The SFWA Events Team is thrilled to announce that the highly talented duo of Connie Willis and Neil Gaiman will be toastmasters of the 57th Annual Nebula Awards^®! The Nebula Awards Ceremony will be broadcast live to the public online on May 21, 2022, at 5pm PT.

Photo Credit: Mark Lewis

In addition to her long history as a celebrated toastmaster for award ceremonies in the science fiction and fantasy genres, Connie Willis was named the 2012 SFWA Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master and a recipient of the 2021 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr., Service to SFWA Award. Willis is the author of Doomsday Book, Crosstalk, and Passage, among many other fictional works and the upcoming novel The Road to Roswell. She has won eleven Hugo Awards and seven Nebula Awards. In 2009, Willis was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Being a toastmaster is her favorite thing besides bulldogs, romantic comedies, Oxford, and Randy Rainbow videos.

Photo Credit: Beowulf Sheehan 

Neil Gaiman is the New York Times bestselling author and creator of books, graphic novels, short stories, films, and television for all ages, including Norse Mythology, Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The View from the Cheap Seats, and The Sandman comic series. His fiction has received many awards and honours, including the Newbery and Carnegie medals, and the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, and Will Eisner awards. Several of his novels have been adapted for film and television, winning an Oscar nomination for Coraline, an Emmy nomination for American Gods, and Good Omens won the Hugo and Ray Bradbury awards, for the adaptation of a novel he wrote with the late Sir Terry Pratchett. His books have been translated into forty languages world-wide. In 2017, Gaiman became a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Originally from England, he now divides his time between Scotland, where Good Omens and Anansi Boys are filmed, and the United States, where he is Professor in the Arts at Bard College.

President Jeffe Kennedy says, “I’m delighted that Connie and Neil have so graciously taken time from their busy schedules to lend their voices and dynamic presences to the Nebula Awards ceremony. I’ve caught a glimpse in my crystal ball of what they’re up to and I can’t wait for everyone to join in the fun!”

This year’s Nebula Awards winners (the list of finalists) will be announced during the ceremony, which will stream for free on SFWA’s social media platforms. Of course, the ceremony is where we celebrate the most outstanding fictional works of the past year, and it’s a highlight of the 2022 Nebula Conference Online! 

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA) is pleased to announce that the 2021 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award will be presented to Colin Coyle at the 57th 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 the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. In 2012, the award was renamed in honor of author Kevin O’Donnell, who dedicated 20+ years of volunteer service to the organization.

Colin Coyle

Colin Coyle will join many distinguished recipients of the Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award, including Connie Willis, Victoria Strauss, Julia Rios, Bud Sparhawk, Lee Martindale, Vonda McIntyre, and Jim Fiscus. The award will be presented at the 57th Nebula Awards® Ceremony, taking place the weekend of May 20–22, 2022.

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy shared the following remarks, “Summarizing all the ways that Colin has served SFWA feels almost impossible. He’s been a pillar of SFWA’s programs for years and this recognition is long overdue. I’m thrilled to add Colin to this list and I know his name on it will set a high bar for those who will follow after.”

For the last five years, Coyle has been instrumental in shepherding the audio/visual component of the annual Nebula Conference. Coyle tirelessly researched and implemented some of the first hybrid conference components seen in the industry at our Nebula Conference in Pittsburgh in 2017. With his attention to detail and expertise, SFWA was able to simultaneously stream some of our live panel and workshop events, including our business meeting, to international attendees and members. 

In 2020, when the Nebula Conference moved entirely online due to the ongoing pandemic, Coyle’s contributions ensured that the virtual Nebula Airship launched with both a professional look and feel. Seamless technical integration meant that the entire conference was now accessible to an entirely new and international audience. In a year where many were forced to stay in their homes, Coyle’s work ensured the community could celebrate together. He led the technical aspects of the Nebula Awards ceremony as well, helping to elevate the once simple stage presentation to a professionally produced show. 

In 2019, when SFWA’s publisher of the Nebula Showcase anthology suddenly ceased operations, Coyle stepped up and rescued the anthology, turning it around quickly through his own Parvus Press. This fulfilled a longtime wish of many past Board members, allowing SFWA to offer copies onsite at the Nebula Conference only a few months later and in addition to the usual retail offerings. 

In 2018, Coyle spent the majority of his time at the San Jose Worldcon volunteering in the SFWA suite. Over 350 SFWA members and their guests attended the SFWA suite that year, a record, which required record volunteer hours to manage. 

For all of this tireless work, dedication, and commitment to the organization, SFWA is proud to offer the 2021 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award to Colin Coyle.

The 57th Nebula Awards® will take place during the 2022 Nebula Conference, an annual professional development conference organized by SFWA for aspiring and established members of the speculative fiction industry. The conference will take place both online and in-person in Los Angeles, May 20–22, 2022.