We are proud to announce the creation of the Infinity Award, with its inaugural presentation honoring the works and career of Octavia E. Butler (1947–2006) at the 58th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony on May 14.

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.

Upon its creation, it was also unanimously agreed that Octavia E. Butler would be our first recipient. Beginning with her perseverance in the face of the prejudice she encountered early on in her career, including claims that African American writers–especially African American women writers–could not write science fiction, Butler ultimately went on to earn a MacArthur Grant and a PEN West Lifetime Achievement Award. Butler did more than prove such naysayers wrong. Her works offered prescient critiques of societal issues and visions of what might be possible in different and future worlds. They are now being taught in over 200 colleges and universities nationwide.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy remarked, “Establishing this new award is very important to me. Over the years, so many creators have been passed over for the Grand Master nod, for one reason or another. Some died tragically early. Others were not recognized for their work during their lifetimes because of cultural prejudices and blind spots. Others were simply ahead of their time. When we look back at the nearly sixty years of SFWA celebrating SFF creators, there are some who stand out as ones we deeply wish had been given our highest awards. Being able to recognize Octavia E. Butler as our first recipient of the Infinity Award is an inspiring and gratifying first step toward correcting past omissions.”

Courtesy of the Octavia E. Butler Estate

Butler wrote sixteen novels and novellas, multiple collections and chapbooks, and many published essays. Her award-winning work during her lifetime includes “Bloodchild,” “The Evening and the Morning and the Night,” and Parable of the Talents. After her death, the #1 New York Times best-selling graphic novel adaptation of her book Kindred, created by Damian Duffy and John Jennings, received the Eisner Award for Best Adaptation. 

In media, her novel Dawn is being developed for television by Ava DuVernay, an opera by Toshi Reagon based on Parable of the Sower was part of The Public Theatre “Under the Radar” festival and toured worldwide in 2018, and Amazon Studios and JuVee Productions are developing a drama series from Butler’s Patternist series, beginning with Wild Seed.

Jules Jackson, directing manager of the Octavia E. Butler Estate, shared the following remarks: “For those who have chosen to pay attention, there is one thing that has become clear and apparent…. Octavia Estelle Butler, the mother of Afrofuturism, has literally written herself into history. And now the Estate is tasked with the honor of archiving, diagramming, and extending the reach of Octavia Estelle Butler’s cherished body of work. Octavia taught her readers to imagine relentlessly, our collective figures…Octavia painted the ‘least respected of us’ into the center of every narrative, re-framing a genre…I am beyond excited to accept this inaugural Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association award, for and on behalf of Octavia Butler, The Octavia E. Butler Estate, and all of the incredible storytellers who are, and continue to be inspired and those who follow in Octavia Estelle Butler’s prescient wake.”

Jackson will receive the award on Butler’s behalf at the Nebula Awards Ceremony. The award will be presented by Chinaka Hodge, writer and showrunner of the upcoming Wild Seeds television series. 

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. For this first award, and in future years when a specific charity is not requested, that donation will go to the Octavia E. Butler Scholarship to the Clarion West workshop, which is administered by the Carl Brandon Society.  

We’re excited to announce that acclaimed performer and designer Cheryl Platz will serve as toastmaster for the 58th Annual Nebula Awards® Ceremony! The ceremony will take place in Anaheim, CA, on Sunday, May 14, 2023. This year marks the return of the ceremony to an in-person event and continues SFWA’s tradition of inviting the global science fiction and fantasy community to take part by livestreaming the festivities.

Photo Credit: Michael Doucett

Cheryl Platz is a world-renowned designer, author, game developer, speaker, and actress best known for her work on cutting-edge products from Alexa to Azure, from Disney Parks to The Sims, and her work on multiple Internet TV shows. Her first book, Design Beyond Devices: Creating Multimodal, Cross-Device Experiences, was published by Rosenfeld Media in 2020. For folks new to design, she describes her book as “the design manual for folks who aspire to design the starship bridge of their dreams.”

In her current role as Director of User Experience for the Player Platform at Riot Games, Platz leads a team working to build a coherent cross-device experience for millions of players. Her past game development experience includes production, game design, and game writing on a variety of titles, from The Sims Makin’ Magic, The Sims 2, and The Urbz to the Chronicles of Narnia and Disney Friends.

Platz’s acting career includes credits on Internet shows such as Shadowrun: Corporate SINs, voice-over credits for The Sims 2 (DS) and BATTLETECH (2018) among others, and over 15 years of professional improv comedy performances with Unexpected Productions, Seattle Experimental Theater, and NERDprov. She also owns design education firm Ideaplatz, LLC and has delivered keynotes, workshops, and consulting services on 5 continents and in over a dozen countries.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy commented, “We are proud to welcome Cheryl Platz as our 2023 Toastmaster. Platz shares our love of game writing and exploring new worlds—from the page to the movie screen and onto our consoles. We can’t wait to see her on the stage of the Airship Nebula on the next stage of its journey.”

“Science fiction and fantasy have always been a huge part of my life,” remarked Platz, “from growing up with Star Trek to surviving college with Discworld and dreaming of alternative futures with today’s Lady Astronaut books. It is a tremendous honor to combine my own experience in writing, games, hosting, and improv to help bring this year’s triumphant re-launch of the live Nebulas experience to life not just for in-person audiences, but for live audiences around the world. I look forward to guiding you all on our away mission as the Airship Nebula docks for the first time in years this May for a memorable planetary visit.”