Nebula Award for Best Novel explained
The Nebula Award for Best Novel is given each year by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy novels. A work of fiction is considered a novel by the organization if it is 40,000 words or longer; awards are also given out for pieces of shorter lengths, in the categories of short story, novelette, and novella. To be eligible for Nebula Award consideration, a novel must have been published in English in the US. Works published in English elsewhere in the world are also eligible, provided they are released on either a website or in an electronic edition. The award has been given annually since 1966. Novels which were expanded forms of previously published stories are eligible, and novellas published individually can be considered as novels if the author requests it. The award has been described as one of "the most important of the American science fiction awards" and "the science-fiction and fantasy equivalent" of the Emmy Awards.
Nebula Award nominees and winners are chosen by members of SFWA, though the authors nominated do not need to be members. Works are nominated each year by members in a period around December 15 through January 31, and the six works that receive the most nominations then form the final ballot, with additional nominees possible in the case of ties. Soon after, members are given a month to vote on the ballot, and the final results are presented at the Nebula Awards ceremony in May. Authors are not permitted to nominate their own works, and ties in the final vote are broken, if possible, by the number of nominations the works received.
Beginning with the 2009 awards, the rules were changed to the current format, and nominated works must have been published during that calendar year. Prior to then, the eligibility period for nominations was defined as being one year after the publication date of the work, which allowed the possibility for works to be nominated in the calendar year after their publication, and then be awarded in the calendar year after that. Under the previous process, works were added to a preliminary list for the year if they had ten or more nominations, which were then voted on to create a final ballot, to which the SFWA organizing panel was also allowed to add an additional work if they felt it was overlooked.
During the 59 nomination years, 202 authors have had works nominated, and 46 of these have won (including co-authors and ties). Ursula K. Le Guin has received the most Nebula Awards for Best Novel, with four wins out of six nominations. Joe Haldeman has received the next most: three awards out of four nominations, while nine other authors have each won twice. Jack McDevitt has the most nominations at twelve (with one win), while Poul Anderson and Philip K. Dick tie for having the most nominations without winning an award, at five each.
Winners and nominees
In the following table, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the novel was first published. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature". Entries with a blue background and an asterisk (*) next to the writer's name have won the award; those with a white background are the other nominees on the shortlist.
* Winners and joint winners| Year | Author | Novel | Publisher or publication | Ref. |
|---|
| 1966 | | Dune | Chilton Company | |
|---|
| All Flesh is Grass | Doubleday | |
| | Berkley Books | |
|
| Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb | Ace Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| | Berkley Books | |
| Nova Express | Grove Press | |
| | Berkley Books | |
| Rogue Dragon | Ace Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| | Doubleday | |
| | Doubleday | |
| 1967 | | Babel-17 | Ace Books | |
|---|
| Flowers for Algernon | Harcourt | |
| | Putnam Publishing Group | |
| 1968 | | | Ace Books | |
|---|
| Chthon | Ballantine Books | |
| | Ballantine Books | |
| Lord of Light | Doubleday | |
| Thorns | Ballantine Books | |
| 1969 | | Rite of Passage | Ace Books | |
|---|
| Black Easter | Doubleday | |
| Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Doubleday | |
| | Ballantine Books | |
| Past Master | Ace Books | |
| Picnic on Paradise | Ace Books | |
| Stand on Zanzibar | Doubleday | |
| 1970 | | | Ace Books | |
|---|
| Bug Jack Barron | Avon | |
| Isle of the Dead | Ace Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| Slaughterhouse-Five | Delacorte Press | |
| Up the Line | Ballantine Books | |
| 1971 | | Ringworld | Ballantine Books | |
|---|
| And Chaos Died | Ace Books | |
| Fourth Mansions | Ace Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| Tower of Glass | Charles Scribner's Sons | |
| | Ace Books | |
| 1972 | | | Galaxy Science Fiction | |
|---|
| | Fantastic | |
| | Avon Publications | |
| Half Past Human | Ballantine Books | |
| | Amazing Stories | |
| Margaret and I | Little, Brown and Company | |
| 1973 | | | Galaxy Science Fiction | |
|---|
| | Charles Scribner's Sons | |
| Dying Inside | Galaxy Science Fiction | |
| | Avon | |
| | Harper & Row | |
| What Entropy Means to Me | Doubleday | |
| When HARLIE Was One | Ballantine Books | |
| 1974 | | Rendezvous with Rama | Galaxy Science Fiction | |
|---|
| Gravity's Rainbow | Viking Press | |
| | Random House | |
| | Analog Science Fact & Fiction | |
| Time Enough for Love | Putnam Publishing Group | |
| 1975 | | | Harper & Row | |
|---|
| 334 | Avon | |
| Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said | Doubleday | |
| | Ballantine Books | |
| 1976 | | | St. Martin's Press | |
|---|
| Autumn Angels | Pyramid Books | |
| | DAW Books | |
| | Analog Science Fact & Fiction | |
| Dhalgren | Bantam Books | |
| Doorways in the Sand | Analog Science Fact & Fiction | |
| | Charles Scribner's Sons | |
| | Nelson Doubleday | |
| | Bantam Books | |
| | Ballantine Books | |
| Guernica Night | Bobbs-Merrill Company | |
| | DAW Books | |
| Invisible Cities | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich | |
| | Doubleday | |
| Missing Man | Berkley Books | |
| | Simon & Schuster | |
|
| Ragtime | Random House | |
| | | |
| 1977 | | Man Plus | | |
|---|
| Inferno | Pocket Books | |
|
| Islands | Pyramid Books | |
| Shadrach in the Furnace | Bobbs-Merrill Company | |
| Triton | Bantam Books | |
| Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang | Harper & Row | |
| 1978 | | Gateway | Galaxy Science Fiction | |
|---|
| Cirque | Bobbs-Merrill Company | |
| In the Ocean of Night | Dial Press | |
| Moonstar Odyssey | New American Library | |
| Sword of the Demon | Harper & Row | |
| 1979 | | Dreamsnake | Houghton Mifflin | |
|---|
| Blind Voices | Berkley Books | |
| | Galaxy Science Fiction | |
| Kalki | Random House | |
| Strangers | Berkley Books | |
| 1980 | | | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich | |
|---|
| Jem | St. Martin's Press | |
| Juniper Time | Harper & Row | |
| On Wings of Song | | |
| | Pocket Books | |
| Titan | Berkley Books | |
| 1981 | | Timescape | Simon & Schuster | |
|---|
| Beyond the Blue Event Horizon | Del Rey Books | |
| Mockingbird | Doubleday | |
| | Pocket Books | |
| | Simon & Schuster | |
| | Dial Press | |
| 1982 | | | Timescape Books | |
|---|
| Little, Big | Bantam Books | |
| | Houghton Mifflin | |
| Radix | William Morrow and Company | |
| Riddley Walker | Summit Books | |
| | Simon & Schuster | |
| 1983 | | No Enemy But Time | Timescape Books | |
|---|
| Foundation's Edge | Doubleday | |
| Friday | Holt, Rinehart & Winston | |
| Helliconia Spring | Atheneum Books | |
| | Timescape Books | |
| | Timescape Books | |
| 1984 | | Startide Rising | Bantam Books | |
|---|
| Against Infinity | Timescape Books | |
| | Timescape Books | |
| Lyonesse | Berkley Books | |
| Tea with the Black Dragon | Bantam Books | |
| | Timescape Books | |
| 1985 | | Neuromancer | Ace Books | |
|---|
| Frontera | Baen Books | |
| | Del Rey Books | |
| | Del Rey Books | |
| | Bluejay Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| 1986 | | Ender's Game | Tor Books | |
|---|
| Blood Music | Arbor House | |
| Dinner at Deviant's Palace | Ace Books | |
| Helliconia Winter | Atheneum Books | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| | Del Rey Books | |
| Schismatrix | Arbor House | |
| 1987 | | Speaker for the Dead | Tor Books | |
|---|
| Count Zero | Asimov's Science Fiction | |
| Free Live Free | Tor Books | |
| | Houghton Mifflin | |
| | Atlantic Monthly Press | |
| This Is the Way the World Ends | Henry Holt and Company | |
| 1988 | | | | |
|---|
| | | |
| Soldier of the Mist | | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| Vergil in Averno | Doubleday | |
| When Gravity Fails | Arbor House | |
| 1989 | | Falling Free | Analog Science Fact & Fiction | |
|---|
| Deserted Cities of the Heart | Doubleday Foundation | |
| Drowning Towers | Arbor House | |
| Great Sky River | Bantam Spectra | |
| Mona Lisa Overdrive | Bantam Spectra | |
| Red Prophet | Tor Books | |
| | Tor Books | |
| 1990 | | | Doubleday Foundation | |
|---|
| | Tor Books | |
| Prentice Alvin | Tor Books | |
| Good News From Outer Space | Tor Books | |
| Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future | Tor Books | |
| Sister Light, Sister Dark | Tor Books | |
| 1991 | | | Macmillan Publishers | |
|---|
| Mary Reilly | Doubleday Foundation | |
| Only Begotten Daughter | Doubleday | |
| | William Morrow and Company | |
| Redshift Rendezvous | Ace Books | |
| White Jenna | Tor Books | |
| 1992 | | Stations of the Tide | Asimov's Science Fiction | |
|---|
| Orbital Resonance | Tor Books | |
| Barrayar | Analog Science Fact & Fiction | |
| Bone Dance | Ace Books | |
| Synners | Bantam Spectra | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
|
| 1993 | | Doomsday Book | Bantam Spectra | |
|---|
| | Tor Books | |
| Sarah Canary | Henry Holt and Company | |
| China Mountain Zhang | Tor Books | |
| | Tor Books | |
| Briar Rose | Tor Books | |
| 1994 | | Red Mars | Bantam Spectra | |
|---|
| Assemblers of Infinity | Analog Science Fiction and Fact | |
|
| Hard Landing | Fantasy & Science Fiction | |
| Beggars in Spain | Morrow AvoNova | |
| Nightside the Long Sun | Tor Books | |
| 1995 | | Moving Mars | Tor Books | |
|---|
| Parable of the Sower | Four Walls Eight Windows | |
| Gun, with Occasional Music | Harcourt Brace | |
| Towing Jehovah | Harcourt Brace | |
| Temporary Agency | St. Martin's Press | |
| Green Mars | Bantam Spectra | |
| | Morrow AvoNova | |
| 1996 | | | HarperPrism | |
|---|
| Mother of Storms | Tor Books | |
| Beggars and Choosers | Tor Books | |
| Celestis | Tor Books | |
| Metropolitan | HarperPrism | |
| Calde of the Long Sun | Tor Books | |
| 1997 | | Slow River | Del Rey Books | |
|---|
| | AvoNova | |
| Winter Rose | Ace Books | |
| Expiration Date | Tor Books | |
| Starplex | Analog Science Fiction and Fact | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| 1998 | | | Pocket Books | |
|---|
| Memory | Baen Books | |
| King's Dragon | DAW Books | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| Ancient Shores | HarperPrism | |
| City on Fire | HarperPrism | |
| Bellwether | Bantam Spectra | |
| 1999 | | Forever Peace | Ace Books | |
|---|
| | Tor Books | |
| Moonfall | HarperPrism | |
| How Few Remain | Del Rey Books | |
| The Death of the Necromancer | Avon | |
| To Say Nothing of the Dog | Bantam Spectra | |
| 2000 | | Parable of the Talents | Seven Stories Press | |
|---|
| | Tor Books | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| Mission Child | Avon Eos | |
| Mockingbird | Ace Books | |
| | Tor Books | |
| 2001 | | Darwin's Radio | Del Rey Books | |
|---|
| | Baen Books | |
| Crescent City Rhapsody | Avon Eos | |
| Midnight Robber | Warner Aspect | |
| Infinity Beach | HarperPrism | |
| Forests of the Heart | Tor Books | |
| 2002 | | | Tor Books | |
|---|
| Eternity's End | Tor Books | |
| Mars Crossing | Tor Books | |
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| | Del Rey Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| Declare | Subterranean Press | |
| Passage | Bantam Books | |
| 2003 | | American Gods | William Morrow and Company | |
|---|
| Solitaire | Eos | |
| | Harcourt | |
| Picoverse | Ace Books | |
| Perdido Street Station | Del Rey Books | |
| Bones of the Earth | Eos | |
| 2004 | | | Ballantine Books | |
|---|
| Diplomatic Immunity | Baen Books | |
| | Small Beer Press | |
| Light Music | Eos | |
| | Warner | |
| Chindi | Ace Books | |
| 2005 | | Paladin of Souls | Eos | |
|---|
| Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom | Tor Books | |
| Omega | Ace Books | |
| Cloud Atlas | Random House | |
| Perfect Circle | Small Beer Press | |
| | Tor Books | |
| 2006 | | Camouflage | Analog Science Fiction and Fact | |
|---|
| Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell | Bloomsbury Publishing | |
| Polaris | Ace Books | |
| Going Postal | HarperCollins | |
| Air | St. Martin's Press | |
| Orphans of Chaos | Tor Books | |
| 2007 | | Seeker | Ace Books | |
|---|
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| | HarperCollins | |
| Farthing | Tor Books | |
| From the Files of the Time Rangers | Golden Gryphon Press | |
| To Crush the Moon | Bantam Spectra | |
| 2008 | | | HarperCollins | |
|---|
| Odyssey | Ace Books | |
| | Ace Books | |
| | Warner | |
| Ragamuffin | Tor Books | |
| 2009 | | Powers | Harcourt | |
|---|
| Little Brother | Tor Books | |
| Cauldron | Ace Books | |
| Brasyl | Pyr Books | |
| Making Money | Harper | |
| Superpowers | Three Rivers Press | |
| 2010 | | | Night Shade Books | |
|---|
| | Bantam Books | |
| Flesh and Fire | Pocket Books | |
| | Del Rey Books | |
| Boneshaker | Tor Books | |
| Finch | Underland Press | |
| 2011 | | Blackout/All Clear | Bantam Spectra | |
|---|
| | Bantam Spectra | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| Shades of Milk and Honey | Tor Books | |
| Echo | Ace Books | |
| Who Fears Death | DAW Books | |
| | | Tor Books | |
|---|
| | Subterranean Press | |
| | Ace Books | |
| | Night Shade Books | |
| | Prime Books | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| | | Orbit Books | |
|---|
| | DAW Books | |
| | Tor Books | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| | Roc Books | |
| | Tor Books | |
| 2014 | | Ancillary Justice | Orbit Books | |
|---|
| We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves | Marian Wood Books | |
| | William Morrow and Company | |
| Fire with Fire | Baen Books | |
| Hild | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | |
| | Mythic Island Press | |
| | Small Beer Press | |
| | Harper | |
| 2015 | | Annihilation | Farrar, Straus and Giroux | |
|---|
| | Tor Books | |
| Trial by Fire | Baen Books | |
| Ancillary Sword | Orbit Books | |
| The Three-Body Problem | Tor Books | |
| Coming Home | Ace Books | |
| 2016 | | Uprooted | Del Rey Books | |
|---|
| Ancillary Mercy | Orbit Books | |
| Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard | Tor Books | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| | Saga Press | |
| Raising Caine | Baen Books | |
| Updraft | Tor Books | |
| 2017 | | All the Birds in the Sky | Tor Books, Titan Books | |
|---|
| Borderline | Saga Press | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| Ninefox Gambit | Solaris Books | |
| Everfair | Tor Books | |
| 2018 | | | Orbit Books | |
|---|
| Amberlough | Tor Books | |
| | Saga Press | |
| Spoonbenders | Alfred A. Knopf, Riverrun Books | |
| Six Wakes | Orbit Books | |
| Jade City | Orbit Books | |
| Autonomous | Tor Books, Orbit Books | |
| 2019 | | | Tor Books | |
|---|
| Blackfish City | Ecco Press, Orbit UK | |
| | Harper Voyager | |
| Spinning Silver | Del Rey Books, Macmillan Publishers | |
| Trail of Lightning | Saga Press | |
| Witchmark | Tor.com Publishing | |
| 2020 | | | Berkley Press | |
|---|
| Marque of Caine | Baen Books | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| | Tor Books | |
| Gods of Jade and Shadow | Del Rey Books, Jo Fletcher Books | |
| Gideon the Ninth | Tor.com Publishing | |
| 2021 | | Network Effect | Tor.com Publishing | |
|---|
| Piranesi | Bloomsbury Publishing | |
| | Orbit Books | |
| Mexican Gothic | Del Rey Books | |
| | Erewhon Books | |
| Black Sun | Saga Press | |
| 2022 | | | Tor.com Publishing | |
|---|
| | Orbit Books | |
| Machinehood | Saga Press | |
| | Tor.com Publishing | |
| Plague Birds | Apex | |
| 2023 | | Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution | Harper Voyager | |
|---|
| Legends & Lattes | Cryptid Press, Tor Books | |
| Spear | Tordotcom | |
| Nettle & Bone | Tor Books, Titan Books | |
| Nona the Ninth | Tordotcom | |
| | MCD, Weidenfeld & Nicolson | |
| 2024 | | | Tordotcom | |
|---|
| | Tordotcom
- Solaris UK
| |
| Translation State | Orbit US, Orbit UK | |
| | Tordotcom
- Orbit UK
| |
| Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon | DAW
- Gollancz
| |
| Witch King | Tordotcom | | |
See also
External links
