Nebula Award

Honoring the Best in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Considered by many in the literary community to be one of the highest honors in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, the Nebula Award is presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Since 1966, the Award has been voted on by members of the organization, which now total above 1500 members, many of them being prolific writers of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. The Nebula Award was originally conceived by Lloyd Biggle, Jr. as an annual anthology of the best Science Fiction and Fantasy stories published that previous year, but that idea quickly snowballed into a much larger effort to identify and honor the best Science Fiction and Fantasy works published with a lavish awards banquet. Ever since then, the Nebula Awards have been presented to authors in four distinct categories, including Best Novel, Best Novella, Best Novellette, and Best Short Story.

The Bradbury Award and the Norton Award

For a few years between 1992 and 2001, there was also a category for Best Script, but that category became its own separate award called the Bradbury Award in 2009. Author Ray Bradbury is not only remembered for being a prolific Science Fiction novelist, as he was also a gifted screenwriter. Wanting to honor screenwriters for their contribution to the genre, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America began the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation.

In addition to the Bradbury Award, there is also the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy that is presented each year along with the Nebulas. Named in honor of the pen name for Alice Mary Norton, the award was first presented in 2006 to honor Science Fiction and Fantasy novels targeted for middle schoolers and young adults. The first winner of the Norton Award was Holly Black for the novel Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie. Notably, all of the nominees for that first Norton Award were women authors.

The Nebula Anthology

To help fund the Nebula Awards, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America have published a yearly anthology of some of the best short stories submitted that year, and that anthology has become an important cornerstone in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre. The first Nebula Award recipient was author Frank Herbert for his famous novel, Dune. Other past winners have included Issac Asimov in 1973 for The Gods Themselves, Orson Scott Card in 1986 for Ender's Game, and Connie Wills in 1993 for Doomsday Book.

Literary Awards

Nebula Award Winners by the Year

Blackout

2011 Winner Nebula Award

Blackout

by Connie Willis

In her first novel since 2002, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author Connie Willis returns with a stunning, enormously entertaining novel of time travel, war, and the deeds--great and small--of ordinary people who shape history. In the hands of this a… read more

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No image available

2010 Winner Nebula Award

The Windup Girl

by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Windup Girl is a biopunk science fiction novel written by Paolo Bacigalupi and released in September 2009. It was named as the ninth best fiction book of 2009 by TIME magazine, and as the best science fiction book of the year in the Reference and… read more

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Powers

2009 Winner Nebula Award

Powers

by Ursula K Le Guin

Young Gav can remember the page of a book after seeing it once, and, inexplicably, he sometimes “remembers” things that are going to happen in the future. As a loyal slave, he must keep these powers secret, but when a terrible tragedy … read more

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The Yiddish Policemen's Union

2008 Winner Nebula Award

The Yiddish Policemen's Union

by Michael Chabon

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Seeker

2007 Winner Nebula Award

Seeker

by Jack McDevitt

With Polaris , multiple Nebula Award-nominee Jack McDevitt reacquainted readers with Alex Benedict, his hero from A Talent for War . Alex and his assistant, Chase Kolpath, return to investigate the provenance of the cup. Alex and Chase follow a de… read more

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Camouflage

2006 Winner Nebula Award

Camouflage

by Joe Haldeman

Joe Haldeman is a Vietnam veteran whose classic novels The Forever War and Forever Peace both have the rare honor of winning the Hugo and Nebula Awards. He has served twice as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America and is currently … read more

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Paladin Of Souls

2005 Winner Nebula Award

Paladin Of Souls

by Lois McMaster Bujold

Paladin of Souls is a 2003 fantasy novel by Lois McMaster Bujold.

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The Speed Of Dark

2004 Winner Nebula Award

The Speed Of Dark

by Elizabeth Moon

The Speed of Dark is a near-future science fiction novel by American author Elizabeth Moon. The story is told from the first person viewpoint of an autistic process analyst. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2003, and was also an Arthur C. Cl… read more

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American Gods

2003 Winner Nebula Award

American Gods

by Neil Gaiman

"American Gods" by Neil Gaiman follows Shadow, a recently released convict who becomes involved in a war between the old gods of mythological lore and the new gods of technology and media. The protagonist, Shadow, is released from prison after serv… read more

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The Quantum Rose

2002 Winner Nebula Award

The Quantum Rose

by Catherine Asaro

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Darwin's Radio

2001 Winner Nebula Award

Darwin's Radio

by Greg Bear

Darwin's Radio is a 1999 science fiction novel by Greg Bear. It won the Nebula Award in 2000 for Best Novel and the 2000 Endeavour Award. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award, Locus and Campbell Awards the same year. It was followed by a sequ… read more

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Darwin's Radio

2000 Winner Nebula Award

Darwin's Radio

by Greg Bear

Darwin's Radio is a 1999 science fiction novel by Greg Bear. It won the Nebula Award in 2000 for Best Novel and the 2000 Endeavour Award. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award, Locus and Campbell Awards the same year. It was followed by a sequ… read more

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Parable Of the Talents

1999 Winner Nebula Award

Parable Of the Talents

by Octavia Butler

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Forever Peace

1998 Winner Nebula Award

Forever Peace

by Joe Haldeman

Forever Peace is a 1997 science fiction novel by Joe Haldeman. It won the Nebula Award, Hugo Award and John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1998.

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The Moon and The Sun - Masterpieces Of Science Fiction

1997 Winner Nebula Award

The Moon and The Sun - Masterpieces Of Science Fiction

by Vonda McIntyre

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Slow River

1996 Winner Nebula Award

Slow River

by Nicola Griffith

Slow River is British writer Nicola Griffith's second science fiction novel, first published in 1995. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel and the Lambda Literary Award in 1996.

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The Terminal Experiment

1995 Winner Nebula Award

The Terminal Experiment

by Robert J Sawyer

Dr. Peter Hobson has created three electronic simulations of his own personality. But they all have escaped from Hobson's computer into the web-and one of them is a killer.

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Moving Mars - Masterpieces Of Science Fiction

1994 Winner Nebula Award

Moving Mars - Masterpieces Of Science Fiction

by Greg Bear

Moving Mars is a science fiction novel written by Greg Bear. Published in 1993, it won the 1994 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and was also nominated for the 1994 Hugo, Locus, and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards, each in the same category. The main fo… read more

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Red Mars

1993 Winner Nebula Award

Red Mars

by Kim Stanley Robinson

Red Mars is the first book in the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson . A joint American-Russian mission sends the first colonial voyage to Mars with 100 colonists with the goal of establishing a permanent settlement. Against the backdrop of power… read more

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Doomsday Book

1992 Winner Nebula Award

Doomsday Book

by Connie Willis

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror. While spending the Christmas of 1085 in Gloucester, William "had deep speech with his counsellors and … read more

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Stations Of the Tide

1991 Winner Nebula Award

Stations Of the Tide

by Michael Swanwick

Stations of the Tide is a 1991 science fiction novel by American author Michael Swanwick. Prior to being published as a novel, it was serialized in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine in two parts, starting in mid-December 1990. It won the Ne… read more

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Tehanu

1990 Winner Nebula Award

Tehanu

by Ursula K Leguin

Tehanu was the fourth of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1990, and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1991.

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Healer's War, The

1989 Winner Nebula Award

Healer's War, The

by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

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Falling Free

1988 Winner Nebula Award

Falling Free

by Lois McMaster Bujold

The Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. Most of them concern Miles Vorkosigan, a physically disabled aristocrat from the planet Barrayar whose life (from before birth), mili… read more

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The Falling Woman

1987 Winner Nebula Award

The Falling Woman

by Pat Murphy

The Falling Woman is a 1986 science fiction novel by Pat Murphy. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1987.

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Cardography

1986 Winner Nebula Award

Cardography

by Orson Scott Card

Cardography (1987) is a short story collection by Orson Scott Card. It contains five stories and an introduction by David Hartwell. All five of these stories were later published in Maps in a Mirror

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Wyrms

1985 Winner Nebula Award

Wyrms

by Orson Scott Card

A wyrm is a European dragon. Other uses of the term include: Wyrm (Tides of Darkness), a malefic entity in the World of Darkness role-playing games Wyrms (novel), a science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card Wyrm, a song on the album Space Eternal Voi… read more

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Neuromancer

1984 Winner Nebula Award

Neuromancer

by William Gibson

Neuromancer is a 1984 novel by William Gibson, notable for being the most famous early cyberpunk novel and winner of the science-fiction "triple crown"—the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award. It was Gibson's fi… read more

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Startide Rising

1983 Winner Nebula Award

Startide Rising

by David Brin

Startide Rising is a 1983 science fiction novel by David Brin and the second book of six set in his Uplift Universe. It earned both Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel. It was revised by the author in 1993 to correct errors and omissions from the o… read more

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No Enemy But Time

1982 Winner Nebula Award

No Enemy But Time

by Michael Bishop

No Enemy But Time is a 1982 science fiction novel by Michael Bishop. It won the 1982 Nebula Award for Best Novel, and was also nominated for the 1983 John W. Campbell Memorial Award. The novel follows the story of a modern black American man who is a… read more

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The Claw Of the Conciliator

1981 Winner Nebula Award

The Claw Of the Conciliator

by Gene Wolfe

The Claw of the Conciliator is a science fiction novel by Gene Wolfe, first released in 1981. It is the second volume in the four-volume series, The Book of the New Sun.

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Timescape

1980 Winner Nebula Award

Timescape

by Gregory Benford

Timescape is a 1980 novel by science fiction writer Gregory Benford (with unbilled co-author Hilary Foister). It won the 1980 Nebula and British Science Fiction Awards, and the 1981 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel.

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Fountains Of Paradise

1979 Winner Nebula Award

Fountains Of Paradise

by Arthur C Clarke

The Fountains of Paradise is a Hugo and Nebula Award winning 1979 novel by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This "orbital tower" is a giant structure rising from the ground and li… read more

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Dreamsnake

1978 Winner Nebula Award

Dreamsnake

by Vonda McIntyre

Dreamsnake is a 1978 science fiction novel written by Vonda McIntyre. Dreamsnake won the 1979 Hugo Award, the 1978 Nebula Award, and the 1979 Locus Award. The novel follows a healer on a journey while she seeks to replace one of her healer snakes. Nu… read more

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Gateway

1977 Winner Nebula Award

Gateway

by Frederik Pohl

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Man Plus

1976 Winner Nebula Award

Man Plus

by Frederik Pohl

Man Plus is a 1976 science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1976 and was nominated for the Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Awards in 1977. Pohl teamed up with Thomas T. Thomas to write a sequel, Mars Plus, published… read more

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The Forever War

1975 Winner Nebula Award

The Forever War

by Joe Haldeman

The Forever War is a 1974 science fiction novel by Joe Haldeman. It won the Nebula Award in 1975, and both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1976. An action-laden and contemplative story of an interstellar war between humanity and the enigmatic Tauran spe… read more

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The Dispossessed

1974 Winner Nebula Award

The Dispossessed

by Ursula K Leguin

The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia is a 1974 utopian science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, set in the same fictional universe as that of The Left Hand of Darkness. The book won the Nebula Award in 1974, both the Hugo and Locus Awards in 1975… read more

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Rendezvous With Rama

1973 Winner Nebula Award

Rendezvous With Rama

by Arthur C Clarke

Rendezvous with Rama is a novel by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. Set in the 22nd century, the story involves a fifty-kilometer-long cylindrical alien starship that enters Earth's solar system. The story is told from the point of view … read more

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The Gods Themselves

1972 Winner Nebula Award

The Gods Themselves

by Isaac Asimov

The Gods Themselves is a 1972 science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1972, and the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1973. The book is divided into three main parts, originally published in magazine form a… read more

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Time Of Changes

1971 Winner Nebula Award

Time Of Changes

by Robert Silverberg

A Time of Changes is a 1971 science fiction novel by Robert Silverberg. It won the Nebula Award for that year, and was also nominated for the Hugo and Locus Awards for in 1972.

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Ringworld

1970 Winner Nebula Award

Ringworld

by Larry Niven

Ringworld is a Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. It is followed by three sequels, and ties into numerous other book… read more

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The Left Hand Of Darkness

1969 Winner Nebula Award

The Left Hand Of Darkness

by Ursula K Leguin

The Left Hand of Darkness is a science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, first published in 1969. The book is one of the first major works of feminist science fiction and is one in a series of books by Le Guin all set in the fictional Hainish unive… read more

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Rite Of Passage

1968 Winner Nebula Award

Rite Of Passage

by Alexei Panshin

Rite of Passage is a science fiction novel by Alexei Panshin. Published in 1968, this novel about a Shipboard teenager's coming of age won that year's Nebula Award. It was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1969.

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The Einstein Intersection

1967 Winner Nebula Award

The Einstein Intersection

by Samuel R Delany

The Einstein Intersection is a 1967 science fiction novel by Samuel R. Delany. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1967 and was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1968. It is sometimes titled A Fabulous, Formless Darkness, the autho… read more

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Babel-17

1966 Winner Nebula Award

Babel-17

by Samuel R Delany

Babel-17 is a 1966 science fiction novel by Samuel R. Delany in which the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (that language strongly influences thought and perceived reality) plays an important part. It was joint winner of the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1966… read more

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Flowers For Algernon

1966 Winner Nebula Award

Flowers For Algernon

by Daniel Keyes

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award … read more

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Dune

1965 Winner Nebula Award

Dune

by Frank Herbert

The first in the epic science fiction series of the same name, Dune is set on the desert planet Arrakis, host to "the Spice" - the most important resource in the universe, needed for interplanetary travel and coveted for its effects on longevity an… read more

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