big event, or what to feed the space whales? Write to office@sfwa.org with any and all relevant queries!

Announcing Our 60th Nebula Awards Conference Toastmaster: Erin Roberts

Banner ad for the 60th Anniversary Nebula Conference Toastmaster Erin Roberts

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is excited to announce that acclaimed author Erin Roberts, will serve as toastmaster for the 60th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony! The ceremony will take place in Kansas City, Missouri on June 7, 2025, and stream live on YouTube so that our global audience can partake in the latest adventures of Airship Nebula.

Erin Roberts tells stories however and whenever she can. She’s written short stories published by magazines including Asimov’s, Clarkesworld, and The Dark; built worlds and designed adventures for over 50 tabletop roleplaying game projects, including Nebula finalist Journeys through the Radiant Citadel; offered players choices as an interactive fiction and video game writer; and given characters a voice in scripts for projects including Zombies, Run! and the Yoto interactive children’s adventure Forge Your Quest.

When not telling her own stories, Erin helps others tell theirs. She’s taught creative writing courses for the University of Texas at Austin, Surrey International Writers Conference, and Clarion West; talked about the craft of writing in conference panels, on cruise ships, and between karaoke numbers; and shares her thoughts in a weekly conversation about the business and craft of writing as one of the hosts of the Writing Excuses podcast.

She’s honored to have this opportunity to celebrate the power of story in all its forms, and SFWA is delighted to have her lend further shine to the brilliant writers who bring new worlds to life and make ours that much brighter.

SFWA Names Nicola Griffith as the 41st Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master

A tradition 50 years in the making: Nicola Griffith is our 2025 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master

Can you believe it’s been 50 years since our first Grand Master was announced?

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is proud to celebrate the longevity of this distinguished title with Nicola Griffith, our 41st Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master.

The SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award recognizes “lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy.” It is named after author Damon Knight, SFWA’s founder and the organization’s 13th Grand Master. Initially, the Grand Master wasn’t given out every year, but from 1975 to 2025 much has changed in our field, including the consistency with which we award this prestigious post.

This year, our Grand Master enters a role previously held by Peter S. Beagle, Connie Willis, Nalo Hopkinson, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ray Bradbury, Anne McCaffrey, Robin McKinley, Joe Haldeman, and other legends of genre fiction who have been granted this title.

Nicola Griffith, PhD, is a dual UK/US citizen and the author of nine novels, including Hild, Spear, and Ammonite. In addition to her fiction and nonfiction (New York Times, Guardian, Nature) she is known for her data-driven 2015 work on bias in the literary ecosystem; as founder and co-host, with Alice Wong, of #CripLit; and for her work on queering the Early Medieval. Awards include The Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Society of Authors ADCI Literary Prize, two Washington State Book Awards, the Premio Italia, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Tiptree (Otherwise) awards, the Outstanding Mid-Career Authors Prize, and six Lambda Literary Awards. In 2024 she was inducted into the Museum of Popular Culture’s Science Fiction + Fantasy Hall of Fame.

Griffith lives with her wife, writer Kelley Eskridge, in Seattle, where she takes enormous delight in everything. This latest title, SFWA’s 41st Grand Master, is no exception:

“I am thunderstruck,” said Griffith, after receiving the news. “Amazed and moved and brimming with joy. I might never stop smiling.”

Widely acclaimed and bestselling author Karen Joy Fowler has known for years how much of a gift Griffith is to the literary community: “Ever since I first read Ammonite–back in 1993 when the world was young–I’ve made it my business to follow Griffith wherever she goes. And I have loved every place she’s taken me. She’s a writer who stuns. Incisive yet lyrical, pragmatic yet sexy, generous yet scary, always brilliant and, best of all, never ever boring. Every book she writes is one more bit of luck for us readers.”

SFWA President Kate Ristau resoundingly agrees:

“It is SFWA’s honor to recognize and celebrate Nicola’s past achievements, while looking forward to her future triumphs. Her work continues to inspire and challenge me, and when asked to pick a Grand Master to lead us into our Diamond Year, I looked to Nicola for her stunning fiction, as well as her leadership and advocacy. She challenges us to reconsider the past and imagine a better, more inclusive future. She is the perfect Grand Master for our present moment, demonstrating through her life and work how to find one’s self, one’s purpose, and one’s community in complicated times, and to embrace those things joyfully and fully. 50 years after SFWA named its first Grand Master, we are thrilled to shine the spotlight on Nicola Griffith as our 41st.”

The title of 41st Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master will be formally presented to Griffith during our 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference, held June 5–8, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. Registration for the conference is now open here, and details on her panels and appearances will be available shortly at events.sfwa.org. We hope you’ll join us this year in celebrating Griffith’s achievements, and help us to usher in the next chapter of SFWA’s story together.

Nebula Conference Registration Now Open!

In the muted background, snapshots of Kansas City highlights. In the foreground, the Nebula Conference logo and the words "Kansas City, We're on our Way! Nebula Awards Conference registration is now open!"

SFWA is excited to announce that the 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference will be held in-person and online from the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza, in the beautifully transformed downtown core of Kansas City, Missouri.

Conference registration is now open at https://membership.sfwa.org/event-6093098.

SFWA recognizes that the current political climate in the United States may leave some people uncertain whether they are willing to travel to the US in general, or Missouri, in particular. Kansas City has made explicit commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For example, the Kansas City Council approved a resolution designating Kansas City as a “sanctuary city” for LGBTQ+ people. In 2024, Kansas City received a perfect score on HRC’s Municipality Equality Index for the fourth year running – an index which measures support for LGBTQ+ individuals throughout daily life. SFWA will also have both volunteer and professional security available to actively prevent and resolve harassment. We believe that Kansas City is a welcoming place for all writers, and we look forward to celebrating our diamond anniversary with all of you!

If you plan to join us in Kansas City, please use this link to book your room in the hotel block by Monday, May 19th: Book your group rate for SFWA Nebula Conference 2025. We encourage you to only book a hotel room after registering for the Nebula Conference. This courtesy to fellow attendees helps us to plan accurately for the big event, and keeps space open for those joining us in person.

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. We are looking forward to celebrating with our many members in other states and countries!

Our focus this year is to provide high level professional development, foster community and networking opportunities throughout the day and evening receptions, and of course, to celebrate our Nebula Award finalists and honorees throughout the weekend, especially at the Nebula Award ceremony.

Your online conference ticket helps support the programs and services that SFWA provides for not only its members but every SFF genre writer and industry professional. Thank you.

The SFWA Events Team

If you are interested in being a sponsor, please visit: https://events.sfwa.org/our-2025-conference/2025-sponsorship-opportunities or email: sponsors@sfwa.org.

Accessibility accommodation requests can be communicated directly with accessibility@sfwa.org.

If you or someone you know needs a scholarship to participate in the conference, please email office@sfwa.org and we’ll get back to you with information as soon as possible.

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!

2025 Service to SFWA Award Announcement: C.J. Lavigne

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce that the 2025 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award will be presented to C.J. Lavigne at the 60th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® for her outstanding work on behalf of the organization.

C.J. Lavigne is a Canadian SFF writer who first volunteered as a member of the SFWA flight crew (tech support team) at the 2020 Nebulas, when the conference had suddenly gone online for the first time and everyone was still figuring out how to push the videoconferencing buttons. A month later, she offered to help run the weekly writing dates, where she has remained as part of the tech team for the last five years. In 2022, she became co-captain of the flight crew, in which capacity she has helped to run numerous online panels and parties, schedule committee meetups, organize volunteers, answer tech support queries, and maintain the events website. She has worked hard to ensure the Nebula Conference maintains a vibrant, accessible virtual and hybrid presence for any member who can’t attend “in person.”

SFWA President Kate Ristau says, “C.J. confidently and swiftly helped us navigate our transition to online in 2020, and she has continued to lead us forward in virtual spaces, using best practices, and a heck of a lot of kindness. She is focused, supportive, and very knowledgeable. We are lucky to get to work with her.”

SFWA is excited to honor C.J. this year at our conference in Kansas City, and we hope you’ll join in honoring her service to the organization either in person or online during the event.

Photo Credit: Berni Scott

2025 Nebula Conference Announcement!

SFWA is excited to announce that the 60th Annual Nebula Awards Conference will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza, in the beautifully transformed downtown core of Kansas City, Missouri.

Join us from June 5 – June 8 for our diamond-year celebration of science fiction, fantasy, and related genre creators around the globe!

If you’re not making use of our massively discounted self-parking rate of $5 per day, hop on the free-to-ride Kansas City StreetCar to visit local sites between conference events and our 60th Annual Nebula Awards Ceremony. The Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza is six miles from the Kansas City Zoo, and ZTrip is available, in addition to Uber, Lyft, and cab services, for all your other local transport needs.

At our fingertips this year are:

  • The Kansas City Power & Light Entertainment District
  • The Kauffman Center of the Performing Arts
  • The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
  • The National WWI Museum at Liberty Memorial
  • The Negro League Baseball Museum
  • The American Jazz Museum
  • River Market and the Crossroads Arts District (via StreetCar)

Or stay in for the whole show! With rooms at $179/night plus tax, and free in-room Wi-Fi when you join Marriott Bonvoy (at no extra cost), there’s plenty to do in this fully modernized and renovated downtown conference hub.

The Main Street Grill at Kansas City Marriott is open all day, and the M.I. Greatroom offers cocktail and lounge space starting at 3 p.m.or visit the nearby Country Club Plaza, a historic open-air shopping and dining destination at the heart of the city, for your meet-ups with new and old friends in the genre. All guests have free access to a well-equipped fitness center.

All together now!

Celebrate SFWA’s 60th Anniversary with us, at the 2025 Nebula Awards Conference.

When and where is it going down?

Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza (4445 Main Street)

Kansas City, Missouri

June 5 – June 8

Where can I learn more about the hotel?

At the Kansas City Marriott Country Club Plaza website, of course!

Room Rate: $179/night plus tax

Register for the conference and hotel?  Here!

 

 

At long last, Nebula Awards Showcase 2019 on Kindle

Due to factors beyond SFWA’s control, the Kindle edition of Nebula Awards Showcase 2019, which was published in 2022, has been stuck in Amazon limbo. Until now, that is. This Nebula Showcase covers the nominees and winners from 2017 presented at the 2018 Nebula Awards. The Nebula anthologies have been published continuously since 1966 and feature the very best of science fiction and fantasy short fiction. Edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, this year’s anthology includes stories from Nebula Winners Rebecca Roanhorse, Martha Wells, and Kelly Robson as well as finalists Vina Jie-Min Prasad, Richard Bowes, K.M. Szpara, Jonathan Brazee, Sarah Pinsker, Caroline M. Yoachim, Fran Wilde, Matthew Kressel, and Jamie Wahls.

Buy it at Amazon.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Last ›