Nebula Award, any of various annual awards presented by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). Although the SFWA is open to writers, editors, illustrators, agents, and others, only “active members” (published writers) are eligible to vote for the awards, which are currently given for best novel, novella, novelette, short story, and script. The first Nebula Awards were given in 1965, and Frank Herbert’s Dune won the award for best novel. The Nebula Awards are generally considered more prestigious than the Hugo Awards, which are voted by science fiction fans.
| year | category* | title | author |
|---|---|---|---|
| *Modern category definitions: novel, 40,000 words or more; novella, 17,500 to 39,999 words; novelette, 7,500 to 17,499 words; short story, 7,499 words or fewer. | |||
| 1965 | novel | Dune | Frank Herbert |
| novella (tie) | "The Saliva Tree" | Brian W. Aldiss | |
| "He Who Shapes" | Roger Zelazny | ||
| novelette | "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth" | Roger Zelazny | |
| short story | "'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman" | Harlan Ellison | |
| 1966 | novel (tie) | Flowers for Algernon | Daniel Keyes |
| Babel-17 | Samuel R. Delany | ||
| novella | "The Last Castle" | Jack Vance | |
| novelette | "Call Him Lord" | Gordon R. Dickson | |
| short story | "The Secret Place" | Richard McKenna | |
| 1967 | novel | The Einstein Intersection | Samuel R. Delany |
| novella | "Behold the Man" | Michael Moorcock | |
| novelette | "Gonna Roll the Bones" | Fritz Leiber | |
| short story | "Aye, and Gomorrah" | Samuel R. Delany | |
| 1968 | novel | Rite of Passage | Alexei Panshin |
| novella | "Dragonrider" | Anne McCaffrey | |
| novelette | "Mother to the World" | Richard Wilson | |
| short story | "The Planners" | Kate Wilhelm | |
| 1969 | novel | The Left Hand of Darkness | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| novella | "A Boy and His Dog" | Harlan Ellison | |
| novelette | "Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones" | Samuel R. Delany | |
| short story | "Passengers" | Robert Silverberg | |
| 1970 | novel | Ringworld | Larry Niven |
| novella | "Ill Met in Lankhmar" | Fritz Leiber | |
| novelette | "Slow Sculpture" | Theodore Sturgeon | |
| short story | no award | ||
| 1971 | novel | A Time of Changes | Robert Silverberg |
| novella | "The Missing Man" | Katherine MacLean | |
| novelette | "The Queen of Air and Darkness" | Poul Anderson | |
| short story | "Good News from the Vatican" | Robert Silverberg | |
| 1972 | novel | The Gods Themselves | Isaac Asimov |
| novella | "A Meeting with Medusa" | Arthur C. Clarke | |
| novelette | "Goat Song" | Poul Anderson | |
| short story | "When It Changed" | Joanna Russ | |
| 1973 | novel | Rendezvous with Rama | Arthur C. Clarke |
| novella | "The Death of Doctor Island" | Gene Wolfe | |
| novelette | "Of Mist, and Grass, and Sand" | Vonda N. McIntyre | |
| short story | "Love Is the Plan, the Plan Is Death" | James Tiptree, Jr. | |
| 1974 | novel | The Dispossessed | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| novella | "Born with the Dead" | Robert Silverberg | |
| novelette | "If the Stars Are Gods" | Gordon Eklund and Gregory Benford | |
| short story | "The Day Before the Revolution" | Ursula K. Le Guin | |
| 1975 | novel | The Forever War | Joe Haldeman |
| novella | "Home Is the Hangman" | Roger Zelazny | |
| novelette | "San Diego Lightfoot Sue" | Tom Reamy | |
| short story | "Catch That Zeppelin!" | Fritz Leiber | |
| 1976 | novel | Man Plus | Frederik Pohl |
| novella | "Houston, Houston, Do You Read?" | James Tiptree, Jr. | |
| novelette | "The Bicentennial Man" | Isaac Asimov | |
| short story | "A Crowd of Shadows" | Charles L. Grant | |
| 1977 | novel | Gateway | Frederik Pohl |
| novella | "Stardance" | Spider and Jeanne Robinson | |
| novelette | "The Screwfly Solution" | Raccoona Sheldon | |
| short story | "Jeffty Is Five" | Harlan Ellison | |
| 1978 | novel | Dreamsnake | Vonda N. McIntyre |
| novella | "The Persistence of Vision" | John Varley | |
| novelette | "A Glow of Candles, a Unicorn's Eye" | Charles L. Grant | |
| short story | "Stone" | Edward Bryant | |
| 1979 | novel | The Fountains of Paradise | Arthur C. Clarke |
| novella | "Enemy Mine" | Barry Longyear | |
| novelette | "Sandkings" | George R.R. Martin | |
| short story | "giANTS" | Edward Bryant | |
| 1980 | novel | Timescape | Gregory Benford |
| novella | "The Unicorn Tapestry" | Suzy McKee Charnas | |
| novelette | "The Ugly Chickens" | Howard Waldrop | |
| short story | "Grotto of the Dancing Deer" | Clifford D. Simak | |
| 1981 | novel | The Claw of the Conciliator | Gene Wolfe |
| novella | "The Saturn Game" | Poul Anderson | |
| novelette | "The Quickening" | Michael Bishop | |
| short story | "The Bone Flute" | Lisa Tuttle (declined) | |
| 1982 | novel | No Enemy but Time | Michael Bishop |
| novella | "Another Orphan" | John Kessel | |
| novelette | "Fire Watch" | Connie Willis | |
| short story | "A Letter from the Clearys" | Connie Willis | |
| 1983 | novel | Startide Rising | David Brin |
| novella | "Hardfought" | Greg Bear | |
| novelette | "Blood Music" | Greg Bear | |
| short story | "The Peacemaker" | Gardner Dozois | |
| 1984 | novel | Neuromancer | William Gibson |
| novella | "Press Enter □" | John Varley | |
| novelette | "Bloodchild" | Octavia E. Butler | |
| short story | "Morning Child" | Gardner Dozois | |
| 1985 | novel | Ender's Game | Orson Scott Card |
| novella | "Sailing to Byzantium" | Robert Silverberg | |
| novelette | "Portraits of His Children" | George R.R. Martin | |
| short story | "Out of All Them Bright Stars" | Nancy Kress | |
| 1986 | novel | Speaker for the Dead | Orson Scott Card |
| novella | "R & R" | Lucius Shepard | |
| novelette | "The Girl Who Fell into the Sky" | Kate Wilhelm | |
| short story | "Tangents" | Greg Bear | |
| 1987 | novel | The Falling Woman | Pat Murphy |
| novella | "The Blind Geometer" | Kim Stanley Robinson | |
| novelette | "Rachel in Love" | Pat Murphy | |
| short story | "Forever Yours, Anna" | Kate Wilhelm | |
| 1988 | novel | Falling Free | Lois McMaster Bujold |
| novella | "The Last of the Winnebagos" | Connie Willis | |
| novelette | "Schrödinger's Kitten" | George Alec Effinger | |
| short story | "Bible Stories for Adults, No. 17: The Deluge" | James Morrow | |
| 1989 | novel | The Healer's War | Elizabeth Ann Scarborough |
| novella | "The Mountains of Mourning" | Lois McMaster Bujold | |
| novelette | "At the Rialto" | Connie Willis | |
| short story | "Ripples in the Dirac Sea" | Geoffrey A. Landis | |
| 1990 | novel | Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| novella | "The Hemingway Hoax" | Joe Haldeman | |
| novelette | "Tower of Babylon" | Ted Chiang | |
| short story | "Bears Discover Fire" | Terry Bisson | |
| 1991 | novel | Stations of the Tide | Michael Swanwick |
| novella | "Beggars in Spain" | Nancy Kress | |
| novelette | "Guide Dog" | Mike Conner | |
| short story | "Ma Qui" | Alan Brennert | |
| 1992 | novel | Doomsday Book | Connie Willis |
| novella | "City of Truth" | James Morrow | |
| novelette | "Danny Goes to Mars" | Pamela Sargent | |
| short story | "Even the Queen" | Connie Willis | |
| 1993 | novel | Red Mars | Kim Stanley Robinson |
| novella | "The Night We Buried Road Dog" | Jack Cady | |
| novelette | "Georgia on My Mind" | Charles Sheffield | |
| short story | "Graves" | Joe Haldeman | |
| 1994 | novel | Moving Mars | Greg Bear |
| novella | "Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge" | Mike Resnick | |
| novelette | "The Martian Child" | David Gerrold | |
| short story | "A Defense of the Social Contracts" | Martha Soukup | |
| 1995 | novel | The Terminal Experiment | Robert J. Sawyer |
| novella | "Last Summer at Mars Hill" | Elizabeth Hand | |
| novelette | "Solitude" | Ursula K. Le Guin | |
| short story | "Death and the Librarian" | Esther M. Friesner | |
| 1996 | novel | Slow River | Nicola Griffith |
| novella | "Da Vinci Rising" | Jack Dann | |
| novelette | "Lifeboat on a Burning Sea" | Bruce Holland Rogers | |
| short story | "A Birthday" | Esther M. Friesner | |
| 1997 | novel | The Moon and the Sun | Vonda N. McIntyre |
| novella | "Abandon in Place" | Jerry Oltion | |
| novelette | "The Flowers of Aulit Prison" | Nancy Kress | |
| short story | "Sister Emily's Lightship" | Jane Yolen | |
| 1998 | novel | Forever Peace | Joe Haldeman |
| novella | "Reading the Bones" | Sheila Finch | |
| novelette | "Lost Girls" | Jane Yolen | |
| short story | "Thirteen Ways to Water" | Bruce Holland Rogers | |
| 1999 | novel | Parable of the Talents | Octavia E. Butler |
| novella | "Story of Your Life" | Ted Chiang | |
| novelette | "Mars Is No Place for Children" | Mary A. Turzillo | |
| short story | "The Cost of Doing Business" | Leslie What | |
| 2000 | novel | Darwin's Radio | Greg Bear |
| novella | "Goddesses" | Linda Nagata | |
| novelette | "Daddy's World" | Walter Jon Williams | |
| short story | "macs" | Terry Bisson | |
| 2001 | novel | The Quantum Rose | Catherine Asaro |
| novella | "The Ultimate Earth" | Jack Williamson | |
| novelette | "Louise's Ghost" | Kelly Link | |
| short story | "The Cure for Everything" | Severna Park | |
| 2002 | novel | American Gods | Neil Gaiman |
| novella | "Bronte's Egg" | Richard Chwedyk | |
| novelette | "Hell Is the Absence of God" | Ted Chiang | |
| short story | "Creature" | Carol Emshwiller | |
| 2003 | novel | The Speed of Dark | Elizabeth Moon |
| novella | "Coraline" | Neil Gaiman | |
| novelette | "The Empire of Ice Cream" | Jeffrey Ford | |
| short story | "What I Didn't See" | Karen Joy Fowler | |
| 2004 | novel | Paladin of Souls | Lois McMaster Bujold |
| novella | "The Green Leopard Plague" | Walter Jon Williams | |
| novelette | "Basement Magic" | Ellen Klages | |
| short story | "Coming to Terms" | Eileen Gunn | |
| 2005 | novel | Camouflage | Joe Haldeman |
| novella | "Magic for Beginners" | Kelly Link | |
| novelette | "The Faery Handbag" | Kelly Link | |
| short story | "I Live with You" | Carol Emshwiller | |
| 2006 | novel | Seeker | Jack McDevitt |
| novella | "Burn" | James Patrick Kelly | |
| novelette | "Two Hearts" | Peter S. Beagle | |
| short story | "Echo" | Elizabeth Hand | |
| 2007 | novel | The Yiddish Policemen's Union | Michael Chabon |
| novella | "Fountain of Age" | Nancy Kress | |
| novelette | "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" | Ted Chiang | |
| short story | "Always" | Karen Joy Fowler | |
| 2008 | novel | Powers | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| novella | "The Spacetime Pool" | Catherine Asaro | |
| novelette | "Pride and Prometheus" | John Kessel | |
| short story | "Trophy Wives" | Nina Kiriki Hoffman | |
| 2009 | novel | The Windup Girl | Paolo Bacigalupi |
| novella | "The Women of Nell Gwynne's" | Kage Baker | |
| novelette | "Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast" | Eugie Foster | |
| short story | "Spar" | Kij Johnson | |
| 2010 | novel | Blackout and All Clear | Connie Willis |
| novella | "The Lady Who Plucked Red Flowers Beneath the Queen's Window" | Rachel Swirsky | |
| novelette | "That Leviathan Whom Thou Hast Made" | Eric James Stone | |
| short story (tie) | "Ponies" | Kij Johnson | |
| "How Interesting: A Tiny Man" | Harlan Ellison | ||
| 2011 | novel | Among Others | Jo Walton |
| novella | "The Man Who Bridged the Mist" | Kij Johnson | |
| novelette | "What We Found" | Geoff Ryman | |
| short story | "The Paper Menagerie" | Ken Liu | |
| 2012 | novel | 2312 | Kim Stanley Robinson |
| novella | "After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall" | Nancy Kress | |
| novelette | "Close Encounters" | Andy Duncan | |
| short story | "Immersion" | Aliette de Bodard | |
| 2013 | novel | Ancillary Justice | Ann Leckie |
| novella | "The Weight of the Sunrise" | Vylar Kaftan | |
| novelette | "The Waiting Stars" | Aliette de Bodard | |
| short story | "If You Were a Dinosaur, My Love" | Rachel Swirsky | |
| 2014 | novel | Annihilation | Jeff VanderMeer |
| novella | "Yesterday's Kin" | Nancy Kress | |
| novelette | "A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i" | Alaya Dawn Johnson | |
| short story | "Jackalope Wives" | Ursula Vernon | |
| 2015 | novel | Uprooted | Naomi Novik |
| novella | "Binti" | Nnedi Okorafor | |
| novelette | "Our Lady of the Open Road" | Sarah Pinsker | |
| short story | "Hungry Daughters of Starving Mothers" | Alyssa Wong | |
| 2016 | novel | All the Birds in the Sky | Charlie Jane Anders |
| novella | "Every Heart a Doorway" | Seanan McGuire | |
| novelette | "The Long Fall Up" | William Ledbetter | |
| short story | "Seasons of Glass and Iron" | Amal El-Mohtar | |
| 2017 | novel | The Stone Sky | N.K. Jemisin |
| novella | "All Systems Red" | Martha Wells | |
| novelette | "A Human Stain" | Kelly Robson | |
| short story | "Welcome to Your Authentic Indian ExperienceTM" | Rebecca Roanhorse | |
| 2018 | novel | The Calculating Stars | Mary Robinette Kowal |
| novella | "The Tea Master and the Detective" | Aliette de Bodard | |
| novelette | "The Only Harmless Great Thing" | Brooke Bolander | |
| short story | "The Secret Lives of the Nine Negro Teeth of George Washington" | P. Djèlí Clark | |
| 2019 | novel | A Song for a New Day | Sarah Pinsker |
| novella | "This Is How You Lose the Time War" | Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone | |
| novelette | "Carpe Glitter" | Cat Rambo | |
| short story | "Give the Family My Love" | A.T. Greenblatt | |
| 2020 | novel | Network Effect | Martha Wells |
| novella | "Ring Shout" | P. Djèlí Clark | |
| novelette | "Two Truths and a Lie" | Sarah Pinsker | |
| short story | "Open House on Haunted Hill" | John Wiswell | |