The Hugo Awards, the most prestigious science fiction award, were established in 1953. The awards have been presented annually by the World Science Fiction Association at Worldcon since 1955. It is named after Hugo Gernsback, the founder of the pioneering science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. The Hugo Awards currently recognize achievements in science fiction and fantasy literature from the previous year, but also includes fan activities, as well as related content in other media.
In 2015, Chinese author Liu Cixin's The Three-Body Problem won the 73rd Hugo Award for Best Novel. And In 2016, Chinese author Hao Jingfang won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for her work Folding Beijing. These two winning records have made the Hugo awards a household name in China.
The three main types of Hugo Award categories are:
1. Individual works, for example, a single book or film, in which case the Award is given for that work.
2. People, for work done in the year of eligibility, for example Best Professional Artist, in which case the Award is given for the work that person has done in the year of eligibility.
3. Serial publications, for example Best Fanzine, in which case the Award is given for the entire run of that publication in the year of eligibility rather than for a single issue.
• Best Novel | |
• Best Novella | |
• Best Novelette | |
• Best Short Story | |
• Best Related Book | |
• Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form | |
• Best Dramatic Presentation - Short Form | |
• Best Professional Editor - Long Form | |
• Best Professional Editor - Short Form | |
• Best Professional Artist | |
• Best SemiProzine | |
• Best Fanzine | |
• Best Fan Writer | |
• Best Fan Artist | |
• Best Graphic Story or Comic • Best Fancast |
Worldcon Committees have the right to add one extra Hugo Award category each year. These extra Hugo Award categories are not permanent. View the Worldcon Constitution for details.
The basic Hugo design is a chrome rocket ship, created by Jack McKnight and Ben Jason. Each Worldcon designs its own base for the rocket, so every year's Hugos look different.
The Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book is not a Hugo Award. It is voted for and presented by WSFS alongside the Hugo Awards, and its rules are set in the WSFS Constitution. It is for a book published for young adult readers in the field of science fiction and fantasy. Because it is not a Hugo Award, a work can be eligible for the Lodestar Award and for the corresponding Hugo Award (based on length) in the same year.
The Astounding Award for Best New Writer (formerly the John W. Campbell Award through 2019) is not a Hugo Award. It is voted for and presented alongside the Hugo Awards, but the eligibility rules are not governed by the WSFS Constitution. Dell Magazines, the award’s owner, has specified that eligibility for the award is limited to authors whose first Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)-eligible publication occurred within the two years prior to the award year.
