Literary award · United States · since 1955

Hugo Award for Best Novelette

Literary award for science fiction or fantasy stories in English. Established 1955 in United States.

About Hugo Award for Best Novelette

The Hugo Award for Best Novelette is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The novelette award is available for works of fiction of between 7,500 and 17,500 words; awards are also given out in the short story, novella and novel categories. The Hugo Awards have been described as "a fine showcase for speculative fiction" and "the best known literary award for science fiction writing". The Hugo Award for Best Novelette was first awarded in 1955, and was subsequently awarded in 1956 and 1959, lapsing in 1960. The category was reinstated for 1967 through 1969, before lapsing again in 1970; after returning in 1973, it has remained to date.

From the Wikipedia article “Hugo Award for Best Novelette”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2026H. H. PakNever Eaten Vegetables
2025Naomi KritzerThe Four Sisters Overlooking the Sea
2024Naomi KritzerNone
2023Hai YaThe Space-Time Painter
2022Suzanne PalmerBots of the Lost Ark
2021Sarah PinskerTwo Truths and a Lie
2020N. K. JemisinNone

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data