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Received — 21 September 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 National Book Awards Longlists

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
21 September 2026 at 19:09

National Book Foundation logo

Longlists for the National Book Awards (NBA) have been announced. Categories, authors, and books of genre interest include:

Fiction

  • Paradiso 17, Hannah Lillith Assadi (Knopf)
  • Red Ants, Kimberly Blaeser (Counterpoint)
  • Pretend You’re Dead and I Carry You, Julián Delgado Lopera (Liveright)
  • Python’s Kiss, Louise Erdrich (Harper)
  • The Disappearers, Marlon James (Riverhead)
  • Passengers, Alexander Maksik (Europa)
  • The Renovation, Kenan Orhan (Farrar, Straus)
  • Mad Eden, Morgan Thomas (MCD)

Young People’s Literature

  • Holloway, Elana K. Arnold (Clarion)
  • The Celestial Seas, T. A. Chan (Viking Books for Young Readers)
  • When Tomorrow Burns, Tae Keller (Random House Books for Young Readers)
  • That Which Feeds Us: A Hawaiian Gothic, Keala Kendall (Random House Books for Young Readers)
  • The Fight of Our Lives: AIDS in America, Gabriel Duckels & David Levithan (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
  • Shook, Julian Randall (Henry Holt BYR)
  • Life on the Moon, Matthew Swanson, illustrated by Robbi Behr (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

Translated Literature

  • Now I Surrender, Álvaro Enrigue, tr. Natasha Wimmer (Riverhead)
  • Eden at Dawn, Karim Kattan, tr. Jeffrey Zuckerman (Restless)
  • The School of Night, Karl Ove Knausgård, tr. Martin Aitken (Penguin)
  • Centroeuropa, Vicente Luis Mora, tr. Rahul Bery (Bellevue Literary)
  • Night of a Thousand Hells, Intan Paramaditha, tr. Stephen Epstein & Tiffany Tsao (Europa)
  • Pure Men, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, tr. Lara Vergnaud (Other)
  • The Disappearing Act, Maria Stepanova, tr. Sasha Dugdale (New Directions)

The judges for the Fiction award are Matt Bell, Caro De Robertis (chair), Danielle King, Akhil Sharma, and Diane Wilson. Judges for the Young People’s Literature award are Edith Campbell, Brandy Colbert (chair), Tricia Ebarvia, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, and Anne Ursu. Judges for the Translated Fiction award are Shelley Fairweather-Vega, Javier García del Moral, John Keene, Christopher Merrill (chair), and Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi.

The Poetry and Nonfiction longlists were also announced, and Lifetime Achievement recipients Salman Rushdie and Perri Klass were previously announced. Finalists, who receive a prize of $1,000, a medal, and a judges’ citation, will be announced October 6, 2026. Winners, who receive $10,000 and a bronze sculpture, will be honored at the 77th National Book Awards Ceremony on November 18, 2026.

For more information, including the complete longlists, see the National Book Foundation website.

The post 2026 National Book Awards Longlists appeared first on Locus.

Received — 17 September 2026 ⏭ Literature

Montréal 2027 Adds Addison and Doctorow as Guests of Honor

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
17 September 2026 at 20:14

Montreal 2027 Worldcon logo, a red maple leaf on a white circular background with the text "Montreal 2027."

Montréal 2027, the 85th World Science Fiction Convention, has added Linda D. Addison and Cory Doctorow as guests of honor. Doctorow will be toastmaster for Montréal 2027.

Addison and Doctorow join previously announced guests of honor Chris Barkley, Jeph Jacques, Yves Meynard, and Jo Walton. Montréal 2027 Worldcon will be held September 2-6, 2027 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal in Québec, Canada. For more information, see the official website.

The post Montréal 2027 Adds Addison and Doctorow as Guests of Honor appeared first on Locus.

Received — 14 September 2026 ⏭ Literature

Marshall Wins 2026 Sunburst Award

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
14 September 2026 at 18:30

Sunburst Award logo

The Sunburst Award Society has announced Helen Marshall, author of The Lady, The Tiger and the Girl Who Loved Death (Titan) [amazon / bookshop], as the winner of this year’s Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic.

Other shortlisted works include:

Marshall receives a medallion with the Sunburst logo and a cash prize of CAD $3,000. The jurors for the 2026 Award were A.G. Pasquella, Daniel Perry, and A.C. Wise.

For more information, see the Sunburst Award Society website.

The post Marshall Wins 2026 Sunburst Award appeared first on Locus.

Received — 10 September 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 Dream Foundry Contest Winners

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
10 September 2026 at 18:00

Dream Foundry,Dream Foundry dragon logo a “non-profit dedicated to bolstering the careers of nascent professionals working with the speculative arts,” has announced the winners for its 2026 contests.

Writing Contest

  • N.A. Blair (First Place)
  • Natalie Anai Nowo Lydick (Second Place)
  • Tomás Xavier Díaz (Third Place)

Art Contest

  • Emelia Feldman (First Place)
  • Niko Kristic (Second Place)
  • Marcus Leon Solomon (Third Place)

First place winners receive $1,500, second place receives $750, and third place receives $400.

The writing judges were P.A. Cornell and R.S.A. Garcia. The art contest judges were Becca Farrow and Hannah Vardit. The writing contest coordinator was Julia Rios and the art contest coordinator was Ilinca Barbacuta.

For more information, see the Dream Foundry website or their contest press releases.

The post 2026 Dream Foundry Contest Winners appeared first on Locus.

Received — 1 September 2026 ⏭ Literature

David Kopaska-Merkel (1957-2026)

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
1 September 2026 at 19:59

Author and editor David Kopaska-Merkel, 69, died August 26, 2026.

David C. Kopaska-Merkel was born January 11, 1957 in Charlottesville VA. He attended William & Mary, earned a doctorate in geology, worked for the Geological Survey of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, and wrote several articles and books on geology and paleontology. He began writing speculative work in short fiction, starting with his first published story “Mecroniya” (1981), but soon began publishing poetry, beginning with “on the river” (1984) under the name Lawrence Harding and accumulating well over 1,000 published poems. He served as the president of the Science Fiction Poetry Association from 2011 to 2014. In 2017, he was voted a SFPA Grand Master, and in 2025, the association awarded him the President’s Lifetime Service Award. He lived in Birmingham AL.

Several of his works have been recognized with awards, including Rhysling Award winner “The Tin Men” (2005); Rhysling Award nominees “Valley of Years” (2000), “Medusa’s Tale” (2002), “meteor shower” (2002), “Tsunami Child” (2005), and “Rattlebox III” (2009); and Dwarf Stars Award nominee “If She Knew She Was a Ghost” (2017). He was published in Abyss & Apex, Dreams & Nightmares, Eldritch Tales, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Scifaikuest Online, Space & Time, Star*Line, Strange Horizons, and many more. His over 30 collections include underfoot (1991), Elgin Award nominee Edible Zoo (1994), Y2K Survival Kit (1999), The Ruined City (2003), I don’t know what you’re having (2005), Drowning Atlantis (2007), Hasp Deadbolt, Private Eye (2007), Brushfires (2010), The Tin Men (2011) with Kendall Evans, Elgin Award nominee SETI Hits Paydirt (2014), Gods and Monsters (2015), The Ambassador Takes One for the Team (2019), Unwelcome Guests (2024), and Risk Assessment(2025). Some Disassembly Required (2022) won an Elgin Award.

Kopaska-Merkel was also a storied editor. Among his projects, he edited Dreams & Nightmares spanning more than 100 issues over approximately 40 years, beginning in 1986, making the magazine one of the oldest recognized speculative poetry magazines. He edited Star*Line from 1996 to 2002 and a 2020 guest issue of Eye to the Telescope. He edited nine issues of the Rhysling Poetry Awards Anthology, and the 2023 issue of the Dwarf Stars Poetry Award Anthology with Miguel O. Mitchell. He contributed numerous works of non-fiction, primarily to Star*Line, but also to Dreams & Nightmares, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Mindsparks, Scifaikuest, and Xenophilia.

He is survived by his wife, Sheila, and their daughters.

The post David Kopaska-Merkel (1957-2026) appeared first on Locus.

2026 Nommo Awards Shortlist

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
1 September 2026 at 19:08

Nommo Awards red logoThe African Speculative Fiction Society (ASFS) announced the shortlist for the 2026 Nommo Awards, given to works “by African authors” as defined by the ASFS and Nommo Awards Guidelines, on August 27, 2026 at LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention, in Anaheim CA.

Ilube Award for Best Novel

  • The Bone River, Nkereuwem Albert (Phoenix)
  • Black Navel, Paul Olisaeloka Anozie (Griots Lounge) amazon / bookshop
  • Firstborn of the Sun, Marvellous Michael Anson (Michael Joseph) amazon
  • A Song of Legends Lost, M.H. Ayinde (Saga) amazon / bookshop
  • Secrets of the First School, T.L. Huchu (Tor) amazon / bookshop
  • Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow; Gollancz) amazon / bookshop

Best Novella

Best Short Story

  • “Apostasy in Fruit”, Moustapha Mbacké Diop (The Dark 5/25)
  • “The Cancellation of Michael Z”, T.L. Huchu (Litro 5/30/26)
  • “We Begin Where Infinity Ends”, Somto Ihezue (Clarkesworld 2/25)
  • “A Heap of Petrified Gods”, Adelehin Ijasan (Lightspeed 1/25)
  • “Full, Empty Houses”, Plangdi Neple (Kaleidotrope Spring ’25)
  • “If Memory Serves”, Kevin Rigathi (Will This Be a Problem? The Anthology: Issue V)

Best Graphic Novel

  • The Fables of Erlking Wood, written and illustrated by Juni Ba, lettered by Aditya Bidikar (Goats Flying)
  • Worlds: A One-shot Anthology, written by Lord Blue, Cuisel Peach & John Uche, illustrated by Jeremiah Abah, Francis Goodluck, Lord Gabriel Onche & Stone Otor (The Machine)
  • Hounds and Jackals, Owoade Ifeoluwa (Symphonii Studios)
  • Celestial Eyes Vol. 2: The Second Cycle, written by John Uche, illustrated by Francis Goodluck, lettered by Cuisel Peach (The Machine)
  • Rise of The Mafu Volume 1: The Awakening, written by Gerald Vreden, illustrated by Hakeem Rafai (Cultura Nova Media)

For more information, see the African Speculative Fiction Society website.

The post 2026 Nommo Awards Shortlist appeared first on Locus.

Nancy Kress Named SFWA Grand Master

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
1 September 2026 at 17:25

Nancy Kress 43rd SFWA Grand Master banner

 

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has named Nancy Kress the 43rd recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award.

SFWA President Kate Ristau said,

When we choose a SFWA Grand Master, the discussion begins with the Past Presidents. Year after year, Nancy’s name has come up as an author who is long overdue for this award. She has made an incredible impact on our industry not only with her work, but also with her teaching at both Clarions and Taos Toolbox, as well as workshops in Beijing and Leipzig.

She has spent decades writing at the cutting edge of genetics, biotechnology, and human transformation, asking what happens when science changes not only our world, but our understanding of what it means to be human.

There could not be a more prescient time to honor Nancy’s contributions. As we confront the impact of AI on our work and on our livelihoods, Nancy reminds us what it means to be human: to question, to imagine, to connect. Not only that, but to recognize that our humanity cannot be separated from the choices we make about our future.

Jeffe Kennedy, former president of SFWA, said,

I met Nancy when we were both teaching at Taos Toolbox. She was as smart, gracious, and generous as everyone in the industry says. I’m tremendously pleased to see her join the ranks of SFWA’s Grand Masters and I know she’ll continue to contribute to the new generations of writers following in her illustrious footsteps.

Previously honored SFWA Grand Masters include N.K. Jemisin, Samuel R. Delany, Ursula K. Le Guin, Isaac Asimov, and others, going back to 1974. The award will be presented at the 2027 Nebula Awards Conference, to be held June 3-7, 2027.

For more information, see the SFWA website.

The post Nancy Kress Named SFWA Grand Master appeared first on Locus.

Worldcon 2028 Site Selection: Brisbane

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
1 September 2026 at 17:13

Brisbane Meanjin 2028 banner

LAcon V has announced that Aussiecon 5 and the Brisbane in 2028 bid won the right to host the 2028 Worldcon. The 86th World Science Fiction Convention will be held July 27-31, 2028 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Australia.

Guests of honor announced so far include Claire G. Coleman, David Gaider, Kathleen Jennings, Seanan McGuire, Perry Middlemiss, and Jonathan Strahan.

According to File 770, Brisbane bid received 610 out of 682 votes cast. There was no opposing bid, as the Nuremberg in 2028 group withdrew earlier in the year.

For more, or to purchase you membership before rates rise, see the Worldcon in Brisbane 2028 website.

The post Worldcon 2028 Site Selection: Brisbane appeared first on Locus.

Received — 31 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 Hugo, Lodestar & Astounding Awards Winners

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
31 August 2026 at 07:57

Hugo Award trophy imageThe winners of the Hugo Awards, the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, and the Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book were announced on August 30, 2026 by LAcon V, the 84th World Science Fiction Convention.

The winners are:

Best Novel
  • WINNER: The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
  • A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett (Del Rey; Hodderscape) amazon / bookshop
  • The Raven Scholar, Antonia Hodgson (Orbit US; Hodderscape) amazon / bookshop
  • Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor (Morrow; Gollancz) amazon / bookshop
  • Shroud, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Tor UK; Orbit US) amazon / bookshop
  • The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (Tor US; Orbit UK) amazon / bookshop

Best Novella

  • WINNER: The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia UK) amazon / bookshop
  • What Stalks the Deep, T. Kingfisher (Nightfire; Titan UK) amazon / bookshop
  • Cinder House, Freya Marske (Tordotcom; Tor UK) amazon / bookshop
  • Automatic Noodle, Annalee Newitz (Tordotcom) amazon / bookshop
  • The Summer War, Naomi Novik (Del Rey US; Del Rey UK) amazon / bookshop
  • Murder by Memory, Olivia Waite (Tordotcom)  amazon / bookshop

Best Novelette

  • WINNER: “Never Eaten Vegetables”, H.H. Pak (Clarkesworld 1/25)
  • “Kaiju Agonistes”, Scott Lynch (Uncanny 1-2/25)
  • “The Millay Illusion”, Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 11-12/25)
  • “The Girl That My Mother Is Leaving Me For” by Cameron Reed (Reactor 4/2/25)
  • “When He Calls Your Name”, Catherynne M. Valente (Uncanny 7-8/25)
  • “Rapport: Friendship, Solidarity, Communion, Empathy”, Martha Wells (Reactor 7/10/25)

Best Short Story

  • WINNER: “In My Country”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 4/25)
  • “Six People to Revise You”, J.R. Dawson (Uncanny 1-2/25)
  • “Wire Mother”, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 10/25)
  • “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days” by Samantha Mills (Uncanny 3-4/25)
  • “Laser Eyes Ain’t Everything”, Effie Seiberg (Diabolical Plots 5/16/25)
  • “Missing Helen” by Tia Tashiro (Clarkesworld 7/25)

Best Series

  • WINNER: Old Man’s War, John Scalzi (Tor US; Tor UK)
  • The Chronicles of Osreth, Katherine Addison (Tor US; Solaris UK; Subterranean)
  • White Space, Elizabeth Bear (Saga; Gollancz)
  • Emily Wilde, Heather Fawcett (Del Rey US; Orbit UK)
  • The Craft Wars, Max Gladstone (Tor; Tordotcom)
  • October Daye, Seanan McGuire (Tor US; DAW)

Best Graphic Story or Comic

  • WINNER: A Wizard of Earthsea: A Graphic Novel, written by Ursula K. Le Guin, adapted & art by Fred Fordham (Clarion; Walker UK)
  • The Invisible Parade, Leigh Bardugo & John Picacio (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Orion UK)
  • The Power Fantasy Volume 1: The Superpowers, written by Kieron Gillen, art by Caspar Wijngaard, lettering by Clayton Cowles (Image Comics)
  • The Space Cat, written by Nnedi Okorafor, art by Tana Ford (First Second)
  • Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon, written by Kelly Thompson, art by Hayden Sherman & Mattia de Iulis, coloring by Jordie Bellaire, lettering by Becca Carey (DC Comics)
  • A Girl and Her Fed, written by KB Spangler, art by Ale Presser (agirlandherfed.com)

Best Related Work

  • WINNER: Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer (University of Chicago Press; Head of Zeus UK)
  • “Ragnarök vs the Long Night”, Ashaya & Aziz (History of Westeros 8/10/25)
  • Colourfields: Writing About Writing About Science Fiction, Paul Kincaid (Briardene)
  • Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia Butler, Susana M. Morris (Amistad)
  • The Hugo Spreadsheet of Doom, maintained by Renay (Google spreadsheet)
  • Last War in Albion: “The Cuddled Little Vice (Sandman)”, Elizabeth Sandifer (Eruditorum)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form

  • WINNER: Sinners, screenplay by Ryan Coogler, directed by Ryan Coogler (Proximity Media, Warner Bros.)
  • Andor (Season 2), written by Tom Bissell, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy & Beau Willimon; directed by Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz & Alonso Ruizpalacios (Disney+)
  • Frankenstein, screenplay by Guillermo del Toro, directed by Guillermo del Toro (Netflix)
  • KPop Demon Hunters, screenplay by Chris Appelhans, Danya Jimenez, Maggie Kang & Hannah McMechan; directed by Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans (Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix)
  • Mickey 17, screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, directed by Bong Joon Ho (Warner Bros.)
  • Superman, screenplay by James Gunn, directed by James Gunn (DC)

Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

  • WINNER: Murderbot: “All Systems Red”, written by Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, directed by Roseanne Liang, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
  • Doctor Who: “The Story & the Engine”, written by Inua Ellams, directed by Makalla McPherson (BBC One, Disney +)
  • Murderbot: “The Perimeter”, written Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz, directed by Paul Weitz, based on the book All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Apple TV)
  • Pluribus: “We Is Us”, written & directed by Vince Gilligan (Apple TV)
  • Severance: “Cold Harbor”, written by Dan Erickson, directed by Ben Stiller (Apple TV)
  • The Wheel of Time: “The Road to the Spear”, written by Rafe Lee Judkins, directed by Thomas Napper, based on the book The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (Amazon Prime Video)

Best Game or Interactive Work

  • WINNER: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, developed by Sandfall Interactive, published by Kepler Interactive
  • Blue Prince, developed by Dogubomb, published by Raw Fury
  • Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector, developed by Jump Over the Age, published by Fellow Traveller
  • Dispatch, developed & published AdHoc Studio
  • Hades II, developed & published by Supergiant Games
  • Hollow Knight: Silksong, developed & published by Team Cherry

Best Editor, Short Form

  • WINNER: Neil Clarke
  • Scott H. Andrews
  • Jennifer Brozek
  • Lee Harris
  • Michael Damian Thomas
  • Sheila Williams

Best Editor, Long Form

  • WINNER: Diana M. Pho
  • Carl Engle-Laird
  • Jaymee Goh
  • Lee Harris
  • Jenni Hill
  • Joe Monti

Best Professional Artist

  • WINNER: John Picacio
  • Lulu Chen
  • Kelly Chong
  • Dave Kellett
  • Tran Nguyen
  • Tom Roberts

Best Semiprozine

  • WINNER: Uncanny, publisher and editor-in-chief Michael Damian Thomas; managing editor Monte Lin; poetry editor Betsy Aoki, podcast producers Erika Ensign & Steven Schapansky
  • Escape Pod, editors Mur Lafferty and Valerie Valdes, assistant editors Kevin Wabaunsee & Phoebe Barton, hosts Tina Connolly & Alasdair Stuart, producers Summer Brooks & Adam Pracht, and the entire Escape Pod team
  • khōréō, team khōréō (publisher Aleksandra Hill; editor-in-chief Zhui Ning Chang; editors Kanika Agrawal, Danai Christopoulou & Isabella Kestermann; audio Jenelle DeCosta, E.B., Aaron Kling, Grayson Norman & Lian Xia Rose; marketing M.L. Krishnan & Ashley Thompson; art Ambi Sun; copyeditors Ariya Bandy, Eleanor Glewwe, Jeané Ridges & Derek Yen; proofreader Cyrus Chin; first readers Adialyz Del Valle Berríos, Sanjna Bhartiya, Kelsey Costa, Merulai Femi, A.R. Frederiksen, Yuvashri Harish, Zohar Jacobs, Lynn D. Jung, Phoebe Low, Katie McIvor, Adil Mian, Katarzyna Nowacka, A.W. Prihandita, Helena Ramsaroop, Jin Hui Saw, Aditya Sundararajan, Sophia Uy, Madeleine Vigneron, Aaron Voigt, K.S. Walker, Akilah White, MJ Woods, Kelsea Yu, Lilia Zhang & Tina Zhu)
  • On Spec, publisher Copper Pig Writers’ Society; managing editor/art director Diane L. Walton; poetry editors Colleen Anderson & Bob Stallworthy; fiction editors Lareina Abbott, Ashley Alton, Barb Galler-Smith, Dan Gyoba, Matthew Stobie Jackman, Constantine Kaoukakis, Alyssa Kulchisky, Susan MacGregor, Jade Mah-Vierling, Ann Marston, Krystle McGrath, Cheryl Merkel, Virginia O’Dine, Kathleen Phul, Thomas Schwarz Lorina Stephens, William Thompson, Amanda Wells, Jessica Zdril & Ethan Zou; interviewers Roberta Laurie & Cat McDonald; proofreaders Isaac Calon, Mya Colwell & Ashlin McCartney
  • Strange Horizons, the Strange Horizons Editorial Collective
  • The Deadlands, publisher Sean Markey, editor-in-chief E. Catherine Tobler, poetry editor Nicasio Andres Reed, nonfiction editor David Gilmore, necromancer Amanda Downum, art director Cory Skerry, copyeditors Laura Blackwell & Annika Barranti Klein, proofreader Josephine Stewart, designer Christine M. Scott, social media skeleton Felicia Martínez

Best Fanzine

  • WINNER: nerds of a feather, flock together, Roseanna Pendlebury, Arturo Serrano, Paul Weimer; senior editors Joe Sherry, G. Brown, Vance Kotrla, eds.
  • Ancillary Review of Books, Jake Casella Brookins, Lyz Bush-Peel, Zachary Gillan, Bianca Skrinyár, Misha Grifka Wander & Cynthia Zhang, eds.
  • An Unofficial Hugo Book Club Blog, Olav Rokne & Amanda Wakaruk, eds.
  • Galactic Journey, founder Gideon Marcus, editor Janice L. Newman, staff Andi Dukleth, Jessica Dickinson Goodman, David Levinson & Tam Phan
  • Intergalactic Mixtape, Renay, ed.
  • Journey Planet, Allison Hartman Adams, James Bacon, Christopher J. Garcia, Jean Martin & Steven H Silver, eds.

Best Fancast

  • WINNER: Hugo, Girl!, presented by Kevin Anderson, Lori Anderson, Amy Salley & Haley Zapal
  • A Meal of Thorns, presented by Jake Casella Brookins
  • Eating the Fantastic, hosted by Scott Edelman
  • Octothorpe, presented by John Coxon, Liz Batty & Alison Scott
  • The Coode Street Podcast, presented by Jonathan Strahan & Gary K. Wolfe
  • Worldbuilding for Masochists, presented by Natania Barron, Marshall Ryan Maresca & Cass Morris

Best Fan Writer

  • WINNER: Jason Sanford
  • Jay Brantner for “Tar Vol”
  • Alex Brown
  • James Davis Nicoll
  • Roseanna Pendlebury
  • Örjan Westin

Best Fan Artist

  • WINNER: Yuumei
  • Terri Ash
  • Geneva Bowers
  • Sara Felix
  • Richard Man
  • España Sheriff

Best Poem

  • WINNER: “Hex Supply Customer Support Log”, Elis Montgomery (Strange Horizons 8/25)
  • “How to Become a Sea Witch”, Theodora Goss (The Orange & Bee 4/18/25)
  • “The World to Come”, Jennifer Hudak (Strange Horizons 12/25)
  • “The Mourning Robot”, Angela Liu (Uncanny 9-10/25)
  • “Care for Lightning”, Mari Ness (Uncanny 1-2/25)
  • “Landing: Seattle”, Brandon O’Brien (Seattle Worldcon 2025 Opening Ceremony)

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book [Not a Hugo Award]

  • WINNER: Coffeeshop in an Alternate Universe, C.B. Lee (Feiwel & Friends)
  • Among Ghosts, Rachel Hartman (Random House Books for Young Readers)
  • Holy Terrors, Margaret Owen (Holt; Hodderscape UK)
  • Oathbound, Tracy Deonn (Simon & Schuster)
  • Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins (Scholastic)
  • They Bloom at Night, Trang Thanh Tran (Bloomsbury US; Bloomsbury UK)

Astounding Award for Best New Writer [Not a Hugo Award]

  • WINNER: Antonia Hodgson
  • Sophie Burnham*
  • Kamilah Cole*
  • Molly O’Neill
  • H.H. Pak*
  • Jared Pechaček*

*Finalist in their 2nd year of eligibility.

The post 2026 Hugo, Lodestar & <i>Astounding</i> Awards Winners appeared first on Locus.

Received — 19 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 WSFA Small Press Award Finalists

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
19 August 2026 at 19:21

WSFA logo with rocketFinalists for the 2026 Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA) Small Press Award for Short Fiction have been announced:

  • “Not a Fish”, Andrew Dykstal (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 6/12/25)
  • “Half Life”, Stephen Harper (Skull X Bones)
  • “The Last Mardi Gras”, Raven Jakubowski (DreamForge Anvil 6/1/25)
  • “The Teleporting Disaster Fairy”, Rati Mehrotra (Uncanny 11-12/25)
  • “Blackrock”, R.M. Olson (Skull X Bones)
  • “Billionaire’s Tears”, Vanessa Ricci-Thode (Escape Pod 7/24/25)
  • “Guardians of the Well”, Rose Strickman (In Another Time 6/25)
  • “Bag of Holding”, Liz Westbrook-Trenholm (On Spec 10/25)

The award, recognizing “the best original short fiction published by small presses in the previous year,” will be presented at Capclave, to be held October 2-4, 2026 at the Rockville Hilton in Rockville MD. The winner will be chosen by members of WSFA. For more, see the WSFA Small Press Award website.

The post 2026 WSFA Small Press Award Finalists appeared first on Locus.

Received — 18 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

Editorial Changes at Nightmare and Lightspeed

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
18 August 2026 at 22:06

Blood-red banner for Nightmare MagazineWendy N. Wagner has announced that she will be stepping down as editor-in-chief of Nightmare Magazine to focus on writing, with the December 2026 issue being her last. Wagner wrote,

On the plus side, I’m simply returning the reins to our founder, John Joseph Adams. I am absolutely thrilled to see what he’ll do now that he’s had a bit of rest; his amazing work as a horror short fiction editor is what got me excited about short fiction in the first place! You can all look forward to a 2027 packed with thrilling and chilling new horror and dark fantasy.

I expect to spend the next few months feeling sad to say to goodbye and excited for the future. This magazine is such a special place, and the work we do here is so full of magic and delight. For a place called “Nightmare,” it’s actually a dream.

Wagner has also stepped down as senior editor at Lightspeed and is named Emeritus staff. In her place, associate publisher Christie Yant will assume the role of senior editor.

For more information, see the official announcements in Nightmare and Lightspeed.

The post Editorial Changes at <i>Nightmare</i> and <i>Lightspeed</i> appeared first on Locus.

Received — 17 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

Book Theft at Lloyd Currey Booksellers

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
17 August 2026 at 18:42

ILAB red, black, and white logoThe International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) has reported a theft at the offices of antiquarian bookseller L.W. Currey, Inc. in Elizabethtown NY. The theft was the third targeting L.W. Currey, including one in February 2026. New York State Police are investigating the case.

Approximately 150 books were reported as stolen, including at least ten books by Isaac Asimov; at least 15 books by H.G. Wells; at least five each by Ray Bradbury and William Hope Hodgson; a $25,000 first edition, first printing of Dune by Frank Herbert; a $15,000 first edition, first issue, first binding of A Voyage of Arcturus by Lindsay David; $25,000 and $15,000 first edition copies of The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Shunned House by H.P. Lovecraft; and a $17,500 first edition of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.

Currey said,

Break-in was last night bypassing security last night — total thefts over a quarter of a million. Most books are identifiable and some are unique.

Thief or thieves are knowledgable and target specific authors and genres. This is under active investigation and lists have been sent to stolen book database. I would like to publicize this for warning others.

ILAB has requested that its offices, those of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (ABAA), or the booksellers John W. Knott, Jr. or L.W. Currey be contacted if the items reappear in the trade.

For more information, see the ILAB website or the L.W. Currey stolen books web page.

[via File770.com]

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Received — 12 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

Dave Nee (1953-2026)

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
12 August 2026 at 20:29

SF/F fan and bookseller Dave Nee, 73, died August 6, 2026 of an apparent heart attack.

David Chin-Kuo Nee was born in 1953. He attended high school in the San Francisco Bay Area and studied at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1974, he co-founded The Portable Bookstore with Debbie Notkin and Tom Whitmore as a service running books to local organizations. It would be renamed The Other Change of Hobbit and became a physical store in Berkeley at the suggestion of Sherry Gottlieb, founder of the eponymous bookstore A Change of Hobbit. The physical store relocated multiple times over the decades, finding homes in downtown Berkeley and El Cerrito, before closing in 2014.

Besides bookselling, Nee wrote bibliographies for Thomas M. Disch and Michael Bishop in 1982 and 1983. He also had a long-time involvement with San Francisco Pride, being chair of the SF Pride Safety Committee.

He is survived by his husband, David Scott Marley.

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Received — 11 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

John Crowley (1942-2026)

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
11 August 2026 at 00:51

John Crowley, 83, died August 8, 2026.

John William Crowley was born December 1, 1942 in Presque Isle ME, where his father, a doctor and captain in the Army Air Corps, was stationed. The family moved several times until settling in Indiana in 1953. He earned an English degree from Indiana University in 1964 and moved to New York City and worked in photography and documentary film writing. Crowley became a freelance writer in 1966, married his wife Laurie Block in 1984 and had twin daughters, and began teaching fiction at Yale University in 1993.

Crowley’s first novel, SF The Deep, was published in 1975. He soon published Beasts (1976), Engine Summer (1979), and Little, Big (1981), his first published work of fantasy and perhaps his best-known work, once called “a neglected masterpiece” by critic Harold Bloom. The novel won a World Fantasy Award and a Mythopoeic Award and was a finalist for a Hugo Award, a Nebula Award, a BSFA Award, and a Seiun Award. He went on to write the highly ambitious Ægypt series, beginning with Ægypt (1987) and followed by Love & Sleep (1994), Dæmonomania (2000), and Endless Things (2007); and he wrote other standalones including The Translator (2002), historical novels Lord Byron’s Novel: The Evening Land (2005) and Four Freedoms (2009), Mythopoeic Award and Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire winner and Locus and World Fantasy Award finalist Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr (2017), and Flint and Mirror (2022).

Crowley’s shorter fiction is also celebrated, most notably “Great Work of Time” (1991), a World Fantasy Award winner and Nebula Award finalist for Novella. He wrote Hugo and Nebula Award nominee “Snow” (1985) and Locus Award winner and Hugo and Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist “Gone” (1996). His short fiction has been published in F&SF, Omni Best Science Fiction, Interzone, and Asimov’s, and collected in World Fantasy Award-winner Novelty (1989), Antiquities (1993), Novelties & Souvenirs (2004), Totalitopia (2017), and And Go Like This: Stories (2019). Some of his non-fiction was gathered as In Other Words (2007) and Reading Backwards (2019). His work was the subject of critical study Snake’s-Hands: The Fiction of John Crowley, Michael Andre-Driussi & Alice K. Turner, eds. (2003).

Crowley’s numerous awards include an American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters Award in Literature (1992) and a World Fantasy Life Achievement Award (2006).

For more, see his entry in the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.

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2026 Aurora Awards Winners

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
10 August 2026 at 23:42

Silver Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association logo, with a red maple leafThe winners of the 2026 Aurora Awards for works by Canadians were announced in an online awards ceremony on August 9, 2026, hosted by Elizabeth May Anderson and Mark Leslie Lefebvre.

Best Novel

  • WINNER: The Downloaded 2: Ghosts in the Machine, Robert J. Sawyer (Shadowpaw) amazon / bookshop

Best YA Novel

  • WINNER: Breath of the Dragon, Fonda Lee & Shannon Lee (Wednesday) amazon / bookshop

Best Novelette/Novella

  • A Palace Near the Wind, Ai Jiang (Titan) amazon / bookshop
  • “In the Gardener’s Service”, Michèle Laframboise (Asimov’s 7-8/25)
  • The First Thousand Trees, Premee Mohamed (ECW) amazon / bookshop
  • “The Lure of Stone”, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Uncanny 9-10/25)

Best Short Story

  • WINNER: “The Stone Played at Tengen”, R.H. Wesley (Clarkesworld 11/25)
  • “Hunted To Extinction”, Premee Mohamed (The End of the World As We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King’s The Stand)
  • “What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?”, Rachel A. Rosen (Antifa Lit Journal, Volume 1: What If We Kissed While Sinking a Billionaire’s Yacht?)
  • “the love song of house and lake”, Gillian Secord (On Spec 9/25)
  • “I Ain’t Your Doll Face”, Jacqueline Thorpe (Polar Borealis 3/25)

Best Graphic Novel/Comic

  • WINNER: Shark Girl, Kate Beaton (Quill and Quire)
  • “Bonds of the Forest“, Ally Rom Colthoff (Augur 8.3)
  • Questionable Content, Jeph Jacques (self-published)
  • It Never Rains, Kari Maaren (self-published)
  • Atana and the Jade Mermaid, Vivian Zhou (HarperAlley)

Best Related Work

  • WINNER: Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible) amazon
  • Augur 8.1-8.3, Azure Arther, Kerry C. Byrne, André Geleynse, Toria Liao & Kelley Tai, eds.
  • On Spec Vol 35, #131-134, Diane L. Walton, ed. (The Copper Pig Writers’ Society)
  • One Message Remains, Premee Mohamed (Psychopomp) amazon / bookshop
  • As the Earth Dreams: Black Canadian Speculative Stories, Terese Mason Pierre, ed. (Spiderline) amazon / bookshop

Best Poem/Song

  • WINNER: “From Dust”, J.Y. Zhang (Small Wonders 12/25)
  • “Bigfoot Farewell”, Carolyn Clink (Cryptids, Kaiju & Corn: Poems and Micro-Stories about Modern Midwest Monsters)
  • “Dragon Karaoke”, David Clink, (Polar Starlight 4/25)
  • “flowers without meadow”, Tiffany Morris (Eye to the Telescope 4/25)
  • “Explosive”, Derek Newman-Stille (Polar Starlight 8/25)
  • “At the Spaceport Bar”, Lisa Timpf (Polar Starlight 2/25)

Best Cover Art/Interior Illustration

  • WINNER: “Listen to Me and I’ll tell You a Story”, Ejiwa “Edge” Ebenebe (Uncanny 9-10/25)
  • Starship Librarians cover art, Lorna Antoniazzi (Tyche)
  • “Dancing With the Holly King”, Janice Blaine (On Spec Winter ’25)
  • “Seance”, Alice M. (Heartlines Spec Spring ’25)
  • “Lunar Base”, Dan O’Driscoll (On Spec Summer ’25)

Best Fan Writing and Publications

  • WINNER: Polar Starlight Magazine, Rhea E. Rose, ed.
  • Amazing Stories 405-420, Steve Fahnestalk
  • Young People Read Old SFF, James Davis Nicoll (self-published)
  • Book Reviews in The Ottawa Review of Books, Robert Runté
  • “Speculative Poetry and the Hugos”, Lynne Sargent (Strange Horizons 7/21/25)

Best Fan Related Work

  • WINNER: Can*Con 2025
  • Scintillation 2025
  • Two Old Farts Talk Sci-Fi
  • Wizards & Spaceships
  • The Worldshapers

Hall of Fame inductees were previously announced: Kelley Armstrong, James Alan Gardner, and Mike Glicksohn.

For more information, see the Aurora Awards website.

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Received — 6 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Awards

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
6 August 2026 at 17:54

World Fantasy Award, depicting a tree and gold discClive Barker and Joyce Carol Oates have been announced as the recipients of the 2026 World Fantasy Awards for Lifetime Achievement, presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the fantasy field. The final ballot for the 2026 World Fantasy Awards was previously announced.

The awards will be presented during the 2026 World Fantasy Convention, to be held October 22-25, 2026 in Oakland CA.

For more information, see the World Fantasy Convention website.

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Received — 5 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 Mythopoeic Awards Winners

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
5 August 2026 at 22:36

Mythopoeic Awards logoThe Mythopoeic Society announced the 2026 Mythopoeic Awards winners during Mythcon 54, held July 24-27, 2026 in Weatherford OK.

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature

  • WINNER: Snake-Eater, T. Kingfisher (47North)
  • The Charlatan Duology, Holly Black (Tor)
  • Audition for the Fox, Martin Cahill (Tachyon)
  • The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman (Viking)
  • The West Passage, Jared Pechaček (Tordotcom)
  • Water Moon, Samantha Sotto Yambao (Del Rey)
  • The Incandescent, Emily Tesh (Tor)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Young Adult Literature

  • WINNER: The Corruption of Hollis Brown, K. Ancrum (HarperCollins)
  • The Leaving Room, Amber McBride (Feiwel & Friends)
  • The Little Thieves series, Margaret Owen (Henry Holt & Co.)
  • On the Wings of La Noche, Vanessa L. Torres (Knopf)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

  • WINNER: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, Aubrey Hartman (Little, Brown)
  • The Village Beyond the Mist, Sachiko Kashiwaba, tr. Avery Fischer Udagawa (Yonder)
  • The Island of Forgotten Gods, Victor Pinñeiro (Sourcebooks Young Readers)
  • The Misewa Saga, David A. Robertson (Tundra; Puffin Canada)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Inklings Studies

  • WINNER: The Tower and the Ruin: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Creation, Michael D.C. Drout (Norton)
  • Mapping Middle-earth: Environmental and Political Narratives in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Cartographies, Anahit Behrooz (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • A Real Taste for Fairy-Stories, Verlyn Flieger (Walking Tree)
  • Pity, Power, and Tolkien’s Ring: To Rule the Fate of Many, Thomas P. Hillman (Kent State University Press)
  • Tolkien and the Mystery of Literary Creation, Giuseppe Pezzini (Cambridge UP 2025)
  • J.R.R. Tolkien’s Utopianism and the Classics, Hamish Williams (Bloomsbury Academic)

Mythopoeic Scholarship Award in Myth and Fantasy Studies

  • WINNER: Fantasy: A Short History, Adam Roberts (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • Art and Enchantment: How Wonder Works, Patrick Curry, (Routledge 2023)
  • Enheduanna: The Complete Poems of the World’s First Author, Sophus Helle, ed. (Yale University Press)
  • The Archetype of the Dying and Rising God in World Mythology, Paul R. Rovang (Lexington)
  • Speculative Poetry and the Modern Alliterative Revival: A Critical Anthology, Dennis Wilson Wise, ed. (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press)

For more information, see the official announcement.

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Aurealis Awards Changes

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
5 August 2026 at 19:40

Black and white logo for the Aurealis AwardsThe Queensland Writers Centre (QWC) has updated the entry guidelines for the 2026 Aurealis Awards, established to recognize the best in Australian speculative fiction, making changes including expanded terms for entry fees.

The Aurealis Awards were established in 1995 by Chimaera Publications, the team behind the magazine Aurealis. The Awards later partnered with different organizations to administer them. According to the Aurealis Awards web page, these have included “Fantastic Queensland, SpecFaction NSW, Conflux Inc. (ACT), the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF), Continuum Foundation (Vic), and the Canberra Speculative Fiction Guild (CSFG).” In August 2025, the Aurealis Awards announced “new overlords” on a web page no longer available, and the QWC later established the new web page for the Awards, in which they note that the QWC is “anchoring the awards ceremony within the vibrant programming of GenreCon.”

According to online sources, when the WASFF started overseeing the awards, fees were introduced for titles entered into all novel categories, as well as anthology and collections categories, each entry incurring a $10 cost. However, as of this time, the prior Aurealis Awards website now forwards to the QWC website, which does not show archival pages for the old website, making authoritative verification challenging.

The 2026 entry guidelines set entry fees as $30 for Best Science Fiction Novel, Best Fantasy Novel, Best Horror Novel, and Best YA Novel; $5 for the four short story categories; and $20 for other categories, with “belonging discounts” for QWC members and GenreCon ticketholders.

In response to the changes, authors Alan Baxter and Matt Tighe shared an open letter to the QWC expressing concerns about the entry fees:

The change to the fees is onerous, and a large change compared with the full history of the awards. This is perceived by many as a ‘pay to play’ situation that favours those able to absorb the cost, and disadvantages self-publishing authors and small presses as well as authors whose publishers won’t take on the costs. The new structure will ensure that many works worthy of consideration will not be submitted, and favours larger publishers and well-established authors.

As well, the reduced fees for QWC or GenreCon members is perceived as a clear conflict of interest between award management and the financial operation of the Centre, as well as a disadvantage to authors in regional, remote, or interstate areas for which the above is not practical nor feasible. No costs to enter an award should be passed onto the authors, and especially no preference given to some authors over others.

The letter also expresses concerns about changes to rules, in particular arguing there is “lack of clarity around judge autonomy” and highlighting the rule that works shortlisted for multiple categories can only win in one, saying, “This is an impeachment on judge impartiality and artificially restricts works that blend genre or that cross categories.” The letter requests that the guidelines should also include a “clear statement that AI-generated work is not eligible.”

The letter was sent July 18, 2026 “with almost 250 signatures,” including authors and editors such as Leigh Blackmore, Jeff Clulow, Gabino Iglesias, T.R. Napper, Cat Sparks, and Kaaron Warren.

On July 20, the post was updated to report a reply to the letter: “Thank you for sharing this finally. Because it is so close to our Management Committee meeting we will hold it over for their consultation on the 28th. We will be in touch after that. I will update as and when we hear more.” The meeting was reportedly later delayed to August 10.

For more information, see the QWC website.

The post Aurealis Awards Changes appeared first on Locus.

2026 Dragon Awards Ballot

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
5 August 2026 at 16:47

Dragon Con logoDragon Con has announced the ballot for the 2026 Dragon Awards.

Best Science Fiction Novel

  • God’s Junk Drawer, Peter Clines (Blackstone)
  • The Faith of Beasts, James S.A. Corey (Orbit)
  • Operation Bounce House, Matt Dinniman (Ace)
  • Radiant Star, Ann Leckie (Orbit US)
  • Slow Gods, Claire North (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
  • The Shattering Peace, John Scalzi (Tor; Tor UK)

Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal)

  • Twelve Months, Jim Butcher (Ace)
  • Academy of Outcasts, Larry Correia (Aethon)
  • The Lost Reliquary, Lyndsay Ely (Saga)
  • Hell to Pay, Sherrilyn Kenyon (Oliver Heber)
  • Red City, Marie Lu (Tor)
  • Queen Demon, Martha Wells (Tor)

Best Young Adult / Middle Grade Novel

  • Make Me a Monster, Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury YA)
  • Ride or Die, Delilah S. Dawson (Delacorte)
  • The Executioners Three, Susan Dennard (Tor Teen)
  • Hazelthorn, CG Drews (Feiwel & Friends)
  • Sky on Fire, E.K. Johnston (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
  • Queen of Faces, Petra Lord (HarperCollins)

Best Alternate History Novel

  • World War 3.2, John Birmingham (Gigantic Bombs)
  • No Man’s Land, Richard K. Morgan (Del Rey)
  • A Resistance of Witches, Morgan Ryan (Viking)
  • The Winds of Fate, S.M. Stirling (Baen)
  • The Unnecessary War, Brian C. Thompson (self-published)
  • Powerless, Harry Turtledove (Caezik)

Best Horror Novel

  • The Possession of Alba Díaz, Isabel Cañas (Berkley; Solaris UK)
  • Play Nice, Rachel Harrison (Berkley)
  • King Sorrow, Joe Hill (Morrow; Headline UK)
  • The Bewitching, Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey; Arcadia UK)
  • Girl in the Creek, Wendy N. Wagner (Tor Nightfire)

Best Illustrative Book Cover

  • Jeff Brown for The Sapphire Heart, Abigail Bender, Victoria Hungria & Sandra Mead Miller (Three Scribes)
  • Dominic Harman for The Ishtar Deception, James L. Cambias (Baen)
  • T. Kingfisher for Hemlock & Silver (Tor; Tor UK)
  • Carson Lowmiller for Brigands & Breadknives, Travis Baldree (Tor)
  • Anna Moshak for The Second Death of Locke, V.L. Bovalino (Forever)
  • Joe Wilson for Pretenders to the Throne of God, Adrian Tchaikovsky (Head of Zeus)

Best Comic Book or Graphic Novel

  • Absolute Superman, Jason Aaron, illustrated by Rafa Sandoval
  • X-Men: Elsewhen, John Byrne
  • Daredevil, Stephanie Phillips, illustrated by Lee Garbett
  • Absolute Batman, Scott Snyder, illustrated by Nick Dragotta
  • Absolute Wonder Woman, Kelly Thompson, illustrated by Hayden Sherman
  • Something is Killing the Children, James Tynion IV, illustrated by Werther Dell’Edera

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy TV Series, TV or Internet

  • Alien: Earth
  • The Boys Season 5
  • Fallout Season 2
  • Foundation Season 3
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
  • Plur1bus
  • Strange New Worlds Season 3
  • Widow’s Bay

Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Movie

  • Superman
  • Project Hail Mary
  • Disclosure Day
  • Predator: Badlands
  • Frankenstein
  • The Sheep Detectives
  • Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu
  • Toy Story 5

Finalists in digital and tabletop gaming-related categories were also announced. Winners will be announced at Dragon Con, to be held September 3-7, 2026 in Atlanta GA.

The post 2026 Dragon Awards Ballot appeared first on Locus.

Received — 4 August 2026 ⏭ Literature

2026 World Fantasy Awards Finalists

✇Locus Online
By: Alice Strangman
4 August 2026 at 18:12

World Fantasy Awards logo with trophyThe World Fantasy Awards ballot for works published in 2025 has been announced. The awards will be presented during the 2026 World Fantasy Convention, scheduled for October 22-25, 2026 in Oakland CA.

The World Fantasy Awards finalists are:

Best Novel

  • Audition for the Fox, Martin Cahill (Tachyon)
  • Once Was Willem, M.R. Carey (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
  • The Secret Market of the Dead, Giovanni De Feo (Saga)
  • The Everlasting, Alix E. Harrow (Tor US; Tor UK)
  • The Adventures of Mary Darling, Pat Murphy (Tachyon)

Best Long Fiction

  • The River Has Roots, Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom; Arcadia)
  • “The Secret Diary of Mina Harker”, Theodora Goss (Letters from an Imaginary Country)
  • “Uncertain Sons”, Thomas Ha (Uncertain Sons and Other Stories)
  • The Death of Mountains, Jordan Kurella (Lethe)
  • “The Spotter”, Josh Malerman (You, Human: An Anthology of Dark Science Fiction, Vol. 2)
  • Psychopomp & Circumstance, Eden Royce (Tordotcom)
  • A Mouthful of Dust, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)

Best Short Fiction

  • “The Hungry Mouth at the Edge of Space and the Goddess Knitting at Home”, Renan Bernardo (Reactor 8/27/25)
  • “In My Country”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 4/25)
  • “10 Visions of the Future; or, Self-Care for the End of Days”, Samantha Mills (Uncanny 3-4/25)
  • “St. Dymphna’s School for Borderland Girls”, Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece (Weird Horror Spring ‘25)
  • “Unfinished Architectures of the Human-Fae War”, Caroline M. Yoachim (Uncanny 5-6/25)

Best Anthology

  • Night & Day, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Saga)
  • Storyteller: A Tanith Lee Tribute Anthology, Julie C. Day, Carina Bissett & Craig Laurance Gidney, eds. (Essential Dreams)
  • The Best Weird Fiction of the Year: Volume 1, Michael Kelly, ed. (Undertow)
  • Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction: Volume Three, Stephen Kotowych, ed. (Ansible)
  • Bog People: A Working-Class Anthology of Folk Horror, Hollie Starling, ed. (Chatto & Windus)

Best Collection

  • Letters from an Imaginary Country, Theodora Goss (Tachyon)
  • Uncertain Sons and Other Stories, Thomas Ha (Undertow)
  • The Eleventh Hour: A Quintet of Stories, Salman Rushdie (Random House; Jonathan Cape)
  • Black Hole Heart and Other Stories, K.A. Teryna, tr. Alex Shvartsman (Fairwood)

Best Artist

  • Galen Dara
  • Kathleen Jennings
  • Daniele Serra
  • Rachel Smythe
  • Charles Vess

Special Award – Professional

  • Clive Bloom, for London Uncanny: A Gothic Guide to the Capital in Weird History and Fiction (Bloomsbury Academic)
  • Jaymee Goh, Jill Roberts & Jacob Weisman, for Tachyon Publications
  • Tim Lucas, for Succubus (PS/Electric Dreamhouse)
  • Blumhouse & Dave Schilling, for Horror’s New Wave: 15 Years of Blumhouse (Simon Element)
  • Becky Siegel Spratford, for Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature (Saga)
  • Richard Wolinsky, for Space Ships! Ray Guns! Martian Octopods!: Interviews with Science Fiction Legends (Tachyon)

Special Award – Non-Professional

  • Scott H. Andrews, for Beneath Ceaseless Skies
  • Andy Cox, for Remains
  • Patrick Swenson, for Fairwood Press and for the Rainforest Writers Village Retreat
  • Elise C. Tobler, for The Deadlands
  • Wendy Wagner, for Nightmare

The Life Achievement Awards recipients have not yet been announced.

This year’s judges are Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, Tamsyn Muir, Madeleine E. Robins, Richard Thomas, and Ann VanderMeer. For more information, see the WFC website.

The post 2026 World Fantasy Awards Finalists appeared first on Locus.

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