The Nebula Awards! If the Hugos are the speculative fiction Oscars, then The Nebulas are no doubt its SAG Awards. Voted on by the writer’s themselves, a Nebula win is near the pinnacle of the SFF writer’s craft. In recent years, the awards have made an effort to reward the women, POC, and LGBT writers who have finally been gaining prominence in the genre. And the 2018 nominees, announced on Tuesday (via TOR) by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, continue that trend.
What Are The Nebulas?
The Nebulas have been awarded by the SFWA since 1966, and are voted on by the organization’s membership of published writers. They reward the previous year’s best in SFF novels, novellas, novelettes, short stories, The Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation, and The Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book. The latter two are relatively young, having been created in 2006 and 2010, respectively. 2018’s awards will also feature a Best Game Writing award, although that nominee has not been announced. Winner’s receive a trophy, a transparent block with an embedded glitter spiral nebula and gemstones cut to resemble planets. While there is no cash prize, I’m sure winners appreciate the bump in sales tacking “Nebula award winner” onto their name leads to.
Best Novel
Amberlough, Lara Elena Donnelly (Tor)
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, Theodora Goss (Saga)
Spoonbenders, Daryl Gregory (Knopf; riverrun)
The Stone Sky, N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Six Wakes, Mur Lafferty (Orbit US)
Jade City, Fonda Lee (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
Autonomous, Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK 2018)
Best Novella
River of Teeth, Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)
Passing Strange, Ellen Klages (Tor.com Publishing)
“And Then There Were (N-One)”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 3-4/17)
Barry’s Deal, Lawrence M. Schoen (NobleFusion Press)
All Systems Red, Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
The Black Tides of Heaven, JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)
Best Novellete
“Dirty Old Town”, Richard Bowes (F&SF 5-6/17)
“Weaponized Math”, Jonathan P. Brazee (The Expanding Universe, Vol. 3)
“Wind Will Rove”, Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s 9-10/17)
“A Series of Steaks”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld 1/17)
“A Human Stain”, Kelly Robson (Tor.com 1/4/17)
“Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time”, K.M. Szpara (Uncanny 5-6/17)
Best Short Story
“Fandom for Robots”, Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny 9-10/17)
“Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™”, Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex 8/17)
“Utopia, LOL?”, Jamie Wahls (Strange Horizons 6/5/17)
“Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand”, Fran Wilde (Uncanny 9-10/17)
“The Last Novelist (or A Dead Lizard in the Yard)”, Matthew Kressel (Tor.com 3/15/17)
“Carnival Nine”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 5/11/17
The Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
Get Out (Written by Jordan Peele)
The Good Place: “Michael’s Gambit” (Written by Michael Schur)
Logan (Screenplay by Scott Frank, James Mangold, and Michael Green)
The Shape of Water (Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor)
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Written by Rian Johnson)
Wonder Woman (Screenplay by Allan Heinberg)
The Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book
Exo, Fonda Lee (Scholastic Press)
Weave a Circle Round, Kari Maaren (Tor)
The Art of Starving, Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
Want, Cindy Pon (Simon Pulse)
The Nebula Awards are voted on through March and will be presented at the 52nd Annual Nebula Conference, May 17-20.
