Nebula Awards


science fiction awards database


Hugo <— Overview thread —> World Fantasy

  Nebula Awards  
The Nebula Awards are the Oscars of the SF/F field, awards presented by professionals to professionals. They were created in the mid-1960s, by the newly formed Science Fiction Writers of America, as the basis for annual anthologies that would contribute to the income of the organization. In the 2000s the organization, now the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, revived the dramatic presentation (or script) category, naming it the Ray Bradbury Award, renamed its Grand Master award after SFWA co-found Damon Knight, and created the Andre Norton Award for young adult books. (These other-named awards are compiled separately in this database.)
Scope
Novels and short fiction published in the US.
What
Lucite trophy, originally designed by Kate Wilhelm and Judy Blish
Where & When
Annual Nebula Awards banquet, site varying each year, held usually in April or May
Process
Voting procedures have varied widely over the years. In the first couple decades, members made nominations throughout the year; works receiving a certain minimum number were placed on a preliminary ballot, which members voted to determine a final ballot, with a second round of voting to determine the winners. Beginning in the mid-1970s jurors were given the authority to add a single item in each category of the final ballot where they felt a deserving item had been overlooked. In the early 1990s, the eligibility period was extended to two calendar years, so that a work overlooked in one voting round (perhaps because of late-in-the-year publication) had a chance the following year. Rules changed again in 2009, with a return to a single-year period of eligibility, with the nomination period beginning after the end of the eligibility year.
History
Like the original Science Fiction Hall of Fame anthology (which gathered stories published before the advent of the the awards), the Nebula Awards were conceived of as a means of generating income for the newly formed writers' organization, via annual anthologies publishing the winning short fiction and selected runners-up. These anthologies continue, each edited by a different SFWA member.


Copyright 2012 - 2024 by Mark R. Kelly and the Locus Science Fiction Foundation. All rights reserved.
This page last updated Tuesday 6 Jun 2023 at 10:59 PT